Taking time to honor the king of cool, Fairmount prepares for the 37th annual James Dean Festival
By Katelyn Irons, Copy Editor
Wearing a leather jacket with a flipped-up collar, white T-shirt and devil-may-care attitude, he was the personification of cool.
The Fairmount Historical Museum honors former Grant County resident James Dean this weekend in a three-day event.
The 37th annual James Dean Festival will take place today through Sunday in Fairmount, Ind.
Depending on weather, the town of less than 3,000 people can be transformed into bustling crowds of over 30,000, said Gale Hikade, president of the museum.
One of the festival's main attractions is the World Famous James Dean Look-Alike Contest at 9 p.m. Saturday.
The other main event is the Annual James Dean Run which takes place all weekend and consists of a car show, muffler revving contest and a Parade of Neon.
Each year, visitors drive their classic cars to the festival from as far away as Texas, Arizona, Florida, Canada and Massachusetts for this event.
James Dean was born in 1931 in Marion, grew up in Fairmount and graduated from Fairmount High School.
He was discovered as an actor after he left Grant County to attend college in California. He starred in the movies "East of Eden," "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant." After a fatal car accident on Sept. 30, 1955, Dean, 24, was laid to rest in Fairmount.
Events for this weekend are stretched across town, with most centering on the Fairmount museum.
The James Dean Run will be located at Playacres Park located a half mile from the main event on the corner of Tyler Street and Sycamore Street.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today," James Dean said.
This carefree attitude fuels the James Dean Festival Events. Music will be one of the dominating features of the weekend at both sites, with 50s and 60s music pumped through speakers around the park, DJ booths and local bands performing such as Terry Lee & the Rockaboogie Band (8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday).
The famous cartoon cat Garfield will also be honored with the children's walk/run event, The Garfield 22nd Great Race, which begins 9 a.m. Saturday.
"(The festival) fuels what the museum needs to keep going." Hikade said. "The museum itself could not exist if it wasn't for James Dean and Garfield the cat . . . ."
The festival is free except for parking and food. Shuttles are available from uptown Fairmount to the festivities at the park.
Learn more about this event and see a schedule of events online.
