[vimeo http://vimeo.com/69966127%5D
Today, August 9, marks the first annual Boring & Dull Day, a new state holiday organized by the Oregon town of Boring and the Scottish village of Dull. The duo — dubbed a “Pair for the Ages” in a law signed earlier this year by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber — are banking on their unusual names and media attention to draw tourists and help boost the local economies, the Oregonian reports.
In an attempt to live up to its motto of being “the most exciting place to live,” Boring — southeast of Portland with a population of 12,851 — is celebrating the day with an ice cream social, a performance by a local barbershop quartet, a flag salute featuring the Oregon National Guard, and even a bagpiper and drummer to honor the residents of Dull, which had a population of 84 in October 2012. A sign in Dull commemorates the “twinning” of the two towns, “Welcome to Dull, Paired with Boring, Oregon, USA: Drive Safely.”
The Boring Community Planning Organization has also been selling commemorative “Boring & Dull” t-shirts and mugs, raffling off a trip to Dull, Scotland, and trying to get residents revved with promotional videos like the one above, in which one Boring resident says, “Come visit us! You’d like it. We’re not boring.”
The whole idea for this type of “sister city” partnership came about after a Scottish cyclist rode through Boring on a biking trip. Word of the rural town’s existence got back to Dull, prompting talks between legislators in the two similarly named areas.
After the holiday, the two towns can keep in touch via the Dull & Boring Facebook page, where Boring residents ask their kilt-wearing brethren questions about life in Dull like “Can I drive on the wrong side of the road?!?!” It also boasts photos of particularly bored-looking “coos” or “Highland cattle” and even a news article about the residents of the Australian region Bland who want to join forces with the two towns to make a “Boring threesome.”
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