WALLACE – The annual Wallace Fall for History Festival returns Oct. 1-4, celebrating the town's unique place in movie history. 

This year's theme, "A Classic Eruption in Wallace," marks the 30th anniversary of Dante's Peak's filming and explores Wallace's connections to Hollywood through tours, film screenings, panel discussions and community events. 

Julie George, director of the Historic Wallace Chamber, said organizers chose the theme to commemorate the 1996 filming of the Universal Pictures disaster thriller starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton while also recognizing other productions that left their mark on the Silver Valley. 

"We wanted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of filming the movie Dante's Peak in Wallace and thought it was also important to acknowledge it wasn't the only film done in town," George said. "Heaven's Gate was filmed in 1979 and they were both dramatically different experiences for the townspeople." 

How those different experiences affected the town will be a key part of the panel discussion, George said. 

In addition to Dante's Peak and Heaven's Gate, George said the 1924 film Frivolous Sal was partially filmed in Wallace and will be featured in the festival's Friday evening panel discussion. 

"It was quite the risqué movie apparently," George said. 

The festival will also highlight performers connected to Wallace, including actress Doris Houck, actor Michael Norell and actor Joe Turner, while paying tribute to hometown star Lana Turner. 

Among the events, George said she is especially excited about the guided walking tours of Dante's Peak filming locations. 

"I think the 'On Locations Tour' will be a fun event," she said. "We will have tours from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. It's a walking tour and guests will be toured around town to the nine different locations where the actual sets took place for Dante's Peak. Our hope is to give our guests an experience that many of the locals had during the original filming." 

To complement the walking tours, organizers will offer free screenings of Dante's Peak on both Friday and Saturday at the Sixth Street Theater and Melodrama. 

"We are showing the movie for free at the Sixth Street Theater on Friday and Saturday so everyone can put all the pieces together and enjoy the character and history of Wallace from 30 years ago, which is still going strong to this day," George said. 

The festival begins Thursday, Oct. 1, with a meet-and-greet from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Fainting Goat. Attendees can network, view a video documenting the restoration of the iconic Suburban vehicle used in Dante's Peak and receive materials for a weekend-long scavenger hunt. 

A featured insider panel discussion is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Wallace Elks Lodge, where speakers will share behind-the-scenes stories from Wallace's three locally connected film productions and discuss filmmaking's impact on the community in the historic mining town. 

Saturday's activities include the "On Locations" walking tours departing every 30 minutes between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., followed by a memorabilia, museum, and shop scavenger hunt from 3 to 5 p.m. 

The evening concludes with a dinner and trivia night at the Wallace Elks Club. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner will be served at 6 p.m., and the trivia competition runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Local favorite Sera White will emcee the event, which also includes a 50/50 raffle. 

The festival concludes Sunday with a celebration of local history at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. The church will mark its 100th anniversary with an 11 a.m. Mass, followed at noon by a historical presentation and tour led by local historian James McMillan. Attendance at Mass is optional, and the presentation and tour are free and open to the public. 

Festival organizers hope the blend of film history, community storytelling and local heritage will give visitors a deeper appreciation of Wallace's role as both a historic mining community and an unexpected Hollywood backdrop. 

For more information, including a full lineup of events, visit the Wallace Chamber's website at www.wallaceid.fun.