Thanks for posting the article.:-)
Danny wrote:
> Hi Folks, stumbled across this article. It was nice to see that
> Roslyn is still kicking. Hopefully Suncadia doesn't spoil its small-
> town charm. Has anyone stayed at the new lodge?
>
> Danny and Judy in Yorktown, VA
>
> Even more exposure for small-town Roslyn
> By Jackie Smith
>
> Special to The Seattle Times
>
> ROSLYN, Kittitas County — From the second-floor window seat in
> Huckleberry House Bed & Breakfast, there's an expansive view of this
> once-bustling coal mining town on the edge of the Cascade Mountains.
> The late-afternoon sun highlighted rooftops and towering church
> spires. A pair of dogs played tag in the town's main street,
> undisturbed by the lone pickup heading up the hill.
>
> Day's end, like everything else here this time of year, is slow-paced,
> without fanfare.This was our second stay at this turn-of-the-century
> inn, a structural time capsule, reflecting Roslyn's history in its
> own: from its boardinghouse beginning during the coal-mining heydays;
> to the late 1970s when the movie industry brought it fame as a house
> of ill-repute in "The Runner Stumbles"; and now a B&B, catering to the
> current industry, tourism.
>
> Tourism exploded here in the early 1990s when Roslyn became the
> fictitious, remote Cicely, Alaska, in television's quirky, Emmy-
> winning "Northern Exposure." That boom quieted to a buzz, but another
> tourism jolt is likely on its way: This week nearby Suncadia resort
> opens a 254-room lodge, and home construction at the sprawling
> multiuse development continues; both are expected to bring thousands
> more visitors every year.
>
> Still finding "Exposure"
>
> We found that the 6,400-acre resort, which opened in 2005 with an 18-
> room inn, so far hasn't done much to shake up this venerable, funky
> little burg with its 1,000 or so residents.
>
> Locals say there have been a few more folks coming to town for lunch,
> drinks or a movie. And sometimes there might be some overnight guests
> who overflow from golf tournaments. But it hasn't been a major source
> of tourism — not yet, anyway.
>
> To this point, "Northern Exposure" tourism continues to be the steady
> source of fuel for this old coal-mining town.
>
> For five seasons, the show followed the adventures of a young New York
> doctor who set up a practice amid an eclectic mix of characters and
> spawned an international legion of fans whose pilgrimages continue
> long after the filming has ended. The fan-created Moosefest
> (www.moosefest.org) continues to draw a loyal contingent of attendees
> from across the country every summer; the 80 registration slots for
> this July's event are already filled. With recent DVD releases and
> network reruns, fan treks are again on an upswing.
>
> "It is amazing the people that walk in because of the show," says Al
> Kilmek at Cicely's, a gift shop at 112 W. Pennsylvania Ave. (the
> doctor's office in "Northern Exposure"), its shelves stocked with show
> memorabilia. Visitors from Spain, Germany, Australia and Japan are
> among those who've signed the store's guest book.
>
> Fans aside, summer weekends can find this town, 90 minutes from
> Seattle, overrun with a crush of hikers, campers and car-, music- and
> heritage-festivalgoers.
>
> Preferring the offseason's slow, steady tourist trickle, we strolled
> through the heart of town, past weatherworn wood and brick buildings,
> some more than a century old. We noted a "Jimmy Buffett for President
> 2004" bumper sticker and "Willie Nelson for President 2008" poster.
> Locals readily shared their town's stories of generational ties to the
> mines and anecdotes related to movie and television filming. Even the
> town's postmaster chatted while waiting on customers.
>
> Visitor Alan Millar from Bend, Ore., said, "The feeling here is really
> warm. You can walk in anywhere, and it is open arms. The people are so
> courteous — it's awesome."
>
> History-buff haven
>
> While "Northern Exposure" and two movies, "Joy Ride" (1977) and "The
> Runner Stumbles" (1979), put Roslyn on the tourist map, it was the
> discovery of coal in 1885 that led to Roslyn's formation. The boom
> town peaked in 1910 with a population of 4,000, when 2 million tons of
> coal were mined annually by the Northwestern Improvement Company.
>
> We picked up free tourist maps highlighting the town's mining history,
> filming sites and the cemeteries at Roslyn's Administration Building,
> its somewhat unofficial tourist office, housed in the 1910 Cle Elum
> State Bank building, 100 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
>
> Across the street, the Northwestern Improvement Company store, once
> the town's commercial hub, houses a furniture store. The Miners'
> Memorial in front of the store is a poignant tribute to those who
> worked in the mines, particularly those killed in mine explosions in
> 1892 and 1909. A statue of a young miner — the memorial's centerpiece
> — holds a time capsule to be opened in 2046.
>
> Cars once used to carry workers into the mines and those used to haul
> coal out are on display outside the Roslyn Museum, 203 W. Pennsylvania
> Ave. Displays inside include thousands of photos, maps and mining
> memorabilia of every shape and description.
>
> Up the hill, past the museum, follow Memorial Road to the forested
> hillside where the Roslyn Cemeteries were begun in the 1880s. Although
> we were the only visitors that afternoon, the serene 15-acre setting
> had us whispering as we explored plots that mirror the vast cultural
> and ethnic makeup of the early-day miners and their families.
>
> The 4.7-mile Coal Mines Trail is a year-round favorite for outdoor
> enthusiasts and history buffs. It follows the abandoned Burlington
> Northern railroad line past slag piles and old mines, linking to
> Roslyn's neighboring towns, Cle Elum and Ronald. If you need trail
> advice, gear or gear repair, head to Roslyn Cyclery, at 105 N. Second
> St., two blocks from the city park, one of the trail's access points
> (see www.roslyncyclery.com).
>
> We found two new retail stores, added since our last visit. In each
> you wind your way through historic homes, their living spaces turned
> showrooms for Vintage Vine, a wine and antiques store, 201 W.
> Wa****ngton, and The Kitchen Sink Shop, 102 E. Pennsylvania Ave.
>
> Eateries and entertainment
>
> Built out of locally made bricks in 1889, The Brick Tavern, 100 W.
> Pennsylvania Ave., with a running-water spittoon stretching the length
> of its bar, is said to be the oldest operating saloon in Wa****ngton.
> It's an entertainment hub these days, its windows papered with posters
> promoting events such as its annual Spittoon Boat Races.
>
> A block away, Marko's Place, 106 N. First St., with its ornate black
> bar, worn-wood floor and pressed tin ceiling, is a local favorite
> dating back to the 1930s.
>
> Its now-famous mural — thanks to "Northern Exposure" — draws
> shutterbugs to the Roslyn Café, 201 W. Pennsylvania Ave., but its
> hearty lunches, Friday and Saturday night dinners and Sunday brunch
> are what bring us back (www.roslyncafe.com).
>
> While our visit didn't mesh with the weekend taproom hours at the
> Roslyn Brewing Company (www.roslynbrewery.com) just across the street,
> we found its brews at most places in town.
>
> In addition to sandwiches, microbrews and espresso, Lefties Deli and
> Cafe, 107 W. Pennsylvania Ave., offers free Wi-Fi to customers.
>
> Not to be missed
>
> As a newspaper re****ter assigned here 30 years ago, I happened upon
> the unpretentious meat market in an area of Roslyn that locals still
> refer to as "Duck Town," so named for its one-time proliferation of
> poultry farms. Carek's Meat Market, 510 S. A St., an institution since
> 1913, continues to open at 10 a.m. seven days a week and still
> produces a pepperoni and a selection of flavored beef jerky to make
> your mouth water.
>
> The Roslyn Theatre, 101 W. Dakota, is in a century-old, two-story,
> dark-wood frame building that once housed a pharmacy and funeral home
> (see www.roslyntheatre.com). When you enter from a side door, it seems
> like a private home.
>
> Kitty Boy, the house cat, greeted us inside for a head scratch before
> ticket purchases could take place. There are 76 seats downstairs or,
> for a $1 more, 15 loge seats upstairs where you can almost touch the
> pressed-tin ceiling when you stand.
>
> Surround-sound, and first- and second-run movies daily, yet, the real
> draw is the popcorn. It's drenched with real butter slow-melted in a
> crockpot. You can season to taste.
>
> Locals, we're told, like theirs with a nutritional brewer's yeast —
> we'll try that next time.
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