Party on, Garth: Aurora, Ill., will celebrate 25th anniversary of 'Wayne's World'

After 25 years, Aurora, Ill., is getting ready to celebrate the movie that helped put the city in the national spotlight.

The film "Wayne's World" was released in theaters in February 1992. It was based on a popular series of skits starring Mike Myers as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar on "Saturday Night Live." In the skits, Wayne and Garth hosted a local cable show called "Wayne's World" out of the basement of Wayne's house in Aurora.

To honor the anniversary, a celebration is planned in the city. The Aurora Downtown group, along with the city of Aurora and the Aurora Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, is assisting in organizing the six-month celebration of the movie.

The idea for the celebration was first raised by Jen Rauch, owner of If These Walls Could Talk, an art gallery and framing shop in downtown Aurora. Rauch said that she started "nudging" people about the anniversary last August, and that the city and a number of local businesses and restaurants have started to come on board to celebrate Aurora's connection to the movie.

"I'm a big fan of the film," she said.

Rauch said a Feb. 3 kickoff is planned. The Party On! 25 Years of "Wayne's World" celebration will start with a poster contest at If These Walls Could Talk. Fans are invited to wear their best flannels.

"We want people to dress in flannels just as they did in the film," she said.

Cardboard cutouts of Wayne and Garth will visit various locations in downtown Aurora, organizers said. Selfies with the cutouts are encouraged, and fans are asked to use #partyonaurora when posting them to social media.

A grass-roots group of about 10 people that includes a mix of business owners, volunteers and community members started planning the celebration last summer.

Marissa Amoni, who handles events and community outreach for the Aurora Downtown group, said while "Wayne's World" sort of pokes fun at the city, people here are looking at it in a good-natured way as something that puts Aurora on the map.

"This cult classic has had long legs to it, and the fact it's a filmed fictional piece that references Aurora is something that has created some fun here, and we're looking forward to celebrating it," she said.

"We're going to have things like Luigi's Pizza renaming their arcade Noah's Arcade after the Noah Vanderhoff's arcade seen in the movie, and Jen Rauch will be hosting a First Fridays event at her store in February."