Stay Eat Events Weather Beaches

N. Oregon Coast's Seaside Prom Turns 100 Soon; Grant Money Awarded

Published 10/19/2019 at 7:23 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

N. Oregon Coast's Seaside Prom Turns 100 Soon; Grant Money Awarded

(Seaside, Oregon) – Soon a north Oregon coast icon will turn 100, though it doesn’t look a day over 60. (Photo courtesy Seaside Visitor Bureau: the pre-Promenade wooden structure and the infamous pier).

The Seaside Promenade was built in 1921, and a large 100-year celebration is on the way. According to Joshua Heineman, director of tourism marketing for the City of Seaside, the Visitor Bureau was just awarded $14,590 in grant funding through Travel Oregon’s 2019-2020 Competitive Small Grants program to promote the event.

The money goes to producing a commemorative booklet celebrating the centennial of the famed walkway. The Visitor Bureau will work with Travel Oregon, community partners, creative designers, and Oregon printers to produce a 32-page 5x7 inch printed product, complete with a passport program to drive overnight visitation. It will be free and distributed around Seaside.

It comes with a hi-tech surprise: travelers spending the night in Seaside in 2021 may stop by the Visitors Bureau with their booklet to receive a custom holographic sticker and be entered into a drawing for a prize package at year’s end.

“Ultimately, we aim to create something truly beautiful, collectable, fun, and engaging so that travelers of all ages, interests, and incomes can experience the living history of the Prom and Turnaround at Oregon’s original beach town,” said Heineman. “Thank you to Travel Oregon for believing in our vision and supporting this project.”

The state’s small grants program hands out awards to eligible applicants for funding of projects that contribute to Oregon’s tourism economy. See a larger list of Travel Oregon Award Grant Money Recipients for this year, many of which are in various areas of the Oregon coast.

Exactly what kinds of celebrations have not been decided yet, but local officials such as Heineman say some planning has already started, though it’s all in the very early stages. It’s still almost two years away, he said.

“We had to go for this grant now due to the complexities of putting together a project like this for a January 2021 start and have enough legs through the passport program to last through December 2021,” he said. “However, there will be multiple events in Seaside to celebrate the Prom as several community members and organizations have expressed the desire to hold events throughout the year. As such, it was important to get a bedrock piece like this commemorative booklet in place so it can help tie any and all events that do occur together.”

The Prom itself has quite a storied history at its start.

There was a precursor to the Prom – a wooden promenade that wasn’t nearly as long, built in 1908. It was constructed to compliment a wooden pier that jutted out into the ocean a good 100 feet. Building a pier on the Oregon coast: what could go wrong?

This, of course, was a massive failure, and in about ten years it had been wrecked so many times it was simply allowed to disintegrate into the sea.

The actual building of the Promenade began in 1920 and then finished in 1921. The concrete was laid by teams with horses pulling the equipment.

A precursor to the Turnaround had already been built in 1914, and that greatly increased popularity of the area. Once the Prom was finished, this Oregon coast town exploded. Full story, see: Seaside Promenade History: Beginnings of an Oregon Coast Icon

Hotels in Astoria/Seaside - Where to eat - Astoria Maps and Virtual Tours


Beach House Vacation Rentals, Inc

Inn at Seaside







More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

 

Oregon Coast event or adventure you can't miss

 



Coastal Spotlight


LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

ODOT: Little Humbug Bridge On Route to N. Oregon Coast Soon Under Constructio...
Near MP 8 on Hwy 26 to Seaside / Cannon Beach
California Man Dies After Falling Off S. Oregon Coast Cliff Near Natural Brid...
The man had become separated from his wife on the trail. Brookings
US Coast Guard Rescues in April Include 2 Persons, 2 Dogs Off Washington and ...
One near Brookings involving two dogs; other near Queets
Waldport's Beach, Bike 'n Blues Fest Slams Into Central Oregon Coast in May
May 4: a festival that's grown by leaps and bounds. Waldport events, Yachats events, Newport events
Discovering Spring, Summer Along Central Oregon Coast: Hints from Pacific Cit...
A kind of summer preview from Pacific City, Newport, Depoe Bay, Yachats, Florence
Florence, Oregon's Rhody Fest Gears Up for May's Big Start on Central Coast
117th edition for its run of May 16 to 19. Florence events
Winning Photos in Oregon Coast King Tides Photo Contest Announced
Incredible situations and adrenaline-pumping images. Weather
Outstanding Hotels / Places to Stay at Gold Beach: Quirky Gems of S. Oregon C...
Gold Beach boasts a lot more than many may know. Gold Beach hotel reviews

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted