Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2017)
JUNE 1, 2017 // 11 “Everyone on our tall ships are real sail- ors,” Stocks said, adding: “We have fun see- ing fans all dressed up in their pirate gear.” SUBMITTED PHOTO The Glam Tram is a restored 1963 people mover from the Los Angeles Zoo, orig- inally opened as the Selig Zoo in 1913. Goonies galore For the second year in a row, the Oregon Film Museum (714 Exchange St.) will be offering “Shot in Astoria” rides on The Glam Tram, taking film buffs on guided tours of sites throughout Astoria where prominent movies — from “Free Willy” to “Short Circuit” — were filmed. The tram’s owner, Jeff Daly, will sit behind the wheel, while MacAndrew Burns, executive director the Clatsop County Historical Society, narrates the tour, which takes place Saturday, June 10. “It’s the best way to get a fun, relaxing, behind-the-scenes tour of Astoria’s film history,” Burns said. Lower Columbia Bowl’s Cosmic Bowl — held 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10 — will “Go ’80s,” playing only 80s music to evoke the Goonies era. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 — “Goonies Day” — Merry Time Bar & Grill (995 Marine Dr.) will host a Goonies trivia game, which cost $2 per participant and allows four people per team. Winners get cash and Goonies-themed prizes. Historically, the film museum, housed in the old Clatsop County Jail, is a pretty popular draw, not least because the building figures prominently in the film’s opening jailbreak sequence. The building is part of the Clatsop County Historical Society, along with the Heri- tage Museum, the Captain George Flavel House and the Uppertown Firefighter’s Museum. “Every year the film museum rivals the Flavel House in popularity,” Burns said. “It may very well surpass it and become our flagship property someday.” He added: “To me, it’s exciting. It’s a boon to our entire county. The great thing is that Goonies fans want to see Haystack Rock and stay in Cannon Beach; they want to visit Seaside and surrounding areas. It’s not just an Astoria thing; it benefits us all.” ‘Never say die’ Goonies festivities are a joint venture between the film museum and the Astoria-War- renton Chamber of Commerce. Former Astoria Mayor Willis Van Dusen officially declared June 7 Goonies Day in 2010 during the film’s 25th anniversary. The uniquely Astoria holiday was originally spearheaded by Regina Willkie, the chamber’s marketing director (who has been dubbed “The Goonies Queen”). “Without Regina, Goonies Day would not exist,” Burns said. The excitement of Goonies Day is palpable. Sloth, Chunk and the gang are fictional, sure, but, for never-say-die Goonies fans, the joy and nostalgia are very real. The film museum honors more than 400 movies filmed in Oregon, including such acclaimed flicks as “The Shining,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Stand By Me.” Yet “The Goonies,” which received mixed reviews when it was released, casts a spell that remains unbroken. Within the film museum is a place where fans can leave messages for the Goonies. “Originally, we wanted a more high-tech option to allow fans to tell us why they love the movie, but the handwritten messages turned out to be much more powerful,” Burns said. He gets choked up when he speaks of the personal messages fans have left behind. “We get thousands of messages, and some stick out,” he said. “There was one that said: ‘my brother’s all time favorite movie … RIP, Samuel.’” The woman who wrote it had driven from St. Louis, Missouri, to honor her brother. “We’ve got dozens like that,” he said. “Hun- dreds of people are celebrating birthdays, being cancer free, anniversaries; a lot of people on a Goonies honeymoon. Another of my favorites: ‘My boyfriend proposed to me in front of the Goonies house — I said yes!’ There are hun- dreds like that.” PHOTO BY ERICK BENGEL Visitors stream into the Oregon Film Museum, housed in the old Clatsop County Jail, in 2016.
