How to Attend the Napoleon Dynamite Festival in Preston, Idaho
Rising from relatively obscurity, the small town of Preston, Idaho gained national notoriety as the setting for the independent film “Napoleon Dynamite." While many viewers of the film may stereotype Preston based on such gentle satire, they should note that the majority of local residents relish the film’s characters and plot, as well as their own newfound celebrity. To capitalize on this celebrity, the town has decided to hold an annual festival in honor of their fictional local boy. Many residents love the movie, since the majority of students at the local high school were hired as extras and many town fixtures, from the bowling alley to the burger joint, were used as set locations.
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Instructions
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Check the Preston website to determine when the festival is. Still in its infancy, the festival has previously been scheduled around the first of August.
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Make hotel reservations early in Preston. There are only a few motels in town. Inquire online about area cabins. Also, consider staying in Logan, Utah, about an hour south, or Pocatello, Idaho, two hours north.
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See the film before attending the festival. Make a note of all the idiosyncrasies and be assured that the festival will have propbably planned an event around it.
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Fly into Salt Lake City International Airport and travel north on I-15, exiting at Logan, Utah. Drive north to Preston.
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Plan to attend a day early and become familiar with Preston’s Main Street. Enter the town from the south and note the bowling alley on the right.
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Leave Main Street by turning right on 2nd South. After two blocks, the Preston High School comes into view. While there were many interior shots, the front exterior is immediately recognized.
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Return to Main Street and head one block north of the cross-street Oneida. Locate Rex’s dojo on the right. Further up on the same side you'll see Big J’s, home of the tater tot.
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Drive north out of town and cross the Bear River before returning. Note that Preston is a farming community. Look at the foothills, similar to where Uncle Rico lived in his van.
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Attend the three-day festival. Surely the town can’t include enough events to last three days based jjust on the movie, so there is a car show, carnival and rodeo, as well.
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Attend the Napoleon events, such as the tetherball, impersonation and look-alike contests. Don’t miss the Sweet Bike, Football Throwing Contest or the Moon Dance.
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Watch the Happy Hands performances scheduled throughout the festival days.
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Place in any contest and win money, a map of the town or a boondoggle.
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Resources
- Photo Credit James Barnett
