Seaside Announces Tourism Grant Award Winners

SEASIDE, Ore. – May 31, 2023 – The City of Seaside Visitors Bureau and Seaside Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) awarded $25,000 in funding to nine recipients through the 2023-2024 Tourism Grant Program. Funds will be dispersed in July.

An additional $25,000 was earmarked for the Seaside Chamber of Commerce to support the 2023 Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration on the beach, which is a signature event that city leaders have historically seen as a vital economic driver and supported as a special case through this grant process each year.

All tourism grant funds are generated from transient room tax collected by overnight lodging facilities in Seaside. The application window for this latest grant round opened Feb. 3 and completed applications were due May 5. On May 17, and during its regular monthly meeting at Seaside City Hall, the TAC reviewed 16 applications with $85,000 total in requested grant funding.

Seaside SandFest received $3,000 to hold a Masters Sand Sculpture Exhibition just off the Prom north of the Turnaround Sept. 7-10, 2023. This multi-day exhibition will feature eight master-level sculptors from the Pacific Northwest.

Doxies of PNW Club received $2,000 for DachSand, a dachshund dog meetup, in Seaside from Sept. 8-10, 2023.

The Seaside Historical Society Museum received $3,000 for its annual Lewis & Clark Salt Makers re-enactment Sept. 9-10, 2023 on the beach at Avenue U.

Pride in Seaside received $3,000 for the second annual Pride in Seaside event happening downtown Sept. 9-10, 2023.

Kerri Boutin and the Seaside School District received $1,000 to support the Three Course Challenge, a large cross country race featuring visiting students from more than 60 schools around the region on Sept. 23, 2023.

The Seaside Library Foundation received $3,000 for Caper on the Coast, an interactive in-person mystery akin to a life-size game of Clue to be held on Oct. 21, 2023.

Seaside Downtown Development Association received $3,000 for Halloween Happenin’s, a popular collection of family-friendly events downtown Oct. 28-29, 2023.

Seaside Jazz & Blues received $5,000 for the inaugural Seaside Jazz & Blues from March 15-17, 2024. This three-day event will feature diverse forms of jazz from 16 bands at the Seaside Convention Center. Proceeds will benefit the Kyle Rieger Memorial Scholarship Fund, helping Seaside School District students pay for band camps, instrument rentals/purchases, and scholarships for seniors pursuing music.

Oregon Rides & Events received $2,000 for the second annual Ride the Dirt Wave mountain biking event June 8-9, 2024 at Klootchy Creek. This event series was created to showcase mountain bike trail systems on the Oregon Coast with active bike clubs and trail builders. In addition to nearby Klootchy Creek, events are being held at Whiskey Run and Newport each year.

More information about the City of Seaside’s annual tourism grant program can be found at www.SeasideOR.com/Tourism-Grant-Program. The Visitors Bureau is a department of the City of Seaside and the official destination marketing/management organization for Seaside tourism. The Seaside Welcome Center, located at the intersection of Highway 101 and Broadway, also serves as an official State Welcome Center in collaboration with Travel Oregon.

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