Dynamite! … Little town basks in attention from cult movie’s silver screen success

Talk to a Preston resident for any length of time and you’re likely to hear the town’s new mantra:

"There’s a little bit of Napoleon in all of us," says lifelong resident Thedora Petterborg. "Who hasn’t felt like that once in a while?"

It’s been several months since "Napoleon Dynamite" became America’s favorite nerd. The movie, written and directed by freshman filmmaker Jared Hess and based in Preston, was a surprise success, grossing $44.5 million in the United States and gaining near cult status with December’s release on DVD.

And now the tiny city of Preston has a following all its own. People from as far away as Germany have come to town, buying up thousands of dollars’ worth of souvenir shirts, tetherballs and the ever-popular boondoggle key chain.

"I think it’s totally remarkable," said Petterborg, who played the part of school secretary in the movie. "The llama, Tina, lives right across the street from us. People come by and take pictures — they go out of their way to see Napoleon’s town."

By Rebecca Boone
Associated Press Writer

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