Preston, Idaho: A dynamite town

Tina, you fat lard, come get some DINNER!... Tina, eat. Food. Eat the FOOD!

Do you mind if I use your guys's phone?

Preston High School

Pedro's house

Preston, Idaho is where the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" was shot. It's a great, funny movie that's quirky and derivative of nothing else. It was made on a shoestring budget by some clever people who are from this quiet, nondescript but pleasant part of southeastern Idaho, an hour or two from Salt Lake City. In 2006, I found an Internet site that gave directions to places around town used in the film but they were a little iffy (One street says East 1600 South, another South 1600 East. Huh?). The nice post office lady gives us vague directions to a house that might be Napoleon's but when we get there there's someone inside and we don't want to park and gawk so we move on. Pop'N Pins bowling alley is easy to find but, wait, was that in the movie or not? Finally we make it to a bonafide locale from the movie, Pedro's house. It's small and unassuming, just like in the movie. Then, the mother lode. Preston High School, where so much of the movie takes place, is around the corner. I shoot some exteriors and a teacher going home for the day (it's 4pm) says why don'tcha just go on in... nobody'll mind. Apparently they were used to lots of sightseers stopping by, even though the movie came out two years prior. Once inside I stop at the office to ask if its okay if I look around a little bit. Sure, they say. You want to see the office phone (a key element in the film)? There it is. They tell me Napoleon's locker is just down the hall, go check it out, and I do. Apparently, an uninvited 46-year-old (at the time) man wandering around a high school isn't discouraged in Preston. Gosh!

This spud's for you: The Idaho Potato Expo of Blackfoot, Idaho

We're honored to have Idaho Potato Expo's giant concrete potato as our masthead. Here's what we had to say about it in an earlier post from our trip there in 2006:

This roadside attraction is everything we'd ever hoped for -- one of those small town, earnest, lovable places that's a tribute to something ordinary that makes America great. A sweet, friendly lady greets us at the front desk/gift shop and is impressed we're all the way from Rhode Island. Inside is the story of Idaho potatoes, told in a low-tech way with lots of folk-arty paintings and exhibits. The gift shop is a vast array of great, goofy souvenirs... who wouldn't want a memento from such a fabulous place? And, true to their slogan ("We give taters to Out-Of-Staters") we receive a box of yummy hash browns to take home with us! You can't beat that.

Martha My Dear: Blackfoot, Idaho's former Uniroyal Gal

You better not tick Martha off, or there could be hell to pay!

Back in 2006 while we were cruising down State Highway 91 on our way to the Idaho Potato Expo, the beloved roadside icon seen on the masthead of this blog, we had an unexpected delight: a giant female fiberglass statue beckoning drivers-by to stop at Martha's Cafe for some (no doubt) delicious eats. She's stupendous! She's colossal! She's got a big wristwatch! Not realizing it at the time, we had stumbled quite accidentally across what some eccentric roadside denizens consider the holy grail of highway kitsch attractions: a Uniroyal Gal — leggy amazons created in the 1960's by the Uniroyal Tire Company as advertising gimmicks and considered sisters to the more plentiful highway Muffler Men. Only a dozen or so remain today, it is reported, most of which have been made over to better represent their new owners after Uniroyal discarded them. Martha went from being a tire gal to a waitress and from a brunette to a blond. The definitive place to learn more about these awesome creatures, RoadsideAmerica.com, reports that Martha has been temporarily taken down for repairs and a makeover and should be back up before the end of summer 2011. Let's hope they don't make her over too much because she's one groovy chick, baby. The original Gals were said to be have been inspired by Jackie Kennedy, so ask not what your amazon advertising icon can do for you, ask what you can do for your amazon advertising icon.

I'm gonna live forever: Some Halls of Fame seen along the way

THE RV/MH HALL OF FAME

Elkhart, Indiana

Past inductees Eldon Coons and Roger Reynolds.

THE NATIONAL BUFFALO FOUNDATION BUFFALO HALL OF FAME

Jamestown, North Dakota

Jamestown has the world's largest buffalo statue, the National Buffalo Museum and, of course, the Buffalo Hall of Fame.

THE OHIO BAND DIRECTORS HALL OF FAME

Akron, Ohio

Past inductees Phillip P. Gates and Glenn E. Walker.

THE IDAHO POTATO MUSEUM HALL OF FAME

Blackfoot, Idaho

Ricahard Polatis and Daniel Polatis were inducted in 2009.

One of the pleasures of stopping at eccentric roadside attractions is unexpectedly coming across a Hall of Fame devoted to an unusual subject. Potatoes, RVs, Ohio bands and buffaloes may not seem to have much in common but each has a Hall of Fame in its honor with a wall of inductees' plaques proudly on display. What I'd like to see is a Hall of Fame Hall of Fame with all the best Halls of Fame honored with wall plaques. Kudos to all the honorees in these hallowed Halls. You've done your field proud and, even though it's an honor just to be nominated, to be in the rarefied air of the cream of your chosen crop is an even bigger accomplishment. Light up the sky like a flame...baby, we'll remember your name.

Bet you really can eat just one: The world's biggest Pringle of Blackfoot, Idaho

Thank God these food engineers use their power for good and not evil.

We have yet to be disappointed at seeing anything that bills itself as the "world's biggest," whatever it may be. This was especially true when we were at the Idaho Potato Expo of Blackfoot, Idaho, a place where they take their taters seriously (it's the beloved location of our Eccentric Roadside banner at the top of the blog). They have the world's biggest potato "crisp" on display there, but first, a quick review: a potato "crisp" is made from processed, dehydrated potatoes ala Pringles; a potato "chip" is a thin slice of fresh potato crisply fried ala Lays. And it isn't just us mooks at Eccentric Roadside determining this earth-shattering record...it's in the holy grail of all things record-breaking: the Guinness. It was made by the clever food engineers at Proctor and Gamble, back in 1991 on what one would assume was a rather slow day at the Pringle factory, and measures 25 x 14 inches and weighs 5.4 ounces. And if you're on Jenny Craig, this probably isn't the crisp for you: it's 920 calories, equal to 80 regular can-sized Pringles. The Potato Expo is one of the all-time great eccentric roadside attractions we've been to, so keep your eyes peeled the next time you're in Blackfoot...it's a delight for grownups and tots alike.