Thursday, February 17, 2011

Darth Vader Invades Driggs, Idaho

A couple of years ago, when the SpudFest Film Festival still operated in Driggs, I entered a film, a film I wrote (with help) and in which my daughter had a speaking part. It was a short film that had won a couple of awards, and the film got me my IMDb page (I'm Scott Taylor XXXII, if you're interested...). For those of you familiar with SpudFest, it was founded by Dawn Wells, or better known by the name of "Mary Ann" of the "Ginger or Mary Ann" fame (see picture below).














My film was shown, it didn't win anything, but we got to meet Ms. Wells--very nice, by the way, as well as meeting former The Price Is Right announcer Rich Fields (see below).

Lou Ferrigno, the former Incredible Hulk, was also in attendance (sorry, no picture). But as we enjoyed lunch, a specter of evil arrived from the south, a vision in black, a personification of pure bad stuff. Yes, Darth Vader arrived, straight from destroying some galaxy, no doubt.

He arrived with a henchman, or henchwoman I suppose... and began mingling with the crowd, reading our minds (I'm sure...) in an attempt to find our weaknesses so he could exploit them at a time convenient to him and him alone.

We all stared as he passed and we said things like, "Hey, that's Darth Vader." I pointed him out to my children, and then he stopped in front of my daughter. Little did she know that the one in which the prophecy was written--the one who was to bring balance to the force--stood ominously before her, his mechanical suit breathing for him, his aura as black as his leather boots.


After some chit chat, Darth, or Lord Vader left and we all exhaled in unison, grateful that his wrath chose to look the other way and spare us. The hors d'ourves, however, did not share our fate. They succumbed bravely, not a sound could be heard as Lord Vader satisfied his hunger.

The sun set and the Spud Drive In came alive with the festival's final film. We chose not to stay, but departed in our minivan, ever grateful to be able to say that we were there the day Darth Vader invaded Driggs, Idaho.


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