This weekend a friend of mine from the Pacific Northwest mentioned that an area near them is the filming site for the “Twilight” movies. “Before ‘Twilight’ there wasn’t anything,” he said. “Now everything is ‘Twilight.’ And in a couple years, it’ll be back to nothing again.”

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Look at what they’re doing in North Carolina:

In September of 2010, the Dirty Dancing Festival debuted in Lake Lure, North Carolina where much of the classic movie Dirty Dancing was filmed. The weekend long festival was a huge success amongst fans of the movie and music and dance enthusiasts across the country. The festival was attended by people from 24 U.S. states and two foreign countries, and it was only a few days after the festival ended that inquiries began pouring in requesting 2011 festival dates.  So back by popular demand, the 2nd Annual Dirty Dancing Festival at Lake Lure will take place September 16-18, 2011

See? They’re not just pining for the glory days, they’re making their town into a tourist destination! They’re saying, “Come, ‘Dirty Dancing’ fans! Hang out with us and we will show you just exactly where Jerry Orbach gave money to Jennifer Grey!”

I assume, of course, that the official outfit for repose in Lake Lure is the all-black, sleeveless t-shirt and puffy hair.

This is a model a lot of towns can emulate. Not Detroit, since they’re getting their RoboCop statue, but Washington DC, for example, could put together a D.C. Cab Festival. Wouldn’t it be fun to have your picture taken with the Barbarian Brothers or “dispatch” cabs with Marsha Warfield? (Ok, maybe not, but wouldn’t it be more fun than watching the movie? Now we’re talking.) A New York tour of “The Warriors” locations is a no-brainer, and Washington State could easily put together a “Surviving the Game” hunting weekend, which would be way bigger than “Twilight” could ever be.

Looks like Roanoke has already started planning for the future: they’re hosting the remake of Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space.” That could’ve been you, Utica!