Tom Cruise to visit Aberdeen

ABERDEEN, Wash. – Kevin McCoy has been told he’s accomplished a seemingly impossible mission: getting actor Tom Cruise to visit this timber town of less than 17,000 people in Western Washington.

McCoy, a Wal-Mart photo employee, won a private screening of Cruise’s new movie, “Mission: Impossible III” – with the star himself.

“I’m still in disbelief right now at the magnitude of this,” McCoy told the Daily World of Aberdeen.

The special screening at the SouthShore Mall Cinemas is set for Tuesday.

A few weeks ago, McCoy entered an e-mail contest sponsored by Paramount Pictures and Yahoo. He was randomly selected after answering five questions about Cruise.

“It’s too big of a thing,” he told the newspaper. “It’s hard to get it in my mind that it’s real.”

Aberdeen Mayor Pro Tem Bill Simpson said he was skeptical about the visit until he was on a conference call with the promoter and the police chief to work out security logistics.

Mall General Manager Nina Morean said plans are being made to roll out the red carpet for Cruise.