Pretend It’s a Forest

When a local exclaimed, “Wow, Downieville is putting on a show this weekend!” it struck me as very ironic—after all, the Banff International Film Festival had just returned to town, but given Downieville’s resemblance to a movie set, it’s easy to take the comment quite literally. As we walked through the busy streets, filled with our local “lead characters,” the occasional “guest stars” from out of town, and “tourist cameos,” I nearly wanted to yell “Action!” But remember, unlike a movie, there’s no director here in Downieville—just the community writing the script together.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any official authority to direct this real-life script. However, as someone who occasionally writes (mostly my opinions), I feel compelled to step in with some observations, at least until the directors of these live sets take their places to preserve the cinematic magic of Downieville.

The Set: While the imperfections of our historical architecture give character and narrate the story of this town, some of our buildings could use a fresh coat of paint and, in some instances, perhaps a governmental grant to support preservation and rehabilitation. This observation includes the interiors; the empty grocery store shelves and the dried-out kegs at the St. Charles—don’t ask me how I know—are in dire need of a ‘props’ restock.

The Cast: For this film in motion, we need to cast the right extras to keep it inclusive, kind, and community-driven. This place is nothing without a good story, and a good story needs good characters—but like any good story, it also has its share of unwanted plot twists. Folks, let’s keep these challenging events to just one per year.

The Plot: This town has a multi-threaded story, from the gold rush days to the rush-down-the-hill contest days. While some might think this season is ending on a lower note, with the possibility of some local businesses closing, the only thing we can do is trust in the local saying “as the Yuba flows” and hope that our story flows in the right direction.

We know Downieville isn’t a movie set, and like life itself, we have our flaws but also a lot of opportunities to put on a show every day. While many locals are doing their part to keep this story alive, some of us might need to do more than just be spectators. But for now, locals, old-timers, newcomers, tourists, and visitors from other galaxies—let’s pretend that when everything is in “action,” our local economy gets uplifted, reminding us why we’re still here and why the cameras haven’t stopped rolling in all these years. And with luck, our beloved “movie set” will still be standing for many upcoming sequels.