FORKS, Wash. — If you want economic development from tourism, get someone to use your town as the setting for fiction that makes people act silly.

I have no interest in reading any of the "Twilight" books, but after visiting this town, I now have an appreciation for their international appeal, and for how they can open wallets in ways otherwise unthinkable.

We came here near dusk, just after the visitors center closed. And yet I saw the families eagerly walking along the streets, the young women in particular looking as wide-eyed as Christmas morning. I drove along the self-guided tour promoted by the Chamber of Commerce, stopping at private homes that happen to look like those of characters in the books (the movie actually was filmed in Oregon). I stopped at "Bella's truck" in front of the visitors center to take pictures of people from our family reunion who had asked me to drive them here from our cabin on the coast. I even embarrassed myself by taking photos of family members in front of a Forks police car, apologizing to the officer, who smiled as if to say it happens all the time.

I also spent considerable time in one of the many Twilight-themed gift shops that entrepreneurs have opened in town.

And while all this attention came fortuitously to a small town that just happened to fill author Stephenie Meyer's needs (it's remote, it's wooded and it gets a lot of rain), the extra business hasn't cost taxpayers a dime.

Compare that to the economic benefits of professional soccer, which brought its all-star game to Sandy's Rio Tinto Stadium last week.

Much was made of how good the game was for the local economy. That claim has some truth to it. A Sandy spokeswoman said about one-third of the 20,000 or so people at the game were from out of state. They no doubt spent a lot of money while here.

And Sandy got its name mentioned, at least tangentially, in broadcasts around the world. That does translate into some hard-to-measure boost for the image of the city and state, although, like a good meal, its effects won't last very long.

But the big lie of our sports-crazed culture — a lie that is by no means limited to soccer — is that this boost can fuel an economy. Cabela's or IKEA bring more to the economy consistently than an occasional sporting event. And yet taxpayers are constantly preached to about the financial benefits of sporting events when they are asked to pay for facilities.