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The Boone Dawdle brings Columbia together

"Best Worst Movie" screened at the bluffs in Rocheport.

By Andrew Owens

Published Aug. 23, 2010

This summer’s first Boone Dawdle was far more than a bike ride. It was something much deeper than just a dinner or a soul music concert, and to label it as a film screening would be too limiting. The Boone Dawdle, in all of its bizarre, heartwarming glory, was an all-out celebration of the city of Columbia and the genuine spirit of its inhabitants.

I showed up at Shiloh Bar and Grill on my rented bicycle far too early. With an hour to spare and not a single recognizable soul in sight, I scurried over to a Kaldi’s station and chugged a cup of iced coffee to occupy myself. Finally, through wired eyes, I spotted two familiar faces.

Michael Stephenson and George Hardy, the director and central character of “Best Worst Movie”, respectfully, had arrived. Eager to speak to someone, I asked for their first impressions.

“This event just really has a strong community feel to it”, Stephenson said. And thus the central theme of the Boone Dawdle was born.

The bike ride to Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport took bike riders through two dance parties, live accordion music and multiple refreshment stations.

“From attending True/False (Film Fest), I expected all of the random, bizarre aspects of the ride”, senior MU biochemistry student Dan Beerman said. “It was also great seeing all of the varying personalities and ages of everyone here.”

There was even an “advice machine” alongside the trail, which was basically a giant orange cardboard box housing a man with a typewriter. I asked it how to approach my parents for money.

“Act distressed and tell them you’ve been living only on a diet of hot chips because your dumpster dove a box of them,” It replied. Well put.

After multiple encounters with goblins, a 10-minute massage and eating a rosemary lemonade slushie, Les Bourgeois Vineyards finally loomed into view and dinner was served. As all of the partygoers shuffled into buffet lines, I began to notice just how enthusiastic everyone was, not just for the impossibly scrumptious food, but also for the company of their neighbors.

“It’s been amazing to see so many people come out and support an event like this”, MU grad student Dan Leeman said. “It shows how tight-knit we are as a community, especially in these tougher times.”

A thumping bassline signaled the end of dinner as the band The Record Collector began to groove.

“We are compelled by the power of pork loin tonight ya’ll,” the band’s singer exclaimed. So yes, the food really was that good.

The Record Collector bounced and rolled their way through a lively set of soul numbers, inciting a mini-dance party on the lawn that lasted until the time for the ‘Best Worst Movie” screening.

The film, directed by Stephenson and starring Hardy, was a brilliant insight into the humorous and troubled depths of human nature. The documentary focused on the phenomenon of the film “Troll 2”, a movie so bad it’s good. As Stephenson and Hardy revisited all of the old cast members of “Troll 2”, Boone Dawdlers were subject to uncontrollable bouts of laughter and sharp moments of heartbreak throughout the documentary.

The air hung heavy with the powerful influence of “Best Worst Movie” throughout Stephenson and Hardy’s question and answer session. Although most were reluctant to leave, a group of school buses shipped dawdlers back to Columbia.

“It’s been a really long, really sweaty day”, David Wilson, The Boone Dawdle and True/False Film Fest co-director, said. “But we had an amazing time, and we think everyone else did as well”.