Even if a major organizer of an annual celebration of the “Twilight” fantasy series brings her event to St. Helens next year, the city of Forks, Wash., will carry on with hosting “Stephenie Meyer Day,” the top official at the Forks Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Lissy Andros said she is aware that Staci Chastain, who met with St. Helens community members on Oct. 30 to discuss staging the four-day “Twilight” celebration in St. Helens next year, is interested in taking the event outside of Forks, a small town on the Olympic Peninsula. But she disputed Chastain’s assertion that Stephenie Meyer Day, which has been an annual event in Forks since 2007, has lost support from the business community in Forks.
“It couldn’t be going better, as far as I’m concerned,” said Andros, who is the executive director of the Forks Chamber of Commerce and a self-professed “Twilight” fan. She added, “It makes me sad if Staci won’t be here, but we will continue the event.”
While Andros said she does not believe there is anything organizers in Forks can do to stop St. Helens from hosting its own version of Stephenie Meyer Day — which is named for the author of the “Twilight” book series — she argued that Forks has a stronger connection to the series, which is largely set in and around Forks, than any other community.
“I don’t think anything’s going to separate Forks from ‘Twilight,’” Andros said.
Chastain has been involved in organizing Stephenie Meyer Day since 2011, when the Forks Chamber of Commerce handed over responsibility for the event to a group of individuals and businesses seeking to expand it, Andros said. But according to Andros, Chastain has never been in charge of the entire four-day festival, which is not centrally coordinated.
“They have events at different restaurants and different stores. It’s not just her events,” said Andros, adding, “Stephenie Meyer Day is not an event that belongs to any one group.”
Chastain did not respond to the Spotlight’s request for comment before press time.
St. Helens planners asked to put up funds
Chastain’s pitch to prospective partners in St. Helens, who are led by St. Helens Economic Development Corp. board member Amanda Normine, is that she will bring her troupe of “Twilight” actors to St. Helens next September if they commit to covering some $13,520 in projected expenses.
Chastain’s budget requirements, which Normine shared in an email Monday, include $3,000 to cover the costs of a videographer and publicist visiting St. Helens next year to create promotional material for the event; $4,000 to cover hotel expenses for the Olympic Coven, her group of “Twilight” character actors, as well as their hair and makeup team; $4,000 to cover airfare for the actors; and $2,520 to pay for the actors’ meals.
The money for the site visit would be due Feb. 1, the airfare money would be due by May 1, and the remaining costs would be paid in September, when the event would take place.
At a meeting at Sunshine Pizza in St. Helens on Wednesday evening, members of the “Twilight in St. Helens” planning group balked at Chastain’s budget.
“I’m a little sticker-shocked, I guess,” said Natasha Parvey.
The group agreed to counter Chastain by saying they would not agree to pay for the advance visit by Chastain’s publicity team, nor pay for the hair and makeup crew. The planners also agreed to search for less expensive options for lodging and meals for the actors.
“It felt like, our first meeting, it was very, ‘We want to make this happen. We’re going to get this, and we bring all this,’” said Normine, referring to Chastain. “And initially, it was too good to be true. … It is a business proposition. She’s not doing this for fun — even though she says she is, we know that’s not the case.”
Normine said she would prefer local organizers in St. Helens have control over planning and staging the event, even if Chastain and her Olympic Coven are hired.
“I don’t really trust them or want them to believe that they have any control over the event,” Normine said, citing what she said was negative feedback she heard about events Chastain organized in Forks.
SHEDCO board to weigh in
Normine is presenting a proposal to SHEDCO’s board of directors next Thursday, Nov. 20, to see if the economic development group will support a “Twilight” event in St. Helens next September. She said she believes it would be successful if local partners can raise $20,000 ahead of the event.
Liz Esposito, a program coordinator with SHEDCO, suggested offering Chastain 10 percent of the proceeds.
Stephenie Meyer Day 2015 is scheduled for Sept. 10 to Sept. 13. Forks is planning to hold it as usual that weekend, Andros confirmed, and Chastain has targeted those dates for the St. Helens event as well.
Esposito said she is not worried about two concurrent “Twilight” events in Forks and St. Helens competing with one another for attendees.
“I think with any new event, there’s risks, and that would make any person nervous,” Esposito said after Wednesday’s meeting. “But I am confident that we can pull off a successful event, and that we wouldn’t necessarily be stealing people from Forks — that we’d be attracting a new crowd because we’re more accessible.”
Next year marks the 10th anniversary of the 2005 publication of “Twilight.” A film series based on the four “Twilight” books has been produced since then.
Several major scenes from the 2008 movie “Twilight” were filmed in and around St. Helens.
Originally Published in The South County Spotlight
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