There were two types of people outside of the Goonies House one recent afternoon: Capital “F” fans of the classic 80s film “The Goonies,” who couldn’t believe they were actually here — in front of the house from the movie — and the bemused family members and friends indulging them.
Minnesota resident Cynthia Ballman was one of the fans.
But for her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, it was a random stop on a trip that otherwise had nothing to do with a movie about scrappy, misfit kids in Astoria evading a murderous Italian crime family, finding treasure and saving their homes from a greedy land developer.
Ballman had just introduced her kids to “The Goonies.” They liked it, but were confused by a dance one character performs in front of the iconic Astoria house, a shirt-up shimmy called “the truffle shuffle.”
Ballman’s son asked, “Is that what they used to do before twerking?”
“It was like, God, stop it!” she said. But here she was: At the house, kind of waiting for someone to show up and do the truffle shuffle.
One Washington couple, visiting Oregon to celebrate a birthday and, in their words, “go on a liquor run” to avoid their own state’s sales tax, walked away from the Goonies House with a sudden realization.
“We just remembered that, oh yeah, we’ve done this before,” they laughed.
Accidental repeat visitors from Washington, enthusiastic first-timers from Florida, Minnesota and Texas: The Goonies House in Astoria attracts them all. Hundreds of them in a single day, sometimes, especially when the weather is nice. Next week, that foot traffic could see a big surge.
Thousands of fans are expected to descend on Astoria beginning next Thursday as the city celebrates the movie’s 40th anniversary.
The celebration spans the weekend and will feature a variety of events, including costume contests, bus tours, interactive art exhibits, self-guided treasure hunts and sold-out panel discussions with some of the cast and crew. The actors Corey Feldman, who played the character “Mouth,” Kerri Green, who played “Andy” and Robert Davi, one of the villainous Fratelli brothers, are among the special guests.
“We’re going to have a good crowd,” said Mac Burns, executive director of the Clatsop County Historical Society, the organization spearheading anniversary celebrations this year. “But that could be anywhere from 8,000 to 15,000. I don’t really have a good idea.”
“The Goonies,” produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard Donner, was released in 1985. For Astoria, where the film was set and where much of it was shot, Goonies-related tourism has long been touted as an important component of the local economy. Anniversary celebrations have drawn reliable out-of-town crowds ever since the 25th anniversary and Goonies merchandise sprouts up regularly at local shops. The day of the movie’s release—June 7—is officially “Goonies Day” in Astoria by mayoral decree.
Burns expects to see heavy visitation at the historical society’s Oregon Film Museum in downtown Astoria. The historic county jail that houses the museum was also memorably featured in “The Goonies.” But everyone knows the house in Uppertown will take a big chunk of center stage.
A handful of events are set to occur at the house itself, including a VIP cocktail party with cast members that’s going for more than $2,000 a ticket. But the majority of the visits will likely come from people walking up the long, narrow gravel driveway.
Like the movie’s initial reviews, neighborhood reactions to Goonies fandom have been mixed over the years, ranging from tolerant to contentious.
A small war of competing signs broke out in the neighborhood after Behman Zakeri, a Kansas City entrepreneur and a self-acknowledged “superfan” of the movie, bought the Goonies House in 2023 for $1.65 million with the stated intent of making the house even more accessible to fans.
One neighbor put up a sign saying, “Goonies Not Welcome.” In response, Zakeri hung a banner that said, “Hey You Guys! Goonies Welcome.” Yet another sign, with an arrow pointing to the neighbor’s house, said, “Ignore Karen.”
Several years before that, Astoria city leaders responded to neighborhood concerns and complaints about fans’ cars parked up on sidewalks and lawns and blocking driveways by enacting a $100 parking fine in the neighborhood.
The Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce even promoted a message of “there is no Goonies House,” and urged people to instead direct visitors to museum or chamber offices for information about “The Goonies” and for Goonies merchandise.
With this history in mind, Burns hosted a neighborhood meeting ahead of the 40th anniversary and is distributing information about street closures and other measures intended to reduce traffic and trash issues in the neighborhood during the celebration. A bus system from the Astoria Armory will bring visitors to the house.
“The Goonies” isn’t just an Astoria movie. Scenes were filmed at other locations in Clatsop County and Burns expects people will spread out.
“If they’ve bought a plane ticket and they’ve come across the country for this, they’re not just coming to Astoria,” he said. “They’re enjoying the region.”
Still, with signature events happening in Astoria “there are going to be a lot of people here and the neighborhood around the Goonies House is always concerned,” Burns said. “[The fans] are definitely an impact on the folks that live in that neighborhood. So we’re trying to mitigate that as much as possible.”
Beginning on June 5, 37th Street and Duane Street down to 38th Street will be closed for local access only through 9 p.m. on June 8. There will be additional security and volunteers posted on the streets and extra trash containers throughout the neighborhood.
Astoria Police Chief Stacy Kelly told KMUN he plans to have police officers on bicycles patrolling the neighborhood as well as other areas throughout Astoria during the celebration.
In a flyer distributed to the neighborhood, Burns and the historical society noted, “Living near the Goonies House during this special 40th anniversary weekend may come with some unique challenges, and we want you to know how much we truly appreciate your patience and understanding.”
For Zakeri, this will be the first major Goonies anniversary celebration he’s participated in since becoming the owner of the famous house. He and his wife were given a chance to provide suggestions on events.
He said they thought about what they would have wanted to do when they visited for the 30th anniversary. A lot of it centered around the Goonies House.
“We wanted to be on the porch,” Zakeri said. “We wanted to get a tour.”
The house has recently been restored to be an exact replica of how it appeared in the film, down to the appliances. The house is going to be featured in a renovation series—still in production—and so general tours are not possible yet.
Still Zakeri is excited for what they can provide this year.
“Some people save all year so they can afford to bring…their spouse, their kids, just to pay pilgrimage to this house and they’re all smiles,” Zakeri said, adding, “Me, my family, my friends, our neighbors have poured so much heart and soul into that house so it can be the nostalgic, cultural landmark that it’s meant to be.”
Astoria City Councilor Vance Lump, who represents the Uppertown neighborhood where the Goonies House is located, said he’s heard a number of reactions from his constituents ahead of the anniversary celebration. He attended the meeting Burns organized.
“There were some people who are really excited about it, some people who hated it,” Lump said, “but more often people were like, if it’s managed well enough, then it’s gonna be fine.”
He said newer signs in the neighborhood telling fans where to park and how to access the driveway up the house seem to have helped ease some issues over the years. But he still sees the whole Goonies House experience as something that needs to be actively managed. He believes the city needs to be a partner in that work.
“People love this movie,” he added. “The house is owned by a huge fan of the movie who encourages visitors. So that’s not going to change anytime soon as far as I can tell.”
There is an enduring appeal to the movie, Burns agreed.
“I think it speaks to something, whether it’s childhood or friendship,” he said. “The kids overcome. This is one of the first movies where there were no adults that helped overcome. It was all the kids that figured it out on their own and saved their parents’ houses.”
“When we created the Oregon Film Museum, this is something that we asked ourselves: Is this going to end at some point?” Burns added. “And I don’t think it will because there are multi-generations that love this movie and are visiting Astoria.”
And, as anyone who has watched the movie can tell you: Goonies never say die.