State of the Re:Union intern Brit McGinnis shares a product of her inspiration from a SOTRU tradition in “Letters to the City.” You can read the “Letters to the City” by visiting our Website (click here): under “Radio Episodes” you can choose which episode you would like to find out more about. Once you choose an episode, the “Letters to the City” will be available for your viewing pleasure on the right side of the page.

Dear Oregon,

Source: Cacophony The "Made in Oregon" sign located at the western end of the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon.

This is really a sad farewell for me, due to my leaving you to take on an internship in Ireland, a country across the sea and much different than yourself. I will miss you, Oregon — you’re such a chill state to hang with! You’re one of the mild-tempered middle children of the Union, the nature-loving, sweater-wearing, sweet-tooth-possessing daughter born on Valentine’s Day.

I first came to know you in the depths of winter (during a record-breaking snowfall, to boot). I was a little girl from California who had never seen snow, and I was boggled by it. The world looked exactly like the black and white postcards I had seen at Christmastime, and the snow-made air was clean and pure. My brothers and I had to gather firewood to feed the burning hearth, and knocked icicles off the roof to munch on with the neighbor kids.

Farewell Bend Park, in Bend, Oregon

But your landscape changed dramatically once summer came around, and goodness knows I loved you for it. The air was clean and arid, especially around the lava fields. The local people retained their famous friendliness throughout the change of seasons, and my family adopted the state as our new home.

Now that I’m older, I see you through different eyes. I can appreciate your  urban wisdom, the street smarts you contain under your scruffy exterior. You are so beloved by your people, who work hard to retain your natural beauty.

People have sometimes tried to make you feel like you aren’t cool, that you are too backwoodsy or don’t have enough big cities. But you just smile to yourself, Oregon, because you know the truth. You’re as awesome as they come. You’re the perfect pit stop between Los Angeles and Seattle, and musicians love to be taken in by your chill, music connoisseur peeps in Eugene or Portland (even Bend sometimes!).

Source: B.D.'s World A replica of one of the original covered wagons that travelled to Oregon in the 1800s.

You are so multifaceted, Oregon. It’s one of the things I love most about you. Farmland, beaches, volcanoes, forests— you’ve got it all. Both the High Desert and the Silicon Forest reside within you. You’re a jill-of-all-trades, with plenty of wonderful things to offer.

I love you, Oregon. You took me in as a scrappy kid from the desert and gave me a home. You also gave me a new heritage, one of pioneers, adventurers and scientists. I will no doubt miss your toughness, confidence, and all-American creativity when I venture from your shores.

Always,

Brit

P.S. There is indeed an Oregonian accent! To achieve it, begin by speaking slowly. Emphasize all “o” sounds, stretch out your “n”s, and make your t- and k-sounds extra harsh. And never forget, it’s “OR-UH-GUN”- not “OAR-EE-GONE.”

Marshall just stared at me, mouth agape, his pieced chin nearly touching his chest. “What do you mean you’ve never seen The Devil’s Rejects? What is WRONG with you?”

I’d received a similar response from my friend Hillary, who practically had a seizure when I said that I have not yet seen Firefly. My mother audibly gasped when I confessed that I have never seen Sex and the City 2. The favorite genres and directors may differ from person to person, but the fact remains the same: Oregon is a state of movie buffs.

It makes sense upon reflection, since film has been a key part of Oregon culture for decades. The 1978 cult movie National Lampoon’s Animal House was filmed at various sites at the University of Oregon. This same school recently created an entire Cinema Studies department (my friend Marshall was awarded the department’s first Bachelor’s Degree).

Most people grow up watching filmed-in-Oregon movies like The Goonies, but the inhabitants of the state seem to be particularly obsessed with them. After all, there’s something inherently cool about watching a film that takes place where you live. Especially if it’s not a stereotypically “American” location like Los Angeles or New York City.

One theatre that embraces this unique source of regional pride is the Bijou Art Cinemas in Eugene. This quirky theatre (equipped with two projection screens, only one at the standard theatre size) plays independent films that one usually doesn’t see at a typical movie theatre. It also plays a lot of foreign works— I have fond memories of seeing Paris 36 and Lorna’s Silence within Screening Room #2. After a film ends, patrons sometimes throw a penny in the small inner courtyard’s fountain before going their separate ways.

The theatre itself was constructed from the inside of a church, which also served as a funeral home at one point. Local brands of popcorn flavoring (you sprinkle it inside the bag, then shake) are sold alongside the chocolate bars at the front register. Forbidden Fruit, Eugene’s Rocky Horror Picture Show performance troupe, performs in the larger screening room at least once a month. The Bijou shares the building with other local businesses, such as the Chiropractic Healing Center. This community-focused attitude serves as an example of how the local movie theatre Factors into Oregonian regional identity.

But the movie culture in Oregon doesn’t end with the theatre itself— films continue to be made within the state to this day. 531 productions, The filmmaking company based in Eugene, 531 Productions, has won many awards for its entirely Oregon-based body of films. Henry Weintraub, a producer, editor, and writer for 531, remarks that he enjoys making films in Oregon due to the variety of “natural sets” available. Indeed, a filmmaker has access to high deserts, ocean beaches, dense forests, small towns, and urban settings all within the same state.

But even more than the land itself, Weintraub says, a better reason for filming in Oregon is its people. “People seem to be very cooperative in Oregon.” He goes on to talk about how he has filmed in Portland and Eugene (his current project also includes Salem, the state’s capital) and his positive experiences in each city. “People in Oregon are so friendly, [and] just seem a lot calmer.”

Last year, I attended the premiere of 531 Production’s latest horror, The Darkest Corner of Paradise. Even more memorable than the film itself was the crowd of people that surrounded the cast after the screening ended. Hordes of locals came up to the star, Patrick O’Driscoll, just to shake his hand. That, to me, was the perfect picture of film’s role in Oregon culture. All these people had all just watched a film in a theatre. And we all felt the need to thank its creators for the experience.

Did you miss State of the Re:Union’s piece about Oakridge on NPR’s Weekend Edition? Don’t fret, you can listen now:

You can listen to the full hour, watch our documentary Dear Oakridge, read the Dear Oakridge Letters and much more at our Oakridge page.