PENINSULA DAILY NEWS: THE CHANGING FACE OF FORKS BECAUSE OF ‘TWILIGHT’
The Peninsula Daily News has an article that looks at how Twilight has changed what the town of Forks is known for.
Forks was settled in the early 1900s because of its proximity to the Sol Duc, Quillayute, Bogachiel and Calawah Rivers.It was incorporated in 1945 and, at that time, farming was the primary means of earning a living.
For years it was famous as a “timber town.â€
But it took a family of unrelated vampires to put Forks’ name firmly into the public eye and draw visitors by the thousands to this temperate rain forest.
Twilight — a dream by a young woman, Stephenie Meyer, which became a best-selling four-book series (and then a movie, with a sequel being filmed and plans for future films) — has changed the face of Forks and thrown open the doors to international visitors.
As anyone on the North Olympic Peninsula will attest, swarms of excited, eager
Twilight fans of all ages come to Forks to experience something magical.Forks is working hard to retain that mystical aura.
While Twilight opened the floodgates to a fan base ranging from preteen to “oughta know better,†both male and female, the challenge has become keeping the interest high on the West End — and, from all accounts, Forks is rising to the challenge.
Visitors can pick up a colorful map of the action sites in the book and go off on a self-guided tour, hoping to catch sight of the occasional vampire (on a cloudy day) or a werewolf (non-seasonal).
Their fantasy is fed by the Chamber of Commerce-run Visitor Information Center, where mail for the vampire Cullen family is being saved and where props for exciting photos are treasured and shared.
Directions to other activities and information on Olympic National Park, the former big draw, are offered as well.
Residents are showing a tolerant, slightly amused face to visitors and often recognize the plight of their photo-happy visitors and offer to snap a picture of a group of tourists.
Their indulgence is being paid off with return visits and acknowledgement that this part of the county is both beautiful and quite unique.
To read entire the story, click here.
I had never heard of Forks before I read Twilight. Now, it’s on my list of places to visit. I think that kind of publicity can really be good for a small town.
Did you know about Forks before Twilight? Have you been to Forks?
