2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour: Fandango Scavenger Hunt

A small group of die-hard teams joined us in Austin, Texas to kick off the 2007 Rolling Roadshow and the Ultimate Fandango Scavenger Hunt. Teams were given a list of items they had to photograph, places to visit and laws to gently bend. In 36 hours we were to meet up again in San Elizario to begin the cinematic celebration. We've assembled on our Flickr page some of the photos from the hunt for the rest of you guys to check out.

Also, if you ever want to recreate your own personal Fandango, the official Alamo Drafthouse Scavenger Hunt list is posted below. There won't be a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting for you, but I can guarantee you complete Fandango immersion.

The Ultimate Fandango Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to the Ultimate Fandango scavenger hunt! This scavenger hunt is designed to start from Austin, Texas, but can be started from El Paso or anywhere since most of the action is in west Texas near Marfa and El Paso. For those leaving from Austin at 9:00 AM from the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at 1120 South Lamar Blvd., we’ll be providing a couple of extra surprises. These surprises will not affect scoring in any way.

We recommend allocating about 2 days to complete everything on the list, but you can take more or less time depending on your pace. We recommend fully analyzing the checklist before heading out on the road. Plot a route, get your supplies, and print out maps before you go. Please note; this is not a timed competition.

Check-in for the scavenger hunt will begin at 5 PM and end at 9 PM at the Fandango gazebo on July 18. The scavenger hunt is a photo-based hunt. Please use a digital camera to take photos of as many things on the list as possible. Note- we are not giving any credit for photos of movie screen-grabs or video box covers… All photos must be of real objects and real people. Some photos will be given partial credit (based on style/judges interpretation). We will have a universal card reader at check-in that can read all memory cards, however, to be sure we can download your photos, you may want to bring your own USB reader if you have one for your camera.

The list of photos to take is below. You can treat this scavenger hunt as a pilgrimage to all of your favorite locations from the movie and take photos of only those things you are comfortable doing. Bear in mind, many of the things on the list below are unsafe, unwise and potentially illegal, but so were the Groovers. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and the Rolling Roadshow do not condone breaking the law or engaging in any unsafe activity. If you choose to break any laws, you are accountable for your own actions.

That said, here is the list;

Value Description
450 A photo of one of your team members skydiving (must also bring dated receipt 7/13/07 or later)
100 One of your team members toasting the privilege of youth from the same rock that Kevin Costner performed his toast
100 Your entire team in front of Dom Rock
50 Your entire team in front of the original Dom Rock
0 Bonus (no points, just for fun). We have buried 6 bottles of Champagne at Dom rock. See note 1 for details.
100 Your entire team mooning a middle aged couple (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 Bonus points if you can prove that the elderly couple is your parents
150 A picture taken from your car showing a trucker and the rest of your team mooning that trucker (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 Your team with someone who looks like Chuck Bush (not actually Chuck Bush)
50 Your team with someone who looks like Marvin McIntyre (not actually Marvin McIntyre)
50 Your team with someone who looks like Brian Cesak (not actually Brian Cesak)
250 Your team at the Mclean Massacre marker (see note 2)
50 One of your team members eating 3 chili dogs and a malt from the Sonic in Alpine, Texas
100 One of your team members covertly eating food from someone else's tray at the Sonic in Alpine, Texas
50 One of your team members making out at the Sonic in Alpine, Texas
100 One of your team members looking really sad and flying a kite in the desert
100 One of your team members shooting fireworks (see note 3) (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
100 Your team at the Marfa Cemetery
100 One of your team members with a live lizard in their pants
75 One of your team members taking a shower in a car wash
150 A picture of something spelled out using laundry on the tarmac of the Pecos Parachute School
50 All of your team members eating twinkies
50 Laundry flying through the air (picture scored on beauty)
100 Your team posed in front of Chata Ortega's Bar and Grill
25 Your team posing next the the Groovers grafitti in Chata Ortega's Bar and Grill
50 Your team outside the schoolhouse in Toyah (see note 4)
75 Your team in the basement of the schoolhouse in Toyah (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
100 Your team on the first or second floor of the schoolhouse in Toyah (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 One of your team members wedged against the back window of your car
25 A dog, a bird, a turtle, a mouse, a bug walking or hopping across the road (25 pts each)
50 A baby blue Cadillac with fins
100 A member of your team “ghostriding the whip” in west Texas (note 5) (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
50 A member of your team getting Shiner Bock poured in his/her face while leaning out of the car (note, the rolling roadshow assumes no accountability for your actions)
200 Your team on the giant set near Marfa (note 6)
100 Your team in front of the gas station/repair shop in Marathon, TX
100 Your team in the back seat of a car driven by two high school jailbait airheads from Marfa High School
50 One of your team members looking wistful towards the horizon at the spot where Truman lands with the bride
150 Two of your team members dancing in front of the gazebo in San Elizario (judged on style and/or skill)
50 3 old men with straw hats on a bench

3600 Total possible points

Note 1: Bonus (no points, just for fun). For the first 6 teams to arrive at Dom Rock, we have buried a champagne treat for you... looking at and touching the d in the original DOM (not movie DOM) take 12 paces to the left. Look for the small grotto formed by two rocks. Look for a bright red rock. Dig CAREFULLY, Don't use shovel or you will break the bottles. Please take just one bottle and replace dirt and red rock for the next teams. If there are no more bottles, you weren't one of the first 6 teams to arrive.

Note 2: The McLean Massacre marker is well the hell out of the way, it’s in East Texas. Don’t head out there unless you are already passing though. It’s not worth it.

Note 3: We are originally going to have you shoot off fireworks in the Marfa cemetery, but with the risk of fires, that didn’t seem so prudent. When you light off your fireworks, do it away from grass and shrubs, preferably on the pavement/asphalt.

Note 4: My wife and I went to the Toyah Schoolhouse where the fraternity interiors were shot. There is an opening to the basement, but we were too chicken to venture in. Bring a flashlight and more bravery than we brought.

Note 5: We could not in good conscience condone surfing on top of your car in West Texas. A kid in my high school actually died doing just this in 1987 and that would put a real buzzkill on the Fandango festivities. Instead, you can try out the new unsafe fad that’s been sweeping the nation. Do a quick “ghostriding the whip” Youtube search and you’ll see what it is. Bear in mind, this is a STILL photograph we are asking for. Don’t do anything dumb. Staging this shot is fine.

Note 6: When my wife and I scouted the locations, we found no remains of the Giant set. If someone can show proof of being at the actual giant set location, you will get the points. In our scouting trip, we failed in this. Please take very accurate accounting of the directions so we can update the www.howboutafandango.com website.

Addresses:
Mclean Massacre marker
eight miles south of Palestine, TX, on Anderson County Road 185.

The Sonic Drive-In
The Sonic is located on the corner of E. Holland and N. Garrett streets in downtown Alpine. GPS coordinates: N30º 21.530', W103º 39.385'.

The Cemetery
The cemetery (named "Cementerio de la Merced") is located on the western edge of Marfa, about a mile from the center of the city, on Highway 90. GPS coordinates: N30º 18.474', W104º 02.357'

The Gas Station/Repair shop
The gas station is located on Highway 90 at Avenue F in Marathon. GPS coordinates: N30º 12.369', W103º 14.608'.

Pecos Parachute School
To get to the location, take the Pyote exit off of Interstate 20 (about 40 miles west of Odessa), then turn right on the feeder road on the south side of the freeway. You will pass the State School and then see the remnants of the hangar off to your left (i.e. south of the freeway). GPS coordinates: N31º 31.630', W103º 08.015'.

Chata Ortega’s Bar and Grill
Chata Ortega's is located between Toyah and Pecos on Interstate 20. Take the Shaw Road exit (exit 29), turn west on the feeder road on the south side of the interstate, and you will see the building about a mile down on your left (i.e. south of the freeway), about 50 yards south of the feeder road. Just hop the barbed wire fence (there's no one around to stop you) and you have the run of the place. GPS coordinates: N31º 21.047', W103º 42.751'.

Dom Rock
The DOM rock is located between Lajitas and Presidio on Highway FM170. Specifically, the rock is 13.5 miles north of Lajitas, 1.5 miles north of the rest area with teepee shaped shelters, and 36.5 miles south of the Highway 67 intersection in Presidio. It is located on the highest hill on FM170. Just park your car on the, hike about 50 feet toward the river, and voila - DOM. GPS coordinates: N29º 17.714', W103º 55.580'. To find the original “Dom”, which is carved into the rock, simply look up from the movie “Dom”, which is sprayed in white paint.

Truman Drops off the Girl
Though the buildings are no longer there, the mountains and ditch in the background give it away. It is off of Texas Hwy 20, between Fort Hancock and San Elizario.

The Gazebo
take Interstate 10 about 15 miles east of El Paso, use exit 42, and follow the signs to San Elizario (about 5 miles south of the freeway). GPS coordinates: N31º 35.094', W106º 16.398'.