Buster Keaton fans gathered in Cottage Grove, Oregon to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his film The General. Approximately 80 fans attended the event, donning porkpie hats and two-piece suits, and participated in activities such as a Buster lookalike contest. The winner of the contest was Liz Bartholomew, a 37-year-old from Portland, who won with her Sherlock Jr.-inspired costume. Keaton's granddaughter, Melissa Talmadge Cox, also attended the event and met some of the fans.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-03,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
An epic train chase is turning 100 — and Buster Keaton fans are celebrating
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fans → turn → 100
The South wasn't in a laughing mood after the Civil War, so silent film star and comedian Buster Keaton went west.
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Keaton → laugh → War
To make a film based on a real wartime train chase, he ended up in Cottage Grove, Ore.
This past weekend, about 80 Keaton fans gathered in the small rural city to celebrate Keaton's move, which led to his critically-acclaimed film, The General.
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which → make → film
They wore porkpie or straw hats, discussed favorite scenes, and learned how to do the Charleston as the Eugene-based band The Fat Dandelions played 1920s jazz through the evening.
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band → wear → evening
They call themselves "Damfinos."
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They → call → themselves
(Whenever Keaton was hit up for an answer he didn't readily have, he'd say "damfino" — as in, "damned if I know.")
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I → hit → damfino
"I wasn't even aware that people across the country would know where Cottage Grove was, but they did," said Lloyd Williams, smiling.
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Williams → know → country
Among the fans in Cottage Grove was 21-year-old Chloe Fadem, who arrived from Chicago gleefully sporting her own Keatonesque two-piece suit.
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who → arrive → suit
"I picked up a little rainbow bowtie that is not 'on era' branding for the outfit, but I love it," she said, prepping for the evening's Buster lookalike contest.
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she → pick → contest
"And a porkpie hat that I wear very proudly in honor of Keaton."
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I → wear → Keaton
Joining her for the competition was 13-year-old Aden Blatchford, from Ontario, Canada.
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Blatchford → join → Ontario
He was also dressed as his idol, a true-to-life cosplay that his father, Steve, said he's done for three consecutive Halloweens.
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he → dress → Halloweens
"He has a little sign that says 'Trick or Treat' and he flips it over, and it says 'Buster Keaton, the 1920s silent film star,'" said the elder Blatchford.
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Blatchford → have → Keaton
"He has 'The Entertainer' playing on a Bluetooth speaker."
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Entertainer → have → speaker
Aden Blatchford got hooked on Keaton when he was 8 years old, and likens silent films to reading comics.
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he → hook → comics
"With talkie movies, you can look away and just hear the soundtrack that's playing.
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that → look → soundtrack
But with silent films you have to pay close attention because if you miss a title card, you can miss a big part of the film."
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you → have → film
She paraded past the judges dressed as "Sherlock Jr." with fake moustache, magnifying glass and a book titled How to Be a Detective.
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She → parade → moustache
Bartholomew said she's not the biggest Buster Keaton aficionado — but her mom is.
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mom → say → ?
"She flew from out of town to come to this festival.
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She → fly → festival
So to me, Buster Keaton means a way to get closer to my mom and something for us to bond over."
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us → mean → mom
"I love dressing up in a costume," she smiled.
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she → love → costume
"And today I walk away a winner."
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I → walk → ?
Meet the relatives
If it's any consolation to people like Fadem and Blatchford, they've become close with some of Keaton's family.
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they → meet → family
Both posed with the actor's granddaughter, Melissa Talmadge Cox, who first met Fadem at another Keaton celebration ten years ago in Muskegon, Mich.
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who → pose → Mich.
"She took me under her wing and started telling me these stories about Buster," said Fadem.
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Fadem → take → Buster
In turn, Talmadge Cox has learned many stories about her grandfather and his approach to cinema from fans.
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Cox → learn → fans
"I never saw any of his movies until right after he died," said Talmadge Cox.
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Cox → see → movies
"I saw one when I was in college and I just could not believe that this man was the grandfather that I'd known my whole life because his films weren't available to anybody."
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films → see → anybody
Another special guest was Keaton's nephew, 84-year-old Harry Keaton Moore Jr. who grew up with his uncle and other relatives in the same Los Angeles house in the 1940s.
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who → grow → 1940s
He would later drive Keaton to some of his shoots, including for the movies Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, when his career rebounded in the 1950s.
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career → drive → 1950s
"Buster didn't really like to drive, even though you see a lot of it in the films," said Keaton Moore Jr.
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Jr. → like → films
On hallowed ground
Keaton Moore Jr. joined fans on a bus tour to visit various filming locations for The General, which ended with the site of a now-famous train crash scene from the film.
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which → join → film
Keaton needed a convincing backdrop for The General that incorporated Marietta, Georgia and Chattanooga, Tenn., in its storyline.
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that → need → storyline
After being rebuffed by communities in the South, Keaton came to Oregon with his scouts and saw the timber town of Cottage Grove had a short line railroad that went into the foothills of the Cascades.
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that → rebuff → Cascades
"And when he got up here and looked out, he said 'This is it.
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This → get → ?
This is perfect,'" said Williams.
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Williams → say → ?
Film crews quickly set up facades that turned the Pacific Northwest town into the Deep South of the Civil War.
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that → set → War
When it was the time to shoot the most expensive and complicated shot of The General on July 23, 1926 more than 4,000 people gathered near nearby Culp Creek to watch a real train crash into the water.
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train → shoot → water
Businesses and mills closed, some with signs saying GONE TO SEE BUSTER.
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some → close → BUSTER
…and 19 more, not listed.
