Dull, Scotland, makes Boring, Oregon, more interesting By Glenn Campbell

BBC Scotland news Published duration 8 August 2014

media caption Locals claim "there's always something going on" in Boring, Oregon

Residents in the US town of Boring have held a party with a Scottish twist this weekend, with the second annual celebration of their pairing with the village of Dull in Perthshire.

Since the inaugural event last year, the governor of Oregon has formally declared Saturday 9 August Boring and Dull Day across the entire state.

Boring is not the most exciting place in the world.

It's small town America. A farming community with an easy commute to the nearby city of Portland.

It's named after its founder, William H Boring, who began farming in the area in the 1870s.

His great grandson, Bob Boring, still lives locally and insists the town is more lively than its name suggests.

"Dad used to say it was a name, not a condition and it pretty much is" he said.

"There's always something going on around here".

image copyright Jim Hart image caption The governor of Oregon has officially declared 9 August Boring and Dull Day across the state

Boring's unofficial mayor, Steve Bates, cannot recall the most exciting thing to happen in the town.

When pressed to think of something, the former fire engine salesman joked:"Every once in a while we have an accident out here on the highway."

For those who don't want to sit around waiting for someone to prang their car, there are other possible ways to pass the time.

You can sample a Boring beer in the Boring pub, hunt for a bargain in the Boring antiques shop or have a picture taken next to the new Boring road sign, celebrating the town's links with Dull.

"We actually hope to make this sign a tourist spot," said Mr Bates.

image copyright Jim Clark image caption State officials hope the link can provide a tourism boost to the area

The potential for a tourism boost has attracted official support for Boring and Dull's pairing from the Oregon state legislature.

The Boring politician who persuaded the house to declare August the 9th as Boring and Dull Day is representative Bill Kennemer.

"People are starting to hear about Boring and they come and stop" he said.

"Before it was kind of a small wayside on the way somewhere else. And now it's a place as you're out and about to stop and visit".

The town is celebrating its new found fame with its second annual ice cream social in the park on Saturday.

"It'll be a time for our community to get together," said Steve Bates.

"We'll start off with bagpipes and then we'll also do some traditional American folk singing.

"And then we'll have a band to finish out the evening".

He insisted that the event would not be too exciting.

"Eh, no," he said. "Last year we did have lightning and thunder that sort of cut the party a little bit short.

"But hopefully this year we'll be able to have the event last the full five hours that we have planned".

image caption Officials hope the new sign in Boring will become a tourist attraction

image caption Dull celebrates the partnership in October each year and was the first to put up a sign

Boring is proud of its link with Dull, which was the brainchild of Perthshire resident Elizabeth Leighton who passed through Boring on a cycling holiday in 2012.

Dull celebrates the relationship in October, and was first to put up a commemorative road sign.

"Dull has helped put Boring on our map and I suspect maybe in certain ways we've helped put Dull on some other maps too," said Mr Kennemer.

You could say the pairing has made Boring a bit more interesting.

So much so, the town is now developing a new relationship the Australian community of Bland.