The headquarters, 502 S. Washington St., officially opened in March as a destination for ticket purchases and vendor information. The location recently acquired a Ticketmaster machine where one- and three-day passes for the festival can be purchased.

"We wanted to invite people over. We've got a lot of merchandise we wanted to show off," said Jennifer Seybold, coordinator of the local headquarters and wife of Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold. "We wanted to raise interest, and we wanted to get people excited."

Co-stars, friends and admirers of the actor and Grant County native are scheduled to participate in the June 3 to 5 James Dean Fest at the Marion Municipal Airport. Dean's three films and a new documentary will be screened, classic rock bands will perform and there will be car shows, air shows and a talent contest.

Organizers declined to say how many tickets have been sold so far, but Dean Fest CEO and Executive Producer John Goldstone said purchases are coming in from across the country. He expected the release of a schedule that included several of the bands and celebrities expected to attend the event will help sales.

"Everyone has been waiting to hear what sort of things will be happening here," he said. "We hope we gave people an idea of the breadth of the event."

More announcements are to come, Goldstone said.