Fans from around the world recently traveled to Fairmount, Indiana, childhood home of
James Dean, to celebrate his life and legacy. The annual James Dean Festival,
presented by The James Dean Museum, took place September 26-28, in his hometown.
Held every year on the last full weekend of September, the Festival includes a street
fair, car show, and much more. This year, attendees could marvel at 1,500 classic cars
and vintage motorcycles, take in some live music, hop on some carnival rides, and
cheer for their favorite contestant at the famous James Dean Look-Alike Contest.
While each Festival brings together fans from far and wide for a fun-filled family
weekend, this year was extra special. Jimmy's cousin (Dean was known as Jimmy to
family) Marcus Winslow joined the assembled fans at the unveiling ceremony of a long-
lost artifact from Dean’s life at The James Dean Museum.
A longtime fan, Neil Sheehan, tracked down the art mannequin that Dean famously
posed with in a photo series by Sanford Roth – all the way in Japan! He was able to
recover the mannequin and return it to the family which then lent it to the museum. Now
on display, the mannequin will be viewable for generations of fans to come.
The James Dean Festival is an action-packed weekend devoted to Fairmount's most
famous resident. From classic car owners in rockabilly attire to James Dean
lookalikes wandering Main Street, the festival is a fun, retro experience not to be
missed.  See you next year!