'Twilight' fans gather in Sacramento

'Twilight' fans gather in Sacramento



While die-hard "Twilight" fans crowded into a hotel ballroom in downtown Sacramento on Saturday to watch a parody of the popular saga, Savanna Wooten leaned on a staircase outside.

She wasn't missing anything she hadn't already seen. It was the fourth stop on the Official Twilight Convention tour that she has been to this year.

Wooten, 21, of Concord wore a homemade T-shirt that read "Twi-Nerds United" – the name of the weekly "Twilight"-news podcast that she records with friends over Skype. Letters shaved into the short hair on the back of her head read "Wolf Girl," an homage to the werewolf characters in the series.

"It's fun to come here," Wooten said. "It's like the nerdier you are, the cooler you are."

The convention, which continues today at the Sheraton Grand on J Street, offers fans of the popular series the opportunity to meet cast members from the "Twilight" movies, buy memorabilia and share their passion with like-minded "Twi-Hards."

Dozens gathered at the convention Saturday. They played "Twilight" trivia and had a Q&A session with actor Chaske Spencer, who plays werewolf Sam Uley in the movies. Some said the series has had a profound effect on their lives.

Candace Charee of Phoenix said she had put her budding music career on hold for six years before her sister-in-law persuaded her to read the "Twilight" books.

She read them all in five days and experienced a rush of writing and recording, she said. Now she is touring with the convention through next year. Two of her songs will be featured on the soundtrack for "Breaking Dawn," the series' final installment.

"It really changed my life," Charee said.

For others, the convention was simply a chance to meet people who are as passionate about the series as they are.

"There's a camaraderie here," said Valerie Rubendall, 56, of Sacramento, who said she pops a "Twilight" movie into her DVD player every night before she goes to sleep.

Friends Jennifer Jens and Valerie Anders, both 29, and Leah Harris, 31, drove from Yuba City to check out the convention and get their pictures taken with cast members.

When "Eclipse," the third movie in the series, opened this summer, they stood in line for six hours to get into the midnight showing, they said.

So far, that's the furthest they've gone for their fandom. That will change soon. Next month, Anders and her husband will spend their 10th wedding anniversary in Forks, Wash., where much of the series takes place.

Anders said they're planning to stay in the house populated by the vampiric Cullen family in the films, take "Twilight"-themed tours and visit Port Angeles, where Edward Cullen and his human love interest, Bella Swan, have their first date.

"She's lucky," Harris said.