100 Years Later: Buster Keaton Fans Pack Small Oregon Town to Celebrate "The General"

A small town in Oregon became the epicenter of silent film history this past weekend as about 80 devoted Buster Keaton fans gathered in Cottage Grove. The occasion? The 100th anniversary of“The General,”the 1926 comedy classic that Keaton filmed right there after being turned away from locations in the South. Fans, who call themselves Damfinos, traveled from across North America to take part in lookalike contests, Charleston dance lessons, and guided tours of the very spots where Keaton shot the movie, including the site of its famous train crash scene.

The celebration had a real family feel to it. Keaton’s granddaughter, Melissa Talmadge Cox, and his nephew, Harry Keaton Moore Jr., who is 84, were on hand to share personal stories about the comedy legend. A 13-year-old fan from Canada named Aden Blatchford showed up dressed as Keaton, calling the experience magical. Meanwhile, Liz Bartholomew, who won the lookalike contest, said her love for Keaton is really about bonding with her mother. One hundred years after the film’s release, it is still connecting generations and bringing people together in a way that feels genuinely heartwarming.

Organizer Lloyd Williams, the former president of the Cottage Grove Historical Society, helped put the weekend together, and it sounds like it was a hit. It is a reminder that great art doesn’t really have an expiration date. Whether you grew up watching classic films or you’re just hearing about Buster Keaton for the first time, there is something special about a community coming together to honor a shared piece of history. Have you ever gone out of your way to visit a place you saw in a movie? Tell us about it in the comments.