The .Plan

After being with her for all of five weeks, it only comes out on the very last day of her rotation that she hails from Preston, Idaho. How cool is that?

For the rest of the afternoon, I was kicking myself: Why didn’t I stop by there on my road trip?

Apparently there are only 2 stoplights in town, you can purchase “Vote for Pedro” t-shirts in every shop, everyone hangs out at Big J’s, and there is now an annual “Napoleon Dynamite Summer Festival”.

On State Street, the town’s central artery, everyone from Big J Burgers to The Gingerbread Shoppe are pitching their role — however small — in the runaway success of Napoleon Dynamite.

At Big J, which was featured in the movie (though at a different location in Richmond, Utah, about 15 miles south), the marquee exclaims, “Gosh! Come in and get your own dang tots! Napoleon Dynamite stuff here!” Tourists who sample Napoleon’s favorite snack often leave with shirts that read: “Big J: Where your wildest dreams come true.”
–“Tiny Preston flush with tourist dollars 2 years after hit film”, Associated Press, July 14, 2006

Speaking of which, guess where I’m going to be on Friday?