Sunday TODAY Show coming to Center of the Universe

WALLACE — The residents of Wallace have known for a while that their home is the Center of the Universe. The problem with this is getting at least the rest of the world to know — much less the rest of the universe.

In an effort to get the word out, a film crew with NBC’s Sunday TODAY Show with Willie Geist will be stopping by the small town on Saturday, Sept. 21 to cover the rededication of the Probable Center of the Universe.

Wallace Chamber Coordinator David Copelan explains that the celebration commemorates the September 2004 ceremony in which then Mayor Ron Garitone made his proclamation amid spotlights, TV crews and executives from the region’s major mines.

The exact probable center is a manhole cover at the junction of Sixth and Bank streets in Wallace emblazoned with the words “Center of the Universe Wallace, Idaho” as well as a miner and stock symbols of major area mines.

NBCUniversal Producer Alicia Hastey was the person who had the idea to bring the film crew to Wallace after seeing a report of the town aired on Boise’s NBC affiliate KTVB.

“I came upon the Center of the Universe and thought that was really interesting, so I thought I would pitch it and I’ll see what they say and here we are.”

The big network name accompanying the film crew will be NBC journalist Harry Smith, who will arrive in town on the day of the event.

The team will be taking lots of video shots with the ultimate goal of creating a 2-3 minute segment that will air on a to-be-determined episode of the Sunday TODAY Show.

Their angle for the segment will be bringing light to the existence of Wallace’s Center of the Universe claim and talking about the town’s rich history. Not to mention talk to people who show up for the filming.

Hastey explains that the quirky nature of the story was what motivated her to pursue it further.

“That’s part of what makes it funny because it’s so simple,” she said. “It’s not like a big statue or colorful monument, it’s just a claim with a manhole cover.”

The Sept. 21 festivities start at 7 p.m. and will feature a reading of the 2004 proclamation, a command performance of the Wallace Elks Drum and Bugle Corps, a toast and more.

Both Copelan and Hastey are looking forward to the festivities.

“I’m super excited,” Hastey said. “I was talking to Harry last week and he’s super excited to see that part of the world again.”

“Anyone and everyone in the Universe is invited,” Copelan added.