SANDUSKY, Ohio — The band was warming up as lawn chairs started filling the field along Lake Erie’s picturesque shores on a gorgeous summer evening.
Then two people showed up with what looked like bombs strapped to their torsos.
The appropriate response? “Holy Schnikes!”
Almost anywhere else, this would probably be concerning. But not this weekend in Sandusky, Ohio, the setting for cult classic comedy “Tommy Boy” starring Chris Farley and David Spade.
The movie, which was released in March 1995, was actually filmed in Canada. But that hasn’t stopped the Ohio city of about 25,000 from treating Tommy Callahan as a hometown hero.
This weekend, Sandusky is celebrating the movie’s 30th anniversary with Tommy Boy Fest. The festivities kicked off Thursday and will conclude Saturday.
Hundreds watched a look-alike contest featuring anyone — or anything from the movie, including the deer hit on Tommy and Richard’s road trip.
Jay Stevens, who entered the look-alike contest, said he’s been watching the film with “my dad since I was a kid.”
“I know I’ve watched it probably more than 10 times,” Stevens said. “It’s always been a very wholesome memory of always watching Chris Farley over the years.”
The festival’s events include a “Tommy Want Wingy Throwdown” fundraiser, movie screenings and a car show featuring the infamous destroyed convertible from the film, which now belongs to director Pete Segal.
“I’ve had more successful movies box office than this, but this is the one that people keep talking about,” Segal said Friday from the driver’s seat.
“I think it’s a generational film. … And I think there’s a sweetness to it, and the fact that it was arguably, you know, Chris Farley’s best film, and people absolutely adored him,” Segal said.
Michael Pecker drove more than three hours from Cincinnati to get in on the “Tommy Boy” fun.
Farley “has a way to grab the audience and captivate you, and pulls you in to where you just get immersed in it,” Pecker said. “To me, it’s just good old-fashioned comedy at its best, and he delivered it 100%.”
This was Segal’s first visit to the real-life Sandusky, where one restaurant changed its name from “Tony’s” to “Tommy’s” on a banner and another offered a “Tommy Want Wingy” special.
“It’s so heartwarming and wonderful. The people of Sandusky have been fantastic. The whole city. There are banners on the street and posters in every store. It’s unbelievable,” said Segal.
Farley died less than three years after the film’s premiere. His brother Kevin made the trip to Sandusky for this milestone celebration.
“He lived a relatively short life, but he lived a great life, and I think it’s nice to see people still remember him after this whole time,” Kevin Farley said.
