My State ‘Tis of Thee

Pink Martini, 09.05.09
Posted by: Jim Radosta
As an Oregon native, I know firsthand how strongly our statewide pride manifests itself: correcting those who mispronounce “Ore-ee-gawn,” looking down our noses at umbrella users and generally feeling superior to our neighbors both north (pity the fool who dares compare Portland to Seattle) and south (former Gov. Tom McCall’s infamous message to Californicators: “Visit but don’t stay”).
So I was rather disappointed when Oregon’s 150th birthday came and went Feb. 14 with little fanfare. Where was the big public celebration? My father, who moved here from Brooklyn shortly after the state’s centennial in 1959, tells me that local men marked the occasion by growing beards as a nod to our pioneer forefathers. Today? Well, with all of the new blood flowing through the state, you’d have a hard time finding anyone who’s even visited the Capitol down in Salem.
Thankfully, hometown heroes Pink Martini came to the rescue with Oregon! Oregon! 2009: A Sesquicentennial Fable in IV Acts last night at the Oregon Zoo. (In true Oregon spirit, the audience was at full capacity despite the threat of a downpour.) Led by composer Thomas M. Lauderdale, the eclectic “little orchestra” joined Oregon’s 234th Army Band and a handful of special guests (former Gov. Barbara Roberts, Oregonian columnist Margie Boulé) to revive Stan Freberg’s 1959 musical comedy along with an all-new fourth act.
The story is fun but absurd: The chief dilemma revolves around a witch who threatens to bottle up Oregon if a soon-to-be-married couple can’t figure out her name within 24 hours. You’d likely find more depth in an episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
A few of the 1959 references are quaintly anachronistic (Brigette Bardot, Harvey the Rabbit), but then again, I imagine that if someone unearths this again for Oregon’s bicentennial in 2059, they’ll surely laugh at the fourth act’s “dated” concerns with gasoline consumption and overpriced lattes.
Regardless, the new material strengthened Oregon! Oregon! by focusing on what actually makes our state unique: a diverse population that combines the rugged individualism of the South with the liberal intellectualism of the East Coast. As the chorus sang in the finale: “It was built by timber luggers…protected by tree huggers. Oregon’s for everyone!”
In short, Oregon! Oregon! reminded me why I’m proud to live in the Beaver State. Rain or shine.
Lauderdale summed it up best when he told me in a 2007 interview: “Historically, the people who came to Oregon came west not to become rich, because those people really went to California during the Gold Rush. The people who came to Oregon…wanted to find a better life which was compatible and respectful of the land. There’s that old joke about the fork in the road, and the people who could read the sign at the fork went north to Oregon.”