ANVILLE, Ky. - Some big things have happened in Danville, but they never had a 20-foot-high inflatable Pepsi can on the corner of Main and Fifth before.
Even for ''the city of firsts,'' as this town is known, the vice presidential debate - the Thrill in the 'Ville, as it was billed - packs quite the historical punch.
''This is a tie with the brass band festival,'' said King Pruitt, a 59-year-old funeral director who has lived here since 1958.
And that's really saying something. Each June, thousands of fans from all over the country descend on Danville for a weekend of free music. On the Saturday, there's a balloon race and a huge parade. Sunday, there's ''a beautiful church service,'' Pruitt said.
''If you've never heard `Amazing Grace' played by a New Orleans brass band, you've never heard `Amazing Grace,''' he said.
But after careful consideration, Pruitt had to allow that, for national and international exposure, the debate between US Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and former defesnse secretary Dick Cheney, held at tiny Centre College, was bigger.
This pretty town, dotted with Georgian homes and recently planted flowers, is a good deal more excited about its debate than Boston seemed about Tuesday's. Like the University of Massachusetts- Boston, Centre College spent a giant chunk of money - a million dollars - to bring the debate to Danville. But by late afternoon yesterday, the whole town seemed to agree it was worth it. The nation's eyes were on Danville. No wonder Pepsi wanted its giant advertisement on Main street.
''Everybody's so excited,'' said Carol Senn, a museum director. ''The community has taken it on as a community project. On Friday, we had a cleanup, and businessmen were on their hands and knees cutting grass out of the pavement.''
But don't get the idea that Danville, population 17,000, is entirely unaccustomed to this kind of thing.
The State of Kentucky was formed right here, in Constitution Square, after all. And Isaac Shelby, its first governor, stopped off here on the way to his inauguration for a celebration dinner of beaten biscuits, country ham, and cherry bounce.
In 1809, Dr. Ephraim McDowell removed a 221/2-pound ovarian tumor from Jane Todd Crawford here, performing the first abdominal surgery ever (Mrs. Crawford, who didn't have the benefit of anesthesia, sang hymns thoughout her ordeal).
The Battle of Perryville was fought near here, sending wounded Confederate and Union soldiers into town for aid.
And in 1956, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift spent two months in town working on the film ''Raintree County.'' Word had it, around this still decidedly dry town, that the movie people had some wild, wet parties at a long-gone restaurant.
Still, Danville has been quite sedate since Liz and Monty left town.
Until now.
Some locals were hoping the debate would finally give the town, and the whole of Kentucky, its due.
''I hope it does something wonderful for Danville,'' said Pat Bodner, a volunteer guide at the McDowell house. ''I watch the Weather Channel, and they have weather in Ohio and weather in Tennessee, but they never show Kentucky. I guess we don't have weather here!''
Is this the biggest thing ever to hit Danville?
''It is in my knowledge,'' Bodner said. ''I guess the Civil War had a strong effect here. But I'd say the debate is the biggest thing ever.''
''How 'bout the year Centre beat Harvard in football?'' said Alberta Moynihan, assistant director.
''Oh, yes!'' Bodner agreed. ''Here was a little bitty school from a state nobody heard of, from a town nobody heard of, and they beat the mighty Harvard!''
1921: Praying Colonels, six. Harvard, zip.
Meanwhile, at least some Danville residents were trying to maintain some perspective.
''We're a very self-sufficient group of people,'' said Mary Elizabeth Freeman, a guide at the historical museum. ''See our town, how pretty it is? It was pretty before the debate came. They just put some flowers in. And after, we'll recover from all the visitors and become Danville again.''
''It's interesting, but you can't really enjoy it,'' said Leslie Taylor, a 20-year-old attendant at Burke's Bakery. Too much work to do, she said. ''It's a little bit scary. The FBI coming in; all these different groups are gonna protest.''
But later yesterday afternoon, even Leslie Taylor dared to venture out onto the street.
''Hey, can I sign the bus too?'' she yelled, as a heavily autographed AARP bus pulled down Main street.
A motorcycle club thundered past the bakery, a sight and sound which, she said, were probably unprecedented. Some, Vietnam veterans, flew POW-MIA flags. Then a convoy of livestock trucks plastered with Bush-Cheney signs edged down the street, honking their horns. It was all starting.
Indeed, around 2, the whole town seemed to erupt. Crowds gathered at the Democratic and Republican headquarters, next door to each other. ''Eye of the Tiger'' blared from the Democrats' shop. A bunch of kids stood on a bench and shouted ''Lieber-MAN! Lieber-MAN!'' as news photographers snapped away wildly. The Republicans - adults, all - tried to compete with the children, but they weren't loud enough.
''This is so exciting,'' said Tesa Walls, 11, one of the loud Lieberman supporters. ''It's an opportunity of a lifetime. Danville's such a small town. It could have been anywhere in America, but it's here!''
Scores of protesters then marched down Main street, gags over their mouths, beating drums, protesting the exclusion of third-party candidates from the debates. They held signs which said ''Corporate Whore'' and ''This is what democracy looks like?,'' surely firsts for Danville.
But the locals seemed just as proud of them, too. ''Oh, they're our protesters,'' chirped a Lieberman fan, stacking celery sticks on a tray and beaming.
