Dolores (Sallee Belonga, center) walks in on a fight between Arthur (Dante Haruna) and Ann (Brittany Smith) in “You Can’t Get There From Here” at the Sprague Community Theater in Bandon. World Photo by Amy Moss Strong

BANDON — Like most small towns, Shadow Falls struggles economically. But this one has a unique strategy for generating revenue: a pothole.

Often seen as a detriment to tourism elsewhere, the pothole is the foundation of the tourism industry in Shadow Falls. Without it, drivers following a detour through town during construction on a nearby interstate would just pass through.

With the pothole, though, the town brings in business: auto repair business, primarily. And when repairs take longer than a day to complete, there’s the Mavis Garner Bed and Breakfast, which also houses the local government, where offending motorists can report their accidents and pay the appropriate fines in “You Can’t Get There From Here.” The Bandon Playhouse production, directed by Kathie Lecce, opens tonight at the Sprague Community Theater.

Reporter Arthur Lyman (Dante Haruna) falls victim to the Shadow Falls pothole while scouring the state — most likely Alabama or somewhere adjacent — in search of Lillith Mansfield, an author who was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize but then mysteriously disappeared six years ago. Arthur works for The American Tattletale, an apparent cross between the National Enquirer and The New Yorker: low-brow enough to report salacious gossip and innuendo, and yet high-brow enough to pursue a writer of literary fiction.

“There is a disconnect,” said producer Pam Hansen, explaining the quirky humor of Pat Cook’s 1993 play. “Things are incongruent, intentionally.”

After dropping off his car at the shop, Arthur goes to file a report at the Mavis Garner, an ornately decorated Victorian bed and breakfast. It’s run by two spinster sisters — Liz (Diana Vogt) and Myrtle (SharonLee Danielson).

Like most people in Shadow Falls, Liz and Myrtle have multiple jobs: Liz, a crossword puzzle fan, runs the Traffic and Safety Department, complaint desk and serves as city treasurer; Myrtle, a retired actress, is her secretary, the cashier, a notary and runs the Power and Water Department. They send Arthur back and forth between their desks, leveling a $5 fine each time they discover another infraction to charge him with.

Sidelined from his search for the author, Arthur decides to put his time in Shadow Falls toward another story: an exposé on corruption in a small town.

But it’s not just small change the sisters are after: They’re also looking for a husband for their great niece, Ann (Brittany Smith), who works as a maid at the inn, as well as teaching six grades.

As Arthur gathers his story, his visit draws the attention of the local media: Queenie (Chris Alexander), editor of the weekly Shadow Falls Sun, pries out the reason he came; it’s not the first time a reporter has come looking for Lillith Mansfield.

But Arthur realizes he’s finding something else there. He and Ann hit it off from the start, and as he gets to know her, he begins to feel more comfortable there. He also becomes fond of Liz, who he finds too smart and worldly to be a country bumpkin, and unfailingly nice, leading him to further rethink his impression of the town.

A quasi-date with Ann seals his conversion, and he calls his editor, Dolores (Sallee Belonga), to say the story is off, though he’s already written a draft. But Ann inadvertently finds it, and the two of them are soon on the outs.

To make matters worse for Arthur, his message to Dolores raised her suspicions enough to bring her to town the next day, convinced Arthur has found the reclusive author and doesn’t want to share the story with her.

Of course, her arrival also entails an incident with the pothole, which Liz and Myrtle make into a field day as the editor’s rudeness pushes them to assess more than the usual fines. But the sisters haven’t had enough fun with her, and separately they hatch somewhat conflicting plots to trick her.

One way or another, someone will get a story in Shadow Falls, as yet another American Tattletale representative remains to arrive: publisher Horace McClintock (Gareth Williams).

The play continues through June 15. Performances are at 7:30 Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $12 and $10 for students and seniors.