New Book Tells Quirky Story of Failed Movie Studio in Dixon

In 2012, Carissa Carpenter approached the agricultural-area city of Dixon, California, promising to build a $2.8 billion movie studio complex.

Even though similar efforts in nearby cities had failed, Dixon’s city manager and mayor endorsed the project and local newspapers were enthusiastic. Much publicity and fanfare raised Dixon residents’ hopes that their small city would get the boost they yearned for, says Dixon resident bilpaul, a former reporter, columnist and author.

Unfortunately, Carpenter’s promises began to unravel, especially when the Sacramento Bee published a damning series of articles about her dubious background, which included a history of bad checks, misuse of investors’ money, and just plain lying, paul says.

Paul saw a story in the making and avidly followed all its twists and turns. After Carpenter abandoned Dixon, paul interviewed 21 local and regional people at length to obtain the material for his just-published non-fiction book, The Train Never Stops in Dixon (subtitle: Carissa Carpenter promised to turn the town into Hollywood North; some took the bait).

The book clearly reveals the division in Dixon between those who ardently wanted the studios built and those who either had questions about Carpenter or thought she was an outright con artist.

Thanks to the extensive use of quotes and photographs, a good deal of small-town atmosphere is evoked.

Former Star Wars movie producer Howard Kazanjian called the paperback “a riveting, page-turning book.”

The book is for sale at Fisk Cyclery Shop, 539 North Adams Street in Dixon.The book is also available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble online, or by special order from book stores. A Kindle version is also available from Amazon.com.

paul has an upcoming author event and book signing at the Dixon Historical Society meeting (anyone can attend) at the Dixon Methodist Church meeting room, 209 North Jefferson St., 2 p.m., Sunday, April 19.

--Images and info courtesy of bil paul.