Two communities, separated by 8,000 miles, tie the knot and form 'a pair for the ages'

What's dull is not always boring, unless you're speaking of the Scottish community of Dull or the Oregon community of Boring - where you must have a keen sense of humor to live in either community.

Residents of Dull decided in April to ask the residents of Boring to share a friendship and have a laugh or two about the combination of their communities' names.

After the Dull and Weem Community Council voted to pursue the relationship as a twin community, Council President Marjorie Keddie said the group had 'a wee laugh.'

On June 5, the 40 members present at a business meeting of the Boring Community Planning Organization offered a unanimous voice vote to pair with Dull. CPO Chairman Steve Bates described the relationship in five short words, 'A pair for the ages.'

But Dan Bosserman, a CPO board member, took the pairing a little less seriously.

'We've been making jokes about living in Boring for the 37 years I've lived here,' he said after the vote. 'But I think the Dull and Boring thing is the greatest thing that's ever happened to Boring.'

Emma Burtles, a Dull resident and member of the Dull Women's Book Club, used words similar to Bosserman's when she expressed her excitement that the two communities would be 'married,' as it was stated by a BBC news reporter, broadcast around the world.

'I think (the twinning) is the best thing that has happened to our wee community for ages,' Burtles said, 'and everyone has a smile when we tell them the story.'

The spark that lit the twinning flame came from one of Burtles' friends, who had traveled through Boring. So Burtles brought her friend's suggestion to the Dull Women's Book Club, whose members chuckled and took the idea to the community council.

Boring Women's Book Club member Sharon Marsh says her group had a meeting earlier the day the pairing was approved in Boring and everyone was excited about the prospects of the social interaction.

'We want to see what they are reading and tell them what we're reading,' Marsh said. 'We want to know what their lives are like.'

The same sentiment was expressed by Tommy Pringle, Dull's historian. He simply said he'd like to get to know the people and hopes we'll all 'find out more about each other.'

But now, the Boring CPO is selling hats and shirts with the Boring and Dull logo, taking orders from far and near.

A resident of Boring all his life, Bob Boring is the great grandson of one of the two Boring family members who homesteaded land that by the 1870s was being called by the name it bears today.

'This is a lot of fun,' said Bob Boring about the fact his last name is on so many shirts and hats. 'I'm glad to see the community get recognition. We're on the right path.'

Keddie seems to feel the same as Bob Boring. She's hoping people will come to Dull, if for nothing else, to see a road sign that says the two communities are twinned. For tourists, she says, there are a couple of chalets waiting for anyone who would stay a while, sit for a cup of tea and chat about their lives back home.

'We're all enthusiastic about a connection between Dull and Boring,' Keddie said.

That enthusiasm is likely to reach a peak Saturday, June 23, when Dull lets its hair down and throws a street party to celebrate the newfound friendship with their twin community in Oregon.

Boring will wait until Saturday, Sept. 8, to roll out the red carpet and celebrate the fact it's a tight-knit community with a lot of friends across The Pond.

The annual Boring Celebration will fill the playing fields of both Boring elementary and middle schools the Saturday after Labor Day, and might include some Scottish bagpipes - just to remind everyone what Bob Boring's father often said about his last name, 'It's a name, not a condition.'

So here's your assignment: Don't be dull or boring; be happy and celebrate. Just think: you might be living in Big Ugly, W.Va., or Rotten Bottom, Dumfries, Scotland.