The summer of 1985 is almost unparalleled in terms of the beloved films that it gave us, from Back to the Future to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, and all of the other bra-headed hijinks in between. But the one film that captured more hearts than box office dollars that year was The Goonies, as the adventures of Mikey, Mouth, Data, and Chunk made kids of the ‘80s and now their kids want to follow their own treasure maps before they leap from the plank of One-Eyed Willy’s Inferno. And no one knows this more than the woman who owns the Walsh family’s home in Astoria, Ore. – the one where Jeff Cohen introduced us to the Truffle Shuffle — because she has finally had it with Goonie-loving tourists.
According to the Daily Astorian, Sandi Preston has owned the Walsh home for the last 14 years, and she has been “very, very accommodating” when it comes to fans who’d like to take a quick picture or even just gawk at the house for the sake of nostalgia. However, with the 30th anniversary of the film, more fans flocked to Preston’s home than ever this year, with as many as 1,500 people stopping by daily, and up to 15,000 in July alone. Walking by on the street is one thing, but entering her porch and looking through the windows turned out to be a little too much.
“‘The (caliber) of people/generations is changing, and not for the better,’ Preston wrote on the The Goonies 30th Anniversary Facebook page. ‘They don’t have a sense of family or community but feel entitled and let no one get in their way. We see it daily with the threats against us; all because we choose to have some privacy. It’s been unrestricted for 14 years and we are worn out.’
Preston has put up blue tarp around the front and side of the house to prevent fans from advancing into her yard, stepping onto her porch and peering through her windows — a not uncommon occurrence, Warr said.
The overwhelming majority of Goonies fans are ‘lovely, friendly, warm people,’ he said. ‘But there are a few who are really abusive, and several have refused to leave the property when asked to. They’ve offered to fight the homeowner. And those kinds of things are the things that make it really impossible for them.'” (Via The Daily Astorian)
This is obviously bad news for people planning any upcoming trips to Astoria, which seems so unlikely, yet here we are. But, I don’t know, maybe stop trying to fight a very kind woman who is willing to let entire tour groups into her house for a reason as dumb as nostalgia. Unless… yes… she’s holding out on the real treasure. Nice try, Sandi.
