WALDPORT — Crowds lined the major roads through downtown Waldport Saturday for the hour-long parade that kicked off the community’s 68th annual Beachcomber Days.
There were truck-drawn floats, horses, cars, lots of fire engines making noise, candy tossed to excited kids. After the hour-long parade, the crowd broke up to swamp the food court, look at offerings from dozens of vendors, listen to music and dodge a rainstorm at the start of the timber show.
Here’s a look at some of the scenes Saturday.
By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
WALDPORT — The block party of the year returns to Waldport this week with three days of free, family-friendly attractions.
Under the theme “Waves & Wonders,” the 68th Beachcomber Days splashes into town with live music, a car show and timber competitions, dozens of vendors and a kids fair, games and food.
Proceeds from the event raises money for college or trade school scholarships for Waldport High School graduates. The funds come from participating businesses, private donations and proceeds of a Treasure Chest raffle.
“We’re getting bigger each year,” said Beachcomber Days board president Tammy Abele of Yachats. “It’s like a big block party. People will be pleasantly surprised by our level of entertainment.”
“With some new features and a special surprise — don’t miss the fire dancers on Saturday night — this year’s festival shows how, more than ever, our small community comes together in a big way,” said board secretary TiAnne Rios.
For full details about the weekend schedule — which is subject to modifications — go to the event website. About 50 volunteers are pitching in for the festival, and more are always needed. Those interested may email Rios: WaldportBeachcomberDays@gmail.com.
Cars, music, parade and loggers
The weekend’s events begins Friday night with a formal dinner for top sponsors and the Beachcomber Days court — the high school-aged juniors and seniors eligible for educational aid who will also appear in Saturday’s parade. Scholarship winners will be announced Sunday afternoon.
In addition to a food court Saturday and Sunday in the parking lot of Central Coast Fire & Rescue, about 70 vendors will be selling merchandise along Bay and Hemlock streets. There will also be a variety of musicians and singers performing all day Saturday and most of Sunday on the Main Stage at Highway 34 and Bay Street and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday on the John Street stage.
There will be beer gardens open from 1-11 p.m. Saturday near the Main Stage, and 1-5 p.m. at the timber show at the east end of Southworth Park. The main beer garden returns from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday near the Main Stage.
With food and music as the backdrop, the weekend highlights include:
Saturday
- A car show along Highway 34 downtown from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. open to models of all years.
- A parade through downtown along Highway 34 from noon to 1 p.m.
- Kids Faire with live entertainment, balloon man and bubbles, parking lots of WaFD Bank and Post Office, 1-4 p.m.
- Pro Timber Show, Southworth Park, 2-5 p.m.
- Corn Hole Competition at the baseball diamond on Bay Street, 3 p.m. by the Toledo Rotary Club with proceeds for scholarships and veterans.
- Sol Fire Dancers, 10 p.m., Main Stage.
Sunday
- Free Father’s Day pancake breakfast, Waldport Community Center parking lot, 10 a.m.
- High school and community timber show, Southworth Park, noon to 3 p.m.
- Family games (slug races, watermelon eating contest and more), back parking lot of the fire department, 1 p.m.
- Announcement of student scholarships, Main Stage, 3 p.m.
The timber shows are especially popular, showcasing some 30 men and women professionals on Saturday, and high school forestry students and amateurs on Sunday. Back for the fourth year, the shows will feature classic logging events like the spur climb, the power buck, log rolling and axe throws.
This spring the Waldport High School forestry program won its fifth state championship in five years under the direction of Jeff Skirvin, forestry teacher and pro lumberjack competitor.
Helping small businesses
Dozens of area businesses and civic groups support Beachcomber Days. Main sponsors include Aboveboard Electric & Plumbing, Espresso 101, Grand Central Pizza, WaFD Bank, Pioneer Connect, Oceanside Flooring, Yachats Lions Club, Oregon Coast Bank, Waldport Moose Lodge 396, Ray’s Food Place, Alsea Bay Power Products, CP Carlson Builders, Financial Freedom, Dahl Disposal, Alsea Bay Florist, Waldport/Newport Liquor Store and Sweet Homes Vacation Rentals.
Two of the festival’s features help promote walk-in traffic to participating businesses — a Receipt Raffle, and Main Event Special. Festival visitors are encouraged to patronize local businesses and shops, then take their receipts to the information booth at Bay Street and Highway where 10 glass floats will be raffled off.
With the Main Event Special, visitors can pick up a free festival ticket at many Waldport businesses and banks. By bringing the tickets to the Main Stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, attendees can enter an exclusive raffle, enjoy happy hour $1 off drinks, and receive free popcorn, kettle corn and beverages for kids.
“We’re committed to helping our local small businesses,” said Rios, who noted that the festival is expanding its reach into Lincoln County. Organizers have been collaborating with the Newport Chamber of Commerce, she said, and the Toledo Rotary is coordinating Saturday’s Corn Hole competition.
Rios and Abele spend much of the year planning and organizing Beachcomber Days, all on a volunteer basis for the nonprofit organization.
“We do this for the love of our community,” said Rios. “There’s no place like Waldport; it’s a slice of heaven.”
“Our reward is to see the smiles on peoples’ faces,” Abele said.
- Cheryl Romano is a Yachats freelance reporter who contributes regularly to YachatsNews.com. She can be reached at Wordsell@gmail.com
Thank you Tianne and Tammy for all the hard work to put this on.
Was great to meet you and what an AWESOME BEACHCOMBER celebration this year
Thank you so much for all the hardwork…great job