Organizers cancel Yachats’ July 4 parade and fireworks — and it looks like Labor Day weekend is out too

 

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com

Fourth of July will be a lot quieter in Yachats this year.

The Yachats Chamber of Commerce announced Wednesday that it has canceled the come-one-come all “la de da Parade” scheduled for noon Saturday, July 4 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

And the Yachats Fireworks Committee says it is postponing — not yet canceling — its annual July 4 show that attracts thousands of people to town that night.

Organizers from both groups said Tuesday and Wednesday they hoped to be able to move the events to Labor Day weekend. But that idea may have gone out the window Thursday when Gov. Kate Brown unveiled three-stage reopening plans for Oregon.

Brown said that all large gatherings, including sporting events, festivals and fairs, will remain off-limits through at least September, until the state has access to a vaccine or reliable treatment for COVID-19. Lots of major Oregon events have already been postponed or canceled and later Thursday the Oregon State Fair and the Oregon Country Fair announced they were doing the same.

Brown said “local gatherings” of up to 25 people will be allowed during the first phase of the state’s reopening plan. She did not give specific numbers for larger gatherings, nor a timeline for when they might once again be permitted to take place.

But Yachats’ citywide celebrations on July 4 are definitely off.

There is just too much uncertainty whether the central Oregon coast will be welcoming visitors and whether crowds of people will be able to safely congregate to watch the 20-minute fireworks show, said Katherine Guenther, who heads the all-volunteer committee that raises thousands of dollars to buy fireworks and then organizes the display.

“But it’s a postponement rather than an outright cancelation,” she said.

Beverly Wilson, events coordinator for the Yachats chamber, said Wednesday the organization would consider moving the parade to sometime in the fall, possibly in conjunction with a fireworks display. Wilson said the Yachats Ladies Club told the chamber that it was, as expected, also canceling its popular pie and ice cream social held in conjunction with other July 4 events. The city of Yachats is not a sponsor or organizer of the July 4 events.

Guenther said Tuesday that her fireworks committee needs to provide overnight housing for technicians and get a permit to shoot fireworks from Yachats State Park. It’s not certain they could do that, she said.

And then there’s the matter of raising $20,000 from the community needed to buy fireworks and stage the event. Yachats residents and potential donors are already giving generously to local worker and business relief efforts, she said.

“We’re open to something,” she said. “We’ll figure it out and Western Display is willing to provide us something.”

Western Display, a family-run fireworks company based in Canby, usually does 350 shows a year, including 12 shows along the coast July 4. That was before the coronavirus pandemic hit this spring.

 Waldport may move fireworks too

Waldport and Yachats have coordinated their fireworks displays in the past, with the Waldport Chamber of Commerce-sponsored display going off on July 3. The Waldport chamber board is meeting Wednesday, May 13 to decide whether to go ahead with the celebration or possibly include the fireworks into a combined, larger community event being discussed for Aug. 28-30.

Chamber Executive Director Laura Furgurson said a large mountain bike race centered in Waldport, the Oregon Gravel Epic, hopes to move  its race from May to Aug. 29. A new chamber event, Explore the Outdoors, will consider doing the same if the board approves next week, Furgurson said Wednesday. And the organizers of Waldport’s revived Beachcomber Days celebration, scheduled June 12-14, are considering the August weekend as well — if allowed under new state guidelines.

The goal, she said, would to have one big community event when visitor and local restrictions are likely loosened and then coordinate and combine some budgets.

“We’re looking to coordinate and see if we can do it,” Furgurson said. “But it will need community support.”