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About Oregon Coast today. (Lincoln City, OR) 2005-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2019)
coast culture A home movie Lincoln City’s Bijou Theatre presents the story of a vanished town emotional signifi cance of a whole community being razed to the ground. “I’m from far away,” he said, “If I want to go home I he expression “you can’t go home again” is true have to book a ticket, I have to get on a plane, I have to for us all to some extent. No place can hope to bundle up my kids. Th ese people can never go home. compare to the magical memories of childhood. Th ey can tell their kids and grandkids about the place But the phrase rings true on a literal level for the they grew up, but they can never visit it, they can never former residents of Valsetz, the Oregon logging town show them the house they grew up in, the baseball wiped from the face of the Earth in 1984. fi eld they used to play in, or the lake they used Documentary maker Ronan Feely to fi sh in. Not being able to go back, the mind chronicles the history of this vanished town in boggles.” “Home: Th e Story of Valsetz,” screening this Th e life that former Valsetz residents Saturday, Oct. 26, as part of the Bijou Th eatre’s described struck a chord with Feely, who Oregon-Made Film Festival. enjoyed a similarly free-rage childhood. Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Feely “I grew up in the countryside,” he said. began his career in information technology, “I was out all day and only came home at Ronan Feely before branching out into documentaries via dinnertime. Th ey had that same lifestyle. But an internship with the BBC. After he and his they had it all ripped away. Th ey were just US-born wife moved to Oregon, Feely shifted back cast out. Most people, you lose a job, you get another into the IT world, until he stumbled upon the story of job nearby. Th ese people had to fi nd a new job in an Valsetz. industry that was dying and do it in a new town.” Feely discovered Valsetz while searching on Google In the course of his research, Feely made contact Maps for a place to go fi shing with his son. Th e town’s with the offi cial at Boise Cascade who made the fi nal name popped up in the midst of what appeared to be decision to bulldoze the town — a man regarded by nothing but dense forest 30 miles east of the family many residents as the villain of the story. home in Independence. On closer inspection, Feely Th e fi nished documentary chronicles the rise and saw streets such as Main Street and Cadillac Avenue fall of this tight-knit community over the course of 78 snaking their way through the trees, with not a hint of minutes. asphalt in sight. “Th e fi rst half of the fi lm builds the town up,” Feely After doing some initial research, Feely drove out to said, “and the second half of the fi lm tears it down.” the site to explore. For the documentary’s 2011 premiere, Feely chose “I had my TomTom, plugged in ‘Main Street, a venue that could not have been more signifi cant — Valsetz, Oregon’ and it took me right there,” he said. “It the townsite of Valsetz itself. Th e screening took place says ‘you have reached your destination’ — and you are at a residents’ reunion, with the fi lm projected on to a just in the middle of the forest.” painters’ tarp in what used to be the center of town. Aside from the concrete foundations of the old “Th ere were people weeping” Feely said, “and so sawmill and a few other buildings, the forest had many people came up to me afterwards and said this completely reclaimed the area. had just been gnawing at them and festering inside Intrigued, Feely started to research the area in them for 30 years and this fi lm had helped them to earnest, tracing the ownership of the company town heal.” as it passed from owner to owner throughout the early “Home: Th e Story of Valsetz” will screen at 7:30 pm 20th Century (See facing page for the full story). on Saturday, Oct. 26, as part of the Oregon-Made Film In order to get fi rsthand accounts of life in Valsetz, Series at the Bijou Th eatre, 1624 NE Hwy. 101, Lincoln Feely made contact with a former resident who City. Director Ronan Feely will attend the screening to maintained a website of photos and clippings about take part in a Q&A. the town and agreed to post a plea for contributors. Th at same day, Feely and Bijou co-owner Keith As people started coming forward with their Altomare will discuss the fi lm at 2 pm at the North Lincoln stories, photos and materials, Feely was struck by the Historical Museum, 4907 SW Hwy. 101, Lincoln City. By PATRICK ALEXANDER Oregon Coast TODAY T oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • October 25, 2019 • 19
