Twister Turns 30 And Wakita Is Throwing A Party

There are a handful of movies that just live rent-free in the Oklahoma brain forever, and Twister is absolutely one of them. It’s not because it’s a perfect movie. Nobody is pretending it is. But in Oklahoma, that really doesn’t matter, because it's our movie. It's massive tornadoes, rolling wheat fields, muddy roads, and "Billy The Extreme" getting the best look at our signature spicy wind...

What's not to love?

It's also super wild to think Twister is officially 30 years old, and Oklahoma is throwing it a birthday party... Details about that below...

People forget how big it felt at the time, but in 1996, this thing was huge. The effects were groundbreaking then, even if they look dated now. And honestly, it still holds up fine as a rewatch because so much of it was practical. They really did throw a full-size semi truck down the road with a crane and some wires. That still counts for something.

For me, the making of the movie was even bigger.

When Hollywood Came To My Hometown

My hometown was the base of operations, and it wasn't weird to see some Hollywood actor roaming around town. Helen Hunt rented a house in my neighborhood. I was her paperboy in 1995. That’s still a wild sentence to say out loud. I knocked on her door once when my cousin dared me.

Everyone usually asks "Was she nice?" when I tell the tale, but when the door opened, it wasn't her. It was a big and imposing security goon. We asked if Helen Hunt was there, he said "I can't tell you that, but thank you for getting the paper to the porch."

I'm pretty sure everyone had a story like that, or knew someone who had a story about the Hollywood stars in town that summer.

The movie held up to expectations. While it was fun to see all the familiar roads and bridges on the big screen, the movie itself was spectacular. A classic masterpiece that delivers drama and heartbreak, hilarious comedy, well-defined characters the filmmakers actually let you get to know, and a plot you had to just discover... instead of being told the plot over and over and over like they do now.

More than the movie, the legends around the release got a little too real in some places.

The Night Twister And Real Tornado Season Collided

The movie opened in the heart of tornado season, and timed perfectly as if it was the plan all along, several theaters had to pause the movie and tell everyone to take cover due to tornadoes sweeping through, or close to town. It happened to us. We ended up down the street at my childhood elementary school, crammed in the basement with 500 other people. The whole experience only made the movie even better.

Wakita, Oklahoma - the town Hollywood rebuilt just to tear down again - still stands today. People still live there. We've talked about the insanely cool Twister Museum over there in the past too. So seeing that Wakita is hosting a huge celebration for the 30th anniversary just feels right.

What To Expect At The Twister 30th Anniversary Celebration

All in all, it's going to be a big gathering of fans and locals who all share the same memories of this movie and the making of, but they've lined up a bunch of fun stuff for anyone else willing to make the drive.

A few of the original actors will be on site for meet and greets, pictures, autographs, and probably the same two-dozen questions they'll get asked all day long... but there are some other attractions as well. A storm-chaser car show complete with a bunch of the original Twister vehicles on display, a weather-themed cosplay contest for anyone of any age with prizes, a photography contest of tornado pictures - the winner gets theirs forever displayed in the museum - the typical festival things... food trucks, vendors, games, etc... and I'm sure more shenanigans will pop up between now and then.

Even better, it's totally free to attend.

It's happening on May 15-16 on Main Street there in Wakita. The details, sort of.

I hope to see you there, it's bound to be a good time... unless May does what May does, and the skies suddenly go green.