Holly and Scott Crawford, center, and his brother Andrew are pictured after hiking the Tillamook Head Trail through Ecola State Park to Indian Beach during a visit in 2020. The Crawfords are traveling 2,700 miles from Florida for “The Goonies” anniversary reunion. Crawford family photo

If there were an award for “Goonies Superfan,” then Scott Crawford would be a contender.

The 45-year-old physician’s assistant from Florida is among those traveling to Astoria for the 40th anniversary celebrations.

In his case, 2,789 miles from Pensacola.

It will be his fifth trip to Astoria and his wife Holly’s third.

He even took the time to write to The Astorian earlier this year praising his favorite home-away-from-home.

“Astoria is a magical place that bucks the national trend of marching in lockstep toward uniformity, where the car and strip-mall commercialism come first,” he wrote. “Its haunting, undulating hills, the voices of those sea lions reverberating off your timeless architecture, the mists coming off the Columbia – all of it brings our family back again and again.

In an interview, he noted that he remembers seeing the movie for the first time it as if it were yesterday,

“I was seven or eight years old. It was the late 1980s, during a slumber party at my next-door neighbor’s house. His parents had rented the movie from a video store. It was his birthday and we were chowing down on Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread. 

“But when the credits ran and the skull and crossbones came on the screen, everything stopped and everything began!”

So what is it about “The Goonies” that gives it so much charm, and makes it so memorable?

“‘The Goonies’ captures, better than any film, book or play, the potential of childhood in 1980s’ America. It is filled with everything a kid dreamed of: a legendary pirate’s map, the freedom to explore on bikes, getting to kiss a high-school cheerleader, a life-and-death adventure, a wild water slide, and stacks of glittering gold. Each character is perfectly cast, and as kids, we could see facets of ourselves in them – brave, awkward, loyal, afraid, skeptical, hopeful, and curious.”

But he has a deeper view, too.

“The film’s narrative structure also adds to its lasting resonance. Like Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy,’ ‘The Goonies’ follows a descent into darkness, a journey through danger, and a triumphant return into light, ending with a beatific vision. The name of the pirate ship, The Inferno, isn’t just clever – it’s a direct nod to that descent-ascent-redemption arc, giving the story a mythic gravity beneath its youthful charm.”

Astoria, where much of the movie was filmed, added essential charms.

“Equally important is the setting: Astoria and the misty Oregon coast. To an 80s’ child, these landscapes felt both real and otherworldly, the kind of place where it seemed entirely possible to find a pirate crew and ship trapped for 353 years in a sea cave. That fog-draped authenticity grounds the story. Strip ‘The Goonies’ from Astoria and the story becomes a preposterous fantasy.”

And, what is your favorite scene in the movie?

“The entire thing is my favorite, but my most favorite piece of the movie is the attic scene,” he said. “The gang is there, surrounded by pirate relics, plasma globes and a copy of the Astoria Legend. Lightning is flashing and thunder rolls in the background. Mikey then retells Willy’s story perfectly, setting the stage for the adventure of a lifetime.”

And he has a message for North Coast residents who might be tempted to bristle at the number of visitors thronging the community this week.

“Please forgive us as we join the flood of Goonies fans in the next few weeks and fill your streets,” he wrote in his letter to The Astorian. “We come not just as tourists but as grateful pilgrims eager to experience and celebrate your city’s ineffable resilience, its ability to endure and thrive through the many tides of change. We love Astoria.” 

His letter was enough to bring a lump into the most jaded resident’s heart.

“Thanks to ‘The Goonies,’ Astoria’s place in the memories and conscience of so many people throughout the world is just as treasured as a beloved childhood Christmas gift or memento from a Kindergarten classmate.”