About a year ago, downtown Brighton watched as 40,000 people descended on the city of 8,000.
Organizers of Destination Stars Hollow, based on the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, where the TV show Gilmore Girls is set, had expected maybe 5,000 people, if all went well.
They got eight times as many. This year they're planning for even more — maybe up to 60,000.
Last year, local bookstore 2 Dandelions hit a record-high sale, said the store's event coordinator and social media manager Kelly Blazo. A line of Gilmore Girls fans wrapped around the block, and they weren’t ready for it.
“It was multiple days in one for sure,” Blazo told Michigan Public. “It was a boon for the town last year.”
This year, the 25th anniversary of the debut of Gilmore Girls, 2 Dandelions said it's ordered enough themed mugs and advent calendars to entertain the expected crowd.
Blazo’s favorite product: a 500-piece puzzle of a photograph of last year's event.
El Arbol Taqueria will transform into Al’s Pancake World this weekend — but like the namesake restaurant in the show, it won't serve much of the food its name would indicate. Manager Hannah Pilon said they’ll be serving margaritas, Dubai chocolate, and fortune cookies.
Last year, El Arbol had a 90-minute wait, Pilon said.
Before Rory went off to Yale University, she attended Miss Patty’s School of Ballet. In downtown Brighton, that’ll be Hush, a lingerie store.
Store associate Ashley Thelen spent Thursday redecorating the storefront. She’s excited to unveil special items for sale at the Star Hollows event.
To recreate Lorelai and Rory’s double date, fans can snatch an ice cream cone from Jackie’s Custard and Mill Pond Country Store & Creamery. At Jackie's Custard, Andrea Cartier said they're keeping flavors to fall themes like pumpkin and butter pecan and focusing on the "feel of Gilmores."
Last year, Cartier said the line for ice cream was about three hours long, with people who came from as far as Hawaii.
Label Kitchen + Bar has two limited-edition cocktails on the menu this weekend: the Rory and the Lorelai Spiked Coffee. The Rory is a mix of electric guava vodka, dragonfruit, and sprite. The Lorelai Spiked Coffee has Tito’s Vodka, espresso, Rumchata, and pumpkin syrup.
Beyond the bar, Label’s dance floor will be set up to mimic Lorelai’s bachelorette party on Saturday night.
The Destination Stars Hollow event is free to attend. "The money you spend is decided by you," on items like merchandise and food, the event's website says. It will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. And, the website is careful to note, it is "not affiliated with Warner Brothers or its affiliates."
