Stephenie Meyer Day 2011 – Go green for Twilight with a keepsake from Forks High School!

While enjoying the Stephenie Meyer Day 2011 vendors, we met Tena Gagnon, jewelry designer and owner of The Forks Forest. A resident of the Twilight town, she launched her jewelry business in 2009 on Etsy, first making Twilight-themed items but recently adding pieces representing The Hunger Games.

Tena’s stunning SMD 2011 display featured beautifully hand-made jewelry, but what caught our eye was her Upcycled Collection fashioned out of debris from Forks High School’s past structural improvements and recent demolition. The repurposed items, crafted from the gymnasium floor, facade bricks, copper pipes and aluminum scrap, are limited editions and all one-of-a-kind.

The Forks Forest Upcycle Collection includes wooden boxes, bricks, bookends and bracelets – all available for purchase on Tena’s Etsy site.  At SMD 2011, we couldn’t resist buying a copper and aluminum bracelet with “Dazzle Me” stamped on it.

Twilight Bond purchased this keepsake bracelet made out of copper pipes and aluminum scrap from FHS. Photo credit: Megan L. Reese.

Forks High School Historical Book Ends made from 1925 bricks and 1963 gym floor. Metal stamp on the front says FHS. Photo credit: The Forks Forest.

Forks High School Upcycled 1936 Flooring Box and 1925 brick. Photo credit: The Forks Forest.

Built in 1925, Forks High School added a gym in 1963 and replaced the wood floor in 1996. At that time, West Waste and Recycling,  owned by Tena’s husband, salvaged and stored the wood in its facility for almost 15 years until Tena reinvented it. Last summer, Forks High School was torn down to make room for a new FHS building, which provided additional materials for the innovative, green designer.

Forks High School demolition. Photo credit: Chris Cook, Forks Forum

Immortalized in The Twilight Saga after Edward and Bella met and fell in love while attending classes there, Forks High School was a must-see on the to-do list of TwiHard tourists. Fortunately, visitors can now own an actual piece of the school as a special, unique keepsake!

@TwilightBond

The Road to Forks (Highway 101)

If you’ve never been to Forks, here’s 30 seconds of Highway 101 – one of the only ways into the town.

Cullyn is narrating. She really IS excited, but we’d been traveling for 10 hours at this point…

@TwilightBond

In the air and on the road to Forks for Stephenie Meyer Day 2011

Our trek to Forks, WA for Stephenie Meyer Day 2011 began at 6:00 am EST and ended at 8:15 pm PST. Here are the details of our (almost glitch-free) trip:

6:00 am EST – Wake up, shower, eat breakfast and wait for the airport shuttle to arrive at 7:15 am.
7:15 – 7:25 am EST- Wait for the shuttle. Double check Twilight Saga apparel.
7:30 am EST – Shuttle arrives with a very chatty driver (we’re not morning people) and news that we need to pick up two more people.
7:35 am EST – receive SWA text that flight is delayed an hour which will make us miss our connection. Great.
7:45 am EST – Pick up a very buff 60 year-old women who is flying out to San Diego (sigh) to meet a cycling group  who is biking from CA to Georgia. She’s riding 120 miles/day.  We’re doing that, too – today…in a car.
8:00 am – Receive text from SWA that flight is now on time. ???
8:15 am – Pick up last passenger who is not real chatty. Realize I left our boarding passes on the dining room table.
8:45 am – Arrive at PHL. Reprint boarding passes. Wait for 30 minutes to get through security line because there were two TSA people checking IDs and only two security lines. On a Friday morning.
9:50 am EST – Take cheesy tourist self-portrait. Board flight to STL. No drama.

At PHL waiting to board our flight.

11:35 am CST – Arrive in STL. Seek lunch. Not many healthy options.
12:10 pm CST – Board flight to SEA. Read The Official Guide to the Twilight Saga. Slept 90 minutes.
2:10 pm PST – Arrive in SEA 35 minutes early! Yay! Get rental car. No drama.
2:30 pm PST – Cullyn, “Why is the GPS taking us north?”
3:00 pm PST – Cullyn, “Why are we following the signs for the ferry?” (She’s afraid of being on boats.) Me, “Trust the GPS.”
3:45 pm PST – In line for the Edmonds – Kingston, WA Ferry. Whoops. 

So, after disembarking the ferry and traveling on a lot of two-lane, windy roads we arrived in Forks at 8:15 pm! Off to Bella’s Bridal Shower!

The Hillywood Show’s new Twilight sketch with Evil Iguana Productions

Looks like The Hillywood Show has done it again with a hilarious sketch! This time they teamed up with Craig and Tony from Evil Iguana Productions (EIP) and introduced the guys to Bella, Edward, Jacob, Alice and Jasper.

Craig and Tony get a crash course in Twilight when they enter their hotel room and find they’ve stepped into the saga.

@TwilightBond

Visiting Forks? Relief is here! Introducing the Twilight Twoilet

Twilight Twoilet

From the Forks, WA website 8/9/2011.
Written by Christi Baron

The members of West End Business & Professional Association and Forks Chamber of Commerce have gone in together on two Sanicans placed downtown for the summer tourists.  Merchants in the area of the stoplight had been complaining about Twilight visitors using their restrooms which are usually back in store rooms and not meant for public use.

So a regular sanican was delivered first and when the folks at West Waste and Recycling delivered the second one it had a custom paint job, I call it the “Twilight Twoilet.”

Now Forks visitors have their pick: regular or Twilight!

@TwilightBond

Update on Stephenie Meyer Day in Forks, September 9 – 11, 2011

The following press release provides exciting details about the upcoming Stephenie Meyer Day in Forks, WA.

THE HILLYWOOD SHOW® JOINS STEPHENIE MEYER DAY LINEUP
Creators of the TWILIGHT parody to connect with fans for a weekend of celebrations

FORKS, WA – Hannah and Hilly Hindi, creators of The Hillywood Show®, are joining with TWILIGHT fans and the citizens of Forks to celebrate Stephenie Meyer Day. Although the Hindi sisters have visited Forks three times, this will be their first appearance at the annual celebration of Stephenie Meyer and her literary world. Now in its fifth year, Stephenie Meyer Day 2011 encompasses an entire weekend of TWILIGHT-themed events from September 9-11.

“Stephenie Meyer Day has grown as an event every year, and with the addition of The Hillywood Show®, this year will be the best yet,” said Staci Chastain, organizer of Stephenie Meyer Day 2011. “The weekend isn’t just a celebration of Stephenie Meyer – it’s a celebration of all TWILIGHT fans.”

The Hillywood Show® will talk with TWILIGHT fans about parody, scriptwriting and filming during a literary symposium. They will also join designer John Henson, owner of The Twilight Costume Collection, for photo opportunities and discussions about costuming. In addition to their other work, the Hindi sisters will screen their immensely popular TWILIGHT, NEW MOON and ECLIPSE parodies.

“We are honored to be included in Stephenie Meyer Day. Without Stephenie Meyer and Twilight, The Hillywood Show® wouldn’t be where it is today,” said Hilly Hindi, co-creator of The Hillywood Show®. “Forks is truly a magical place, and The Hillywood Show® will never pass on an opportunity to visit it over and over again!”

Other guests for the weekend include York Baur, director of TWILIGHT IN FORKS; Dr. Natalie Wilson, author of SEDUCED BY TWILIGHT; Veronica Blake, author of historical romance novels; and Natalia Cherjovsky, PhD, who wrote her doctoral dissertation from Oxford on TWILIGHT.

Additional events include scene recreation photo opportunities with the official Stephenie Meyer Day cast of TWILIGHT lookalikes; a bridal shower for Bella Swan; a St. Marcus Day Festival party; and a TWILIGHT scavenger hunt. Vendors of TWILIGHT-themed goods will be selling creative and one-of-a-kind merchandise, and those who wish to sell their goods during the weekend are encouraged to contact the Stephenie Meyer Day organizational committee. For more information surrounding events schedules, vending opportunities and updates, please visit www.stepheniemeyerday.com.

@TwilightBond