Highlights from the 2016 Twin Peaks Festival

Hot damn that pie Is good!

I was invited by Twin Peaks Unwrapped to talk about my experience as a first time attendee along with some other great people from the festival. Listen here ---> Twin Peaks Unwrapped 60: Twin Peaks Fest 2016

Earlier this year I promised myself that no matter what I needed to get to the 2016 Twin Peaks Festival. With that being said, I was determined to make it happen and I'm happy to say I can now check attending the festival off my bucket list. Initially I was expecting to go alone, because the tickets sold out super fast. However as the festival approached more tickets became available and I was able to snag one for my friend. It had been years since we were able to take a girls trip together so getting her a ticket made me even more excited to attend. Since she had never seen the series all the way through, she volunteered to binge watch it with Fire Walk With Me and the Missing Pieces in preparation. After which we set off, just two New Jersey girls heading out to North Bend, WA for an adventure we hoped would be both wondrous and strange.

Fall City Roadhouse

There were two events at the Roadhouse. The first is an unofficial festival event called The Mixer on Thursday. It's basically a gathering of whoever wants to attend and a chance for people to mingle before the official events kick off. I was definitely nervous going in, but after a couple drinks and chatting with some terrific folks, I felt right at home. I got to meet some really cool people and got to snap some terrific pictures with Bonnie Aarons, who was super approachable and just plain fun. On the last night everyone returned to The Roadhouse for an evening of some very lively karaoke performances. 

Snoqualmie Falls 

Seeing the falls in person was a very surreal experience for me, as I imagine it is for most Twin Peaks fans when they see it for the first time. It's much bigger than I imagined and quite breathtaking. Standing there watching the water flow made me understand why Lynch/Frost were so enchanted by the falls; they are truly magical. 

Twede's Cafe aka The Double R Diner

Going to the diner might have been my favorite part of the trip. It has been remodeled to look as it did in the show so walking inside felt like I literally walked right into the heart of Twin Peaks. Our waitress was very friendly and she never stopped pouring the coffee. I expected to see Windom Earle in his motorcycle get up at the counter or for Shelly to stroll over to ask if I wanted more pie at any moment. I loved it there!

Ronette's Bridge

Visiting the bridge was also a surreal experience. Not only because it's such an iconic scene from the pilot of Twin Peaks, but also because the bridge itself has a quiet yet ominous feel to it. As I walked around I could see why it was chosen; there truly is a mysterious aura about it. 

Welcome to Twin Peaks

As I rounded the corner from Ronette's bridge, I was greeted by the festival's official Twin Peaks sign set in the exact location where Dale Cooper first sees it upon entering Twin Peaks in the series. That was definitely a favorite moment and made the experience of being in North Bend feel very real to me.

Celebrity Diner Night

The celebrity dinner was arguably my favorite event. Not only because of the great Q&A session with the actors, which can be heard in the above link to the TP Unwrapped podcast, but also because it was a chance to get up close and personal with the stars. I'm not a star chaser by any means, but it was a real treat to simply be standing outside when Russ Tamblyn walked out. He said he was tired and ready to go home, there were only a few people there so I asked for picture and he kindly agreed. At the same time, Madchen Amick  pulled up and walked right over to us to say hi. She is as bubbly and as gorgeous as you can imagine in real life. That was a special moment for me, followed by going back inside and having a chance to snap a picture with the lovely Laura Harring, who is also a knock out and was incredibly positive about her experience working with David Lynch. Also they set up a Black Lodge room where you can take pictures and outside of that was the incredible One Eyed Jacks sign, as seen above. All in all, it was a very special night!

Lynch Movie Night

The Lynch movie night had a real cool vibe to it. The theater is in North Bend right around the corner from Twede's cafe. The evening's feature film being shown was Mulholland Drive, which Laura Harring gave a sweet introduction for. However proceeding that was a showcase of the fan video finalists who entered the short film contest for the festival. Personally I enjoyed seeing that a lot. Since starting my blog it has amazed me how dedicated, creative and inspired the fans truly are by Twin Peaks. Everyone's work was great and after Mulholland Drive started to play, it was interrupted by a special performance by Julie Cruise. Unfortunately for me, like a idiot, I stepped outside at the wrong moment and missed it. I heard it was very special so if anyone has any footage of that, please send it my way. That is probably my biggest regret of the trip. However I did get a choppy video of Madchen talking about her directorial debut for her daughter's upcoming music video. Watch Below!

Olallie State Park

 

The picnic was a nice relaxing day where you can see the Dear Meadow Sheriff's station, the river where Teresa Bank's body was floating and tour some sites from scenes where Fire Walk With Me was filmed. Also several of the celebrities showed up. I had a chance to have a friendly chat with Gary Bullock not only about Fire Walk With Me, but also just about normal life things. He told me that during the filming of FWWM David Lynch told him to slow his dialogue down to the point where it was uncomfortable and then it would be right. He also said David has a way of bringing the best out of his actors. Then we went on to talk about our mutual love of dogs and his struggles with getting his fiction novel, Elsewhen, published. As an aspiring author, I found that conversation to be a real treat!

View of Mount Si

In a final thought, I think the overall experience for me was super positive. Not only did I completely geek out as a fan girl, but along the way I met some incredible people that not only welcomed me, but made me feel like I made new friends. Since coming home I've felt a bit of sadness at how quick it went and for the things I didn't get to do while I was there, but that's just some good motivation to return someday. Until then, I'll be in and out of the shadows! ;)

If you haven't seen it yet, check out Mark Frost's book trailer for 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' he'll be signing in NYC on Oct 20th. I think I need to be there so maybe I'll see some of you then.