2004 Festival Review

July 30th - August 1st

 

Thursday

Although not an official part of the festival, fans got together at the Moose Lodge in North Bend for a night of music, beer and fun. Organized by Chris Mathews and Chris Gusta, the gathering gave fans a chance to meet and mingle prior to the festival. Musical performances by both Chris M. and Chris G. were the highlight of the evening and left many folks cheering for more.

Friday

Friday's events started just a bit before 11am. As people walked in for the sign-in, many were able to enjoy donuts (with a little help from Waldo) and coffee, purchase souvenirs, and connect with old friends from past fests. The day kicked-off with announcements and a brief overview of the weekend’s events, followed by the trivia contest, which began around 1:00pm. With over 30 people vying for a free ticket to the 2005 festival and other great prizes, the competition was fast and furious. Eventually the crowd was whittled down to the final three contestants. The final round of competition would be held that night during the Kick-Off Dinner at the barn. Fans dispersed at around 3pm to prepare for the evening ahead.

The Celebrity Kick-Off Dinner was once again held in a rustic old barn. Dinner was served at around 6:30pm, with a menu that included:

  • Apple smoked chicken breast
  • Maple spiked ham
  • Penne pasta and marinara
  • Creamed corn soufflé
  • Garlic roasted potatoes
  • Grilled asparagus
  • Garden salad
  • Waldorf salad
  • Apple/boysenberry fruit crisp
  • Cherry fruit crisp
  • Soda, beer, wine, water

The celebrities sat along the front of the main room, and included Jan D’Arcy, James Marshall, Jennifer Lynch, Andrea Hays, Charlotte Stewart, and Don Davis. Sherilyn Fenn was unable to make it due to a last minute filming obligation.

After dinner, fans were able to meet and mingle with the celebrities, and gather autographs and photos. The Q&A followed shortly thereafter, beginning with one very special question from fan Brian Young to his girlfriend (and now fiancée) Sara Nack. Brian popped the question, and Sara immediately gave a resounding YES.

The costume contest began after a quick break, and was judged by celebrities Don Davis, Andrea Hays, Jennifer Lynch, James Marshall and Jan D'Arcy. This year fans showed off such costumes as baby Audrey Horne, Richard Tremayne, Bob, Sheriff Truman, and Laura Palmer’s doppelganger, among others. The 2004 winners were:

1st Place: Log Baby (Noah Barron)
2nd Place: Ronette (Heather Reynolds)
3rd Place: BOB (Chris Gusta)

Jennifer Lynch did a reading of several entries from The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer. Three sections were read: one from the beginning, one from the middle and one from the end--signifying the progression of Laura's life from innocence to darkness.

After the reading, the evening came to a close with the final three contestants of the trivia contest competing for the top prize. The winners this year:

  • 1st Place - Jeff La Carrubba
  • 2nd Place - Bryan Trahan
  • 3rd Place - Eddie Kasik

Saturday

Saturday kicked off bright and early with the first of two bus tours, one at 9am and one at 12pm. Starting and ending at the Twin Peaks Town Hall, the bus tours this year were led by the effervescent Jared Lyon, whose extensive knowledge of the area coupled with his eye for accuracy and detail gave fans the opportunity to take their film site photos to look almost exactly like they’re seen in the series and film. Close to three hours long, the bus tours covered many filming sites scattered throughout North Bend, Snoqualmie, Fall City, and the outlying areas.

During the tours, there was also a hike down to the falls conducted by Robin Garrells and Dave Burnett. Quite a few fans joined them on the hike, and those who could not make it at the designated time found themselves taking the hike on their own later in the day. Back at the Twin Peaks Town Hall, fans could submit entries for the Caption Contest, browse many publications in the Twin Peaks Library corner, play the Twin Peaks board game, watch Twin Peaks videos, and watch the performance of Twin Peaks Live II, written & directed by Chris Mathews.

This year’s film night moved back to the Seattle Art Museum. The evening began with a number of shorts, such as a BBC mini-retrospective on the popularity Twin Peaks, the Georgia Coffee commercials, and trailers from all of David Lynch’s films. After a short intermission and the arrival of Catherine Coulson, Jennifer Lynch once again read from the diary before moving into the night’s feature film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Sunday

The festival came to a close on Sunday with a picnic hosted at Olallie State Park. Fans had one more chance to talk with the festival's celebrity guests and purchase festival souvenirs. Box lunches and cherry pie were served, and everyone at underneath the trees along the river that ran through the park.

After lunch, State Park Ranger Shana Stromer opened her home to fans wishing to see the interior of the now-infamous Deer Meadow Sheriff's station. Shana pointed out where the “morgue” used to stand, as well as talked about what other footage was shot in the immediate area.

During the picnic, fans were able to compete in several contests, including Cherry Stem Tying and Tibetan Rock Throw. The winners were Brandon Kirkland and David Graham respectively. The Create-A-Caption winners were also announced, with David Graham, Christina Bondurant, and Scott Govoni taking top honors in each photo category.

Towards the end of the picnic, a short hike to other filming sites at Olallie State Park was led Jared Lyon and Josh Eisenstadt.

Although the fest ended with the picnic, later that evening fans gathered one more time for a traveling post-fest party that began at the North Bend Bar & Grill and migrated to several other bars and locations before everyone turned in their party hats and succumbed to the reality that another festival year had come to a close.