Showing posts with label Stu Tinker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stu Tinker. Show all posts

Drive Through Our Favorite Novels

Stu Tinker's van, equipped with an image of 'It' on its side, that he drives around Bangor when giving one of his SK Tours.

I really enjoyed Emily Burnham's article in Bangor Daily News about former Betts Bookstore owner, Stu Tinker. The article is titled “A Stephen King tour of Bangor, led by an expert.” Cool! It's like driving through your favorite books.

Burnham says that Tinker leads the tours almost every day of the week . . . in warmer months!  She writes:
There are just that many King fans who want to come to Bangor to see for themselves the inspiration for so many iconic scenes in his books and movies — from Bangor International Airport, the setting for the TV movie of “The Langoliers,” to the Bangor Auditorium, known as the Derry Civic Center in the book “Insomnia.”
Tinker says that people come from all over the world to take the tour, naming in particular:South Africa, New Zealand, England, Australia.  He has been leading tours since the early 90's.  

Burnham notes that Bangor and Derry are virtually indistinguishable from one another.  
Several major landmarks are included in the tour, such as the Standpipe, the Barrens — also known as the Kenduskeag Stream Trail — and the Paul Bunyan statue that comes alive in “It.” But there are plenty of other lesser-known spots, such as the Rite Aid on Union Street that figures in “Bag of Bones,” the apartment King lived in when he sold “Carrie” to Doubleday Publishing, and the spot in Mt. Hope Cemetery that was the scene of King’s cameo appearance in the film “Pet Sematary.” There are also a lot of new Derry locations in “11/22/63,” King’s critically-acclaimed 2011 book.
BDN includes this info:
To book a tour with SK Tours, visit sk-tours.com or call 947-7193. A tour is $39.95 for two people; each additional person is $25. You can also like them on Facebook at SK Tours of Maine.

The full article is HERE
Check out the video!

Stephen King Summer Vacation



Let's have fun. . .

1. If you could go anywhere in the Stephen King universe for Summer Vacation -- where would you go?

2. If you could SEND someone you don't like anywhere in the Stephen King universe, where would you send them? 

A few suggested vacation spots:

1. Under The Dome (Chester's Mill)

Points of interest:

  •  Cloud Top Ski Resort
  • The Sweetbriar Rose 
  • Drippers Roadhouse
  • Chester Pond
Talk Stephen King recommends you avoid Big Jim's Used Cars. 

2. Midworld

Points of interest:

  • The Dark Tower
  • Lud
  • Gilead
  • The Way Station

Talk Stephen King recommends you avoid The Wastelands

3. Castle Rock

FROM: thekingofcastlerock.blogspot.com
Castle Rock is the flagship town in Stephen King’s work, and is located in southwestern Maine, between Rumford and Augusta. The town, created by SK was to be more than a mere location for a story. The Complete Stephen King Universe asserts that it was designed to “function as a scale model of contemporary American society”. 
On the surface, Castle Rock is a postcard snapshot of everyday America. It is the exact kind of town that politicians are referring to when they mention “helping Mainstreet America”, and Norman Rockwell painted in his Saturday Evening Post covers. However, this tranquil town, filled with Mom-and Pop stores and community spirit, has had a violent history; most of the tragic events occurred after 1978. Many people wonder what exactly happened in the little rural town in Maine that ultimately led to its destruction.
FROM: Stephen King, A Face Among The Masters:
In Lord of the Flies, the bullies name their headquarters on the island “Castle Rock,” which is what King named his fictional town . More than a few bullies found their way to Castle Rock, Maine, including the gang in the novella, The Body, led by Ace Merrill.

4. Derry

Points of interest:

  • The Sandpipe: The Standpipe was a large watertower in Derry. In its earlier days, it remained unlocked so that patrons of an adjoining park could climb a spiral staircase around the tank to look out over Derry from the top. The Standpipe was closed to the public after several children drowned in the tank, most likely the fault of It. The Standpipe was where Stan Uris first encountered It, which took the form of drowned children.  After the grown-up Losers Club kills It in second Ritual Of Chüd in 1985, a huge storm ensues, destroying many buildings and landmarks in Derry, including the Standpipe. In Dreamcatcher, Mr. Gray drives to Derry to find the Standpipe, only to discover a memorial featuring a cast-bronze statue of two children and a plaque underneath, dedicated to the victims of the 1985 flood and of It. The plaque has been vandalized with graffiti reading, "PENNYWISE LIVES". In 11/22/63, Jake Epping buys a pillow with a picture of the standpipe on it. He hides a gun in it, the gun he uses to kill Frank Dunning. (SOURCE)
  • 29 Neibolt Street, a run-down, abandoned house near the trainyard. It is in this house – or rather, under the house's front porch – that Eddie Kaspbrak first encounters It, which shows itself as a mix between a homeless leper and its familiar Pennywise form. Later, after Eddie tells them his story, Bill and Richie go to investigate the house and are chased off by It, the creature having taken the form of a werewolf. (source)
  • The barrens
  • The Canal
Talk Stephen King advises you not to feed the clowns.  

A FEW MORE:

5. Palm Desert, Ca (mentioned in Duma Key)
6. Duma Key
7. Desperation
8. Las Vegas of The Stand
9. Chamberlain (home town of Carrie)
10. Little Tall Island - Just off the coast of Maine (Dolores Claiborne)
11. Tarker’s Mills - The small town of Tarker’s Mills was a nice place to live, except during the full moon. As chronicled in Stephen King’s “Cycle of the Werewolf” (www.syfy.co.uk/blogs/top-10-stephen-king-towns)
12. Haven
13. 'Salem's Lot (also known as Jerusalem's Lot)
14. Dallas (11/22/63) -- NOT!





Of course, if you really want a Stephen King vaction, Stu Tinker, who used to run Betts Bookstore has a tour that has great reviews.  "Stu's knowledge, love of the subject, friendship with Mr King all make this tour THE BEST and most important thing to do if you're a King fan. So much knowledge, humour and honesty in this man. Loved it!" tripadvisor.com

SK Fans Can Tour Bangor With iPhone App



You can now tour the local Bangor landmarks that appear throughout the Stephen King canon thanks to the Bangor Haunted: Stephen King’s Derry app, available for iPhone and Android.

Bangor Daily News explains,
"The app was designed and launched by Brett Hiatt, a writer and developer from Melbourne, Australia and a self-described “huge fan.” He visited Maine, and Bangor, two years ago, and was inspired to develop the app after trying to find King sites in town on his own, and not having much success."  (bangordailynews.com)
The article also notes, "The app, available for $1.99, offers up several views of town, from a Google map with all the locations plotted out, to an alphabetical list, with pictures and information. It’s customizable, so you can plan out your own King tour of Bangor, and in addition to just Derry, there’s lots more locations listed throughout the state, including a number in the Portland area."

If given the choice, I would rather go on Stu Tinker's tour than mess with the app.  But then, my cellphone might look like this. . .


The article also reports that the developers are hard at work on a Twilight app.  I just can't wait.