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Inyo-Mono ‘Hollywood’ booth a hit at State Fair |
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Friday, 19 September 2008 |
 Visitors check out all the diverse opportunities available in the Eastern Sierra as advertised at the Inyo and Mono booth at the California State Fair. More than 17,000 people visited this year’s booth, which, going with the fair theme of Hollywood, was dubbed “Hollyood’s Back Lot Provided by Nature.” Photo courtesy Rich and Kathy White By Mike Gervais
Register Staff
9-18-2008 Rich and Kathy White are back home and reporting that the Eastern Sierra’s stint at the California State Fair was an overwhelming success.
The Independence residents constructed an interactive display featuring literature, photographs and videos showcasing Inyo and Mono counties as an inviting destination for Californians.
In addition to drawing thousands of visitors, the Inyo and Mono display earned a silver medal and the Best Experience Award at the State Fair this year. The awards were presented to the Whites and a couple local volunteers who helped the duo man the booth in presentations made Friday, Aug. 15, the opening day of the fair. The event continued through Sept. 1.
“I felt it was very successful,” Rich said Tuesday in an update to the Inyo County Board of Supervisors. “We had an educational exhibit that educated people about our county.”
This year’s State Fair theme of “Hollywood” allowed the Whites, and Inyo and Mono, to capitalize on the 90-year history of movie-making in the area.
In addition to still photos and posters from many recognizable movies filmed in the area, including special photo panels highlighting hit films such as “Iron Man,” “The Other Side of the Mountain,” “Sum of All Fears” and “Trial and Error,” the booth featured information on some of the lesser-known, classic B-Westerns shot in the High Sierra.
According to Rich, the feature displays, such as “Iron Man,” caught the attention of youngsters at the fair, who then led their parents into the Eastern Sierra booth where their eyes focused on some of the classic films shot in the area.
The display also featured photos and posters that show what visitors will see today throughout the two counties, including Mother Nature’s movie sets which have been virtually unchanged since the 1920s, and continue to draw film-makers today.
As far as the fair’s “Hollywood” theme, the Whites took some liberties and were sure to provide visitors with a look at the “whole package” the Eastern Sierra has, from pristine Mono Lake to the summit of Mt. Whitney to the deserts of Death Valley.
The exhibit included videos that showcase all the diverse activities available in the Sierra. Promotional films provided by the Lone Pine Museum of Film History, the Death Valley National Park, Manzanar National Historic Site, Bristlecone Pine Forest and KSRW Sierra Wave TV 33 gave fair attendees a snap-shot look at the opportunities the diversity of the region brings, from recreation to education.
Ruby Garza’s mural depicting both counties, with cameras indicating where movies have been made and all the Sierra’s 14,000-foot peaks, was the highlight of the exhibit along with an “Iron Man” poster donated by Daniel Smith that included autographs from a number of the film’s stars.
From visitors, “we had comments such as ‘I love vacationing there’ to ‘I would never have known about the eastern Sierra had I not visited the exhibit in previous years,’” Kathy said, adding that “Mono Lake and Bodie were the most commented-about locations.”
The California State Fair saw tens of thousands of people in attendance this year – good news for all the counties that participated but most notable is that the Whites counted more than 17,000 people visiting the Eastern Sierra’s booth during the two-week event.
During that time, staffers at the booth handed out more than 10,000 pieces of literature showcasing the county.
“We think we enlightened many people, and the best part for us was when people said they would never have known” about the East Side of California if it weren’t for the booth, Kathy said.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 October 2008 )
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