Organizational changes in the goondocks
TLDR: The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce has been the lead organization putting these events on from 2005 to 2020. In winter of 2021, we announced that we were stepping back and the future of the goonies events may change. The Clatsop County Historical Society operates the Oregon Film Museum and will be stepping in to reimagine and reintroduce the events in the future.
Fans are encouraged to visit the Astoria, Oregon area any time of year to see the sights, visit the Oregon Film Museum and enjoy the abundant experiences that Oregon’s North Coast offers.
Event update February 11, 2021:
Will there be an anniversary celebration this year?
Following the unprecedented year that was 2020, with nearly all events around the globe either canceled or completely virtual, we’ve heard from many fans wondering whether we plan to offer a ‘do-over’ in 2021 for the 35th Anniversary Celebration of The Goonies.
Unfortunately, we will not be holding any further Goonies celebrations. The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce is not able offer events like the 5-year anniversary celebrations or “Annual Goonies Day.”
Fear not.
Fans of The Goonies and other films made around Astoria, Oregon will continue to find our region to be welcoming and enjoyable to visit any time of year. The Oregon Film Museum remains open daily year-round* and our area is a vacation destination offering nationally significant historic sites, abundant outdoor recreation, award-winning culinary offerings, and so much more.
Movie fans found their way to Astoria and delighted in their visits before we had these events and we know you’ll continue to do so without them. Whether planning to come in June to celebrate the end of the school year or October to stomp about in ‘muddy trail season’ or any time in between, you’ll find yourself among friends who also enjoy seeing “in real life” what has become so familiar on screen. We appreciate that a visit here can connect you to childhood dreams of adventure and offer a respite from the bustle of daily life in the small town charm of Astoria and Oregon’s north coast.
This website and our Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center will continue to be resources for those wishing to learn more about The Goonies film locations in our area and for officially licensed merchandise offered in our gift shop. We will continue to share relevant news with you on our Facebook page, too.
It has been our pleasure getting to know all of you and we look forward to what the future may bring.
Best,
Regina and the team
Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce
*Museums are operating under the state of Oregon guidelines for COVID for indoor entertainment and have restricted capacity and potential closures when Clatsop County is in the extreme risk level periods.
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Oregon Film Museum - RESPONSE FEBRUARY 17, 2021
To Goonies Fans Everywhere:
In 2010, Mayor Willis Van Dusen declared June 7th “Goonies Day.” When he made the declaration it wasn’t for any specific year. June 7th is, and will always be, a holiday here in Astoria. Goonies fans will come and enjoy a trip through their childhoods whether there’s a big celebration or not. As hosts, it would be in really bad form to not welcome them and have some special activities planned. What shape that takes in 2022 and beyond is still wide open. Because we love the movie and all who had a part in creating it, we will respect all regulations in regard to any events. For example, if the movie is shown publicly, proper licenses or royalties must be in place.
The recent statement from the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce had one major misstatement: “we will not be holding any further Goonies celebrations.” What the Chamber was really trying to convey was they will no longer be taking the lead role in organizing these events. Our community, like everywhere, is still facing restrictions as well as devastating economic and social disruptions that cause myriad challenges. Just as the 35th Anniversary set for 2020 didn’t happen, at this point there is really no possible way to plan any sort of celebration this year either. That being said, there is no reason we can’t have celebrations in the future.
A few clarifications are in order. The Chamber of Commerce was the lead agency and the driving force behind the celebrations starting in 2005, but there were many, many partners that helped. The Oregon Film Museum was created, in large part, in response to the first celebration. We have participated, in some fashion, in the planning of the subsequent annual celebrations.
We have been assured that the Chamber of Commerce will play an enthusiastic role to support the planning and staging of future anniversaries. The Oregon Film Museum will now play an expanded role and, we have no doubt the other groups, organizations, and hundreds of locals who have been involved will do so again.
Most of all, we know fans from around the world will want to participate, to share and make memories, and come together. While we missed you terribly in 2020 and will miss you again this year, we’ve got plenty of time to make plans for 2022 and beyond. Please, feel free to share your thoughts and ideas for how we should proceed. Like a rag-tag group of friends came together to save the Goondocks, we will come together and keep making June 7th special. The Oregon Film Museum was created for you. We are here year-round to welcome you to the community that you love.
Never Say Die.
Oregon Film Museum Staff
EXPANDED STATEMENT FROM THE CHAMBER - February 17, 2021
Yes, withdrawing the Goonies Anniversary Celebration events, was not an easy decision or announcement to make. Many things beyond the COVID-19 precautions factored into this decision to end these offerings. Like many other chambers, events are something that our organization approaches with professionalism and we have decades of experience creating activities to the benefit of the communities we serve.
The anniversary celebrations began in 2005. Our area was quite different then and the way people planned travel was, too. A large event in early June was helpful to the area. When now, perhaps, it would be better to plan something at another time of year, or smaller events spread throughout the year.
With many pop-culture fan conventions happening now (compared to when we started this), it was becoming harder to compete for the actors’ attention as well as to offer the level of experience that fans were accustomed to. The cycle of planning would begin 2 years in advance but circumstances out of our control would put us in a waiting pattern until the event was a few months away and everything would be rushed. This, of course, made the event that much more complicated to plan and execute. We work with a number of agencies on these events, not least of which is Warner Bros., the studio who owns The Goonies.
These goonies events have been structured as a community benefit. The Chamber aims to break even to cover expenses. The ticket prices were set low, so attendees who are traveling a great length can afford to come and still have the ability to go out to eat, buy souvenirs in our local shops, stay an extra night in a local hotel, etc. We know these events have been good to the local economy, and are grateful that our design was successful. We also know that when attendees are frustrated by restaurants being out of ingredients, finding hotels without vacancy and wading through crowds everywhere they go, the experience of visiting Astoria is tainted by a huge crowd coming on a single weekend and stressing our area’s capacity limitations.
We see many fans visiting year-round and hope that trend will continue. It is especially fun to talk to groups that are meeting up here for their vacation because they wanted to visit the goondocks and then discover so much more about the place that they love. We encourage and welcome fans to continue visiting year-round.
Personally, this event has been my “baby” and it is hard to let it go – but I am a believer of allowing things to change and adapt to new situations. I have personally gained friends from among those fans that come to the events and the locals that have stepped up to help with them. I feel these gatherings have enriched me as a person - just like many of you.
We have worked with the Clatsop County Historical Society on these events in the past and have a great relationship with them. We have customarily opened our planning committee to welcome anyone who had an interest in shaping the events to join us.
With the very passionate response to our announcement last week from both fans and locals, we can see that this event is important to a lot of people. We’ve had your trust to put together these events in the past and you appreciated that we did the best we could for the fans and the community all along. We ask you to continue to have trust in our decision-making process and faith in our ability to move forward with those same good intentions in place.
As mentioned in the closing of our statement, we look forward to what the future may bring.
-Regina