Ellington

A sign inside the Forks Chamber of Commerce reads, “City of Forks — Population 3,175. Vampires 8.5.” The building, which sits by the southern edge of town, would remain inconspicuous if it weren’t for the bright red 1953 Chevrolet truck sitting in the parking lot. Old and rusty, the truck’s broken window gives onlookers a sense that it has seen better years. The license plate says, “Bella,” while a black bumper sticker says, “Werewolves Love La Push.”

Situated 137 miles and a ferry trip from the UW in the heart of the Olympic Peninsula is the town of Forks. A place known mostly for its logging heritage and great quantity of places to fish, hunt and hike, Forks is getting worldwide recognition, thanks to author Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga.

The book centers around the romance between 17-year-old Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, a 107-year-old vampire. Although the New York Times’ best-seller is based in Forks, the movie was filmed in the Portland, Ore. area. Despite this, people from all over the world have traveled to Forks to take its infamous Twilight tour.

“We’ve had visitors from Australia, Russia and Greenland,” said Marcia Bingham, the Chamber of Commerce executive director. “There’s a car full of people outside, and one of the passengers is from Brazil.”

During this chilly January afternoon, a dozen or so people stand in a tight semi-circle around Bingham. She’s standing by the counter wearing a black T-shirt that says, “Love at first bite. Forks, WA.” Several books from the saga decorate the counter. Next to them rests a bright yellow lunchbox-looking device. “Forks vampire control,” it says.

A guestbook lies open on the counter. In it, guests have written their name, where they’re from and comments ranging from ‘I love Jacob’ to ‘Team Edward and Alice’.

Today’s group is an eclectic mix. A young 20-something couple from California and several families with awestruck young girls listen intently to Bingham’s every word. She’s talking about the Twilight points of interest in Forks. Her green marker draws three large Xs onto the official Forks Twilight Map.

“Here is the Cullens’ home,” she said, referring to The Miller Tree Inn, a local bed and breakfast. “They are currently out of town right now, but Esme [Edward’s mother] has left a note about their whereabouts.”

She treats the tour as if the whole series is absolute fact; it adds to the whole Twilight atmosphere. Several posters decorate the room, some displaying scenes from the movie.

Bingham met the author when Meyer visited Forks to do a reading from New Moon, the second book in the saga, in 2006.

“I’m convinced that having meet her that she’ll finish [Midnight Sun],” Bingham said. “Having meeting her I think she wants to please her fans.”

The tour consists of eight locations that showcase places from the book. There’s Forks Outfitters, Bella’s workplace, where a vest embroidered with her name hangs by the window; and Forks High School, the location where Bella and Edward first met.

“A lot of people say they want to see where the movie and story took place,” she said.

Visitors taking the tour must be cautious. People live in all the tour spots, and the residents dislike having fans ring the doorbell to ask if they can see inside their home. People have gone as far as having Dr. Cullen, Edward’s father, paged at the Forks Community Hospital.

“I think my favorite part was either between going to the actual sign where it said ‘Welcome to Forks’ or going to the hospital parking lot,” said Kayley Kim, a junior at Washington State University. “It was kinda funny that this guy came out to put a cardboard cutout of Edward on the sidewalk and we started taking pictures with it.”

While guests can take the self-guided tour, the Chamber of Commerce offers the Twilight tour of Forks and La Push. Led by Mike Gurling, the visitor’s center office manager, 13 lucky fans get the opportunity to take a personal tour of the area. Reservations are required and spots fill up quickly.

“We approached [each homeowner] and said their place resembled the one in the movie,” Bingham said. “They let us use their house in the tour, but the place in La Push got irritated with all the visitors. We’re sensitive to the owners.”

This popularity has greatly helped the town’s businesses.

“It’s good to have people visit since it helps the economy,” said Kate Stinson, a freshman at Seattle University.

Currently, eight stores sell Twilight merchandise.

“We’ve gotten lots more visitors since the movie came out,” Bingham said. “We have a whole lot of fans who aren’t teens. The natives living here, most have been very receptive and appreciative with all the attention we’ve gotten. It’s a wonderful venture, and the visitors are so grateful.”

Annette Root open Dazzled by Twilight, the first store dedicated entirely to the phenomenon. The store sells Twilight merchandise ranging from sweatpants and magnets to books and jewelry.

Local restaurants have also jumped on the Twilight bandwagon. The tour map highlights the five eateries that serve Twilight-inspired foods. From a “Twilight Sandwich” at Subway to a “Bellasagne” from Pacific Pizza there is an array of food to choose from.

Bingham talked to Bruce Guckenberg, the manager of Sully’s Drive-In, about capitalizing on this craze. Sully’s is now the official home of the “Bella Burger.” Guckenberg explained that first came the name and then the burger. Patrons who order the burger get a plastic vampire-fang toy with their meal.

“I thought the food idea was kind corny, and the only one I thought was legit was the pie,” Kim said. “We drove to the Smokehouse Restaurant, but they turned us away so we came to Sully’s.”

The local motels, such as the Pacific Inn Motel, have created Twilight packages where guests can sleep in a Twilight-themed room, complete with movie posters, trivia and a slice of “Bella Berry Pie.”

Back at the Chamber of Commerce, Bingham is busy fielding calls and answering questions. According to the Forks Forum, an online information site, the Chamber of Commerce had more than 500 fans sign in at the visitor’s center during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend.

“We usually get at least 15 to 25 messages concerning Twilight, but that doesn’t count the live calls,” Bingham said.

There’s a break in the calls and visitors, so she goes into a few visitor stories. She recounts the phone call she received from a guy who called during the summer. He wanted to camp there but didn’t because of the supposed vampire problem. Bingham also talks about what it’d be like to have the next movie, New Moon, filmed in Forks.

“I’d love to have it filmed here,” she said. “It would give people something to hold on to. There are 37 copies of petitions to have it filmed here.”

Although the number of people visiting Forks was up 1000 percent in November, Bingham hopes the visitor numbers across the county increase. A year and a half ago, the commerce workers were taking pictures of the visitors to post on the Web site. They had more than 900 pictures, and then the webmaster said they couldn’t put any more up.

Thanks to the Twilight saga, Forks has gotten noticed on a international scale. The town has been able to bond and now has a greater sense of community.

“We want to make sure it’s a fun visit and that people enjoy it,” Bingham said. “We want to make people appreciate the whole peninsula.”

Reach features editor Nicole Ciridon at features@dailyuw.com.