Oregon Film Museum unlocks Goonies exhibit Saturday

Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Mac Burns isn’t nervous about the swiftly-approaching grand opening of the Oregon Film Museum. He just sometimes forgets to breathe.

There are less than two days left.

The museum’s website, (www.oregonfilmmuseum.com), is up. The only thing currently on display, though, is a countdown clock to the grand opening at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Seconds tick by, turning into minutes, turning into hours, turning into days and Saturday is coming, leaping and bounding.

“The countdown didn’t stress me out until a day or so ago,” said Burns, executivedirector of the Clatsop County Historical Society.

But Burns and his crew are confident they’ll have a good museum to show people when the ribbon is cut and the doors are flung open.

Housed in the historic Clatsop County Jail at Ninth and Duane streets in Astoria, the museum has gone through a startling transformation during the last few weeks.

Dirty walls have been repainted, boxes of odds and ends moved out.

On Saturday, visitors will be able to stare back at one of the original David statues used in the 1985 movie “The Goonies,” wander into the jail cells and steep themselves in Oregon movie culture.

It’s not even finished yet and people are already trying to come in.

On Sunday, Burns stopped by the jail to drop some stuff off.

“I was there 10 minutes and I turned away 13 people,” he said.

It may be called the Oregon Film Museum, highlighting and celebrating movies made in Oregon, but for the purposes of this weekend, the grand opening will be Goonies-heavy.

The museum opens in the middle of the Goonies 25th Anniversary celebration taking place in Astoria, Friday through Monday. The old jail, the scene of the famous Fratelli jail-break in “The Goonies,” has been a tourist destination for years.

“People are already coming,” Burns said. “Now they get to come inside.”

Be sure to come for the opening. The ceremony won’t be your ordinary ribbon-cutting show, Burns said. There might be villains and get-away cars too.

Meanwhile, the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, organizer of the anniversary celebration, is gearing up a full weekend and lots of people.

“We’re expecting a couple thousand,” said Regina Willkie of the Chamber of Commerce.

“The movie has that lasting power,” Willkie said, and the chamber is constantly fielding Goonies-related questions and giving directions to locations.

“The Goonies” was filmed all over Astoria and in Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach.

The chamber has organized a busy, Goonies-filled weekend for residents and visitors. Even some of the movie cast will be on hand.

Sean Astin (“Mikey Walsh”), will be in town along with Corey Feldman (“Mouth”), Jeff Cohen (“Chunk”), Joe Pantoliano (“Francis Fratelli”) and Curt Hanson (“Mr. Perkins”) as well as director Richard Donner.

The weekend kicks off with the opening of The Goon Docks, the event headquarters, located at 15th Street and Marine Drive in Astoria. This is where you’ll find advance registration packets, tickets for any ticketed events that haven’t been sold out, bus tours and all sorts of Goonies-related merchandise.

It opens at 11 a.m. Friday and will stay open until 4 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, the store will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Some other highlights include:

? A “red carpet” showing of “The Goonies” with a premiere of a new “Making of The Goonies” documentary. The show takes place at the Liberty Theater, 1203 Commercial Street, Astoria, Friday night. Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7. Tickets cost $20.

? If the “red carpet” showing is out of your price range or at an inconvenient time, don’t despair. Instead, check out one of the many showings of both films at the Columbian Theater (1102 Marine Drive) or Astoria Gateway Cinemas (1875 Marine Drive). Check theater listings, and bring cash if you go to the Columbian. They don’t take cards. Tickets cost $5.

? The grand opening of the Oregon Film Museum, Ninth and Duane streets, at 9 a.m. Saturday. There is a $5 entry fee, but no fee for just showing up to watch the opening ceremony.

? A 10 a.m. and a 3 p.m. meet and greet with the cast Saturday. The actors will talk about what it was like to make the movie, what they’ve been working on post-Goonies and their plans for the future. Both events will wrap up with an autograph session. Each event will last approximately three hours at the Liberty Theater. Cost is $20.

? Corey Feldman’s rock band, Truth Movement, will headline a Sunday night Goonies concert. Also performing will be the Ataris, an alternative band, who will perform songs from their album?”So Long, Astoria”; the Whiskey Rebellion, an acoustic bluegrass quartet; and Troy’s Bucket, a pop-punk band from Southern California.

It’s going to be a Goonies-themed, crazy-lights, costume extravaganza. Tickets are $40 and the show begins at 6:30 p.m. The location has been changed because of recent weather events. The show will now take place at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria. Some parking is available, but a shuttle service will also be up and running.

? If you’re feeling a bit … saggy … after all this celebrating, perhaps a friendly dash along Astoria’s Riverwalk will put you back on track. The starting line for the Truffle Shuffle 5K Run/Walk is at the Port of Astoria at 8:30 Monday morning. The race will start at 9. There will be a shuttle at the finish line to take you back to the Port and prizes for the first three male, female and youth participants to cross the finish line.

For a full schedule of events and more information, visit (www.GooniesAnniversary.com) or contact the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce at (503) 325-6311.

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