Moose
Days July 26-28, 2002 Moose
Days July 26-28, 2002
Everyone loves a parade. We wait longer for the parade than the actual length of the parade but it's a perfect Cicelian parade. It starts with Moose Days' own version of the Running of the Bulls, an idea borrowed from the episode "Spring Break." Cicely's version is all-male, run in the buff. Moose Days' version complies with local ordinances, run in boxer shorts and contains both genders. There are classic cars belonging to locals, the raven ladies (Kathy and Marie), a group of young indian dancers, and our guests.
 |
Waiting
for the parade...
|
|
These are not locals... "I'm not allowed sharp objects at work." - Jennifer |
 |
 |
MOOSE
DAYS ROCKS!
(Not a self-portrait) |
|
Moose Days version of Running of the Bulls - Kurt (arms in the air, red shorts), Steve from NY (looking at Kurt), and Gary leads the pack (blue shorts). Barry and Dan both relate the story that the filmed version of the Running of the Bulls resulted in a new fire engine for the town of Roslyn. Seems that Rob Morrow (Joel) offered $100 to any of the extras that would completely disrobe with him and run the streets. They were supposed to be wearing flesh-colored briefs. Rob and about 15 extras came running around the corner nekkid, as the Roslyn mayor and the Police Chief were coming the other way. Yes, it is a city ordinance that you cannot run nekkid in the streets. In apology, the production company bougth Roslyn a new fire engine. Barry didn't go naked, he said, because "I didn't want to show my shortcomings." |
 |
 |
Chuck Greywolf, our favorite extra, and Dan Dusek, NoEx location manager. Chuck relays one of his favorite episodes he appears in, A Cup of Joe, where he bets in the crowd whether DJ Chris will pass his pilot's license. He wins his bet and gets handed a lot of money - which was real money. The prop crew came back around to collect it and Chuck said "I already gave it to you." |
One of the repeat guests to the annual event is Dan Dusek, who served as a location manager for Northern Exposure. He found many of the filming sites. This is the sixth year he has done the tour for the hungry fans, and he has a twist. Thanks to one fan, Kathy, who has made a local self-guided tour packet, we have time to take our tour bus to other places. Dan shows us the airfield where the character Maggie flies her Cessna. He takes us to a pond that served as the lake in front of Dr. Joel Fleischman's cabin and where the cabin stood. He shows us the banks where Ed and Chris teach Princess the crane how to dance and he shows us the clearing where Mike Monroe's sterile bubble home stood. Cameras whir and everyone whispers in awe. These filming sites are mecca to the hardcore fan.
 |
Dan
at the head of the bus for his filming site tour.
|
|
Dan
stands at the clearing where Mike Monroe's dome house stood. (The Circle
8 ranch off exit 74 on I-90).
|
 |
 |
If you squint, you might see Chris and Ed teaching Princess, the crane, how to dance ... with abandon ("The Bad Seed"). (Yes, that is the color of the pond!) |
|
Maggie's
airfield. It's a real airfield - private.
|
 |
Dan takes the group to two popular sites: a beautiful cliff that appeared in several episodes, and a place where Ruth-Anne and Ed dance on her grave. In this episode ("A-Hunting, We Will Go"), Ed is concerned that Ruth-Anne, at 75-years-old, is going to die soon. He buys her a plot of land for her grave.
 |
Listening
to Dan Dusek on Ruth-Anne's grave.
|
Saturday night is the Big Feast, a night of good food and entertainment. There's hot and heavy bidding at the Silent Auction table, where various NoEx and related memoriabilia goes for charity. Chuck Greywolf, known for his gifts, gives Bill White a shirt and Rosetta Pintado, a beautiful tribal mask. Rosetta, in turn, ceremoniously hands over a carved staff to her sister, Martha. Moultrie Patten, who played the trapper Walter Kupfer, tells us he is honored to be at Moose Days. Our devotion to the show and our appreciation, he tells us, he is honored we were here. "I know I didn't spend my life in vain." It's a honor from Moultrie at 83 and a life-long entertainer.
 |
Barry Corbin, Bill White, Moultrie Patten and Chuck Greywolf at the Big Feast. "We come here to honor you," Moultie Patten |
|
The
Big Feast events include a costume contest. Here we see Shelly, Holling
(holding Jesse the Bear), Maurice, Shelly #2, Maurice #2, and "Fritz,"
a member of the New Perceptions Players (in "Get Real").
|
 |
 |
Barry Corbin has talent beyond acting... "I love to cost Universal money...," Barry Corbin said. He believes that Universal and CBS will never do a reunion show, even though all the actors would probably do it. |
At the dinner, we had a round table of questions with our guests. Bill White tells us he does video editing and enjoys his music. He left the show partially due to an old spinal cord injury. When the show ended, most props, wardrobe and other items went to auction but Barry reports he kept the boots, jacket, hat and a bearskin rug. Moultrie kept his fur trappers hat. Rosetta Pintado was very eloquent and at the end of one explaination, laughed and said "I don't think I answered your question but I had a lot of fun talking."