By Oregon Coast TODAY
For the past eight months, drivers taking U.S. Highway 101 through Lincoln City have been the curious audience for a creative work in progress, a steadily evolving construction site that wrapped around the historic Delake School.
The project is the long-awaited Lincoln City Cultural Plaza, an exterior improvement designed to provide accessibility and safety along with public art, lovely landscaping and inviting gathering spaces.
Now, it’s time to celebrate. The cultural center is inviting Lincoln County residents to a party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. The party features two ribbon cuttings, live music and dance, a scavenger hunt, a community art project and a barbecue lunch.
The event will also feature dedication ceremonies for three of the plaza’s new permanent installations. Rotary’s Music in the Parks instruments will be played for the first time at 11 a.m., while the sponsored pavers and Audubon Bird Bricks will be dedicated at 12:35 pm. Those who gather at the south end at 1:30 pm will hear the first reading of “Why They Came,” the original poem engraved into the new Poetry Path.
No matter what time you choose to attend the party, there will be something to see, hear, create or eat.
“We’re so thankful for the members, volunteers, donors and supporters who made the Cultural Plaza possible for our nonprofit organization,” said center board president Dorcas Holzapfel. “The plaza is about expanding our city’s capacity for arts, culture, fun and education. This Saturday, we’ll breathe life into this venue with live music, art and dance, and we hope you can join us.”
While the project has reached an important stage of “substantial completion,” director Niki Price said several elements are still in progress.
“On Nov. 18, we’ll be celebrating the community love and donations that created The Poetry Path, the East Entry and the Rotary Music in the Parks node,” Price said. “When those are complete, we’ll turn our attention to the Kiwanis Outdoor Art Classroom and the Land Acknowledgement Wind Wall, both of which are scheduled for completion by the end of the year. We’re looking forward to dedicating those spaces as well. Stay tuned, Lincoln City. This plaza will always be a work in progress, I think. Changing and growing along with the people who use it.”
Three features, for now
The East Entry to the plaza features more than 450 personalized pavers and three sponsored benches — the fruits of a project that raised more than $75,000 from 2019 to 2023.
One of the leaders of this effort was the Audubon Society of Lincoln City, whose members sponsored 47 pavers in order to dedicate them to native bird species. The society has created an official “Bird Bricks” brochure that features thumbnail photos of all the species listed on the club’s sponsored pavers.
At the northwest corner of the plaza, visitors will find a circular seat wall surrounding three large musical instruments that will be open every day of the year, fully accessible and free to the public. This installation was conceived and funded by the members of the Rotary Club of Lincoln City as its second Music in the Parks donation to the community.
A unifying public art installation, the Poetry Path combines form and function as it traverses the west and north sides of the plaza. The path is embedded with swaths of colorful aggregate that embrace the words of an original community poem, “Why They Came,” the product of a collaborative process led by local poet and teacher John Fiedler. The poem explores the history, culture, languages and shared experiences of the people who live in what is now Lincoln City.
The cultural center’s board continues to raise funds toward the completion of the plaza project.
I am hoping some of the funds were used to upgrade the auditorium with proper air conditioning, heating and a new surround sound system as I have seen plays earlier this year and it could have been a much more positive experience. That aside the project on the outside will be a positive example of beautification.