‘Our typical planning process was thrown out the window’
Organizers get creative
as Regatta, beach
volleyball return
BY NIKKI DAVIDSON
For months organizers behind the
North Coast’s biggest summer events lost
sleep wondering what the future might
hold. Now that it’s here, there’s no time to
hit the snooze button.
When the state lifted COVID-
19 restrictions in Oregon, organizers
launched a chaotic race to the finish.
The Seaside Chamber of Commerce
had hoped the Seaside Beach Volley-
ball tournament would return in 2021
for the 39th year, but couldn’t move for-
ward with planning until the state would
issue permits for outdoor events on pub-
lic beaches.
News that the town could once again
host the world’s largest amateur beach
volleyball tournament didn’t come until
June. That left only two months to plan
the four-day tournament that runs Thurs-
day through Sunday.
“There were two feelings,” said Brian
Owen, CEO of the chamber of commerce.
“I was extremely excited, and then at the
same time I thought, ‘Oh, crud, we’ve got
a lot of work to do.’”
Netting volleyball supplies
Seaside’s population of about 6,700
people swells to host thousands of youth
and adult volleyball players in a sand
tournament with 185 courts. The four-day
competition takes place on the beach, but
a spike in supply costs has put planner’s
hopes of staying within their traditional
budget in the literal toilet.
According to the chamber, the price of
port-a-potties alone has increased 47%
since 2019.
“Inflation has hit us hard,” said Owen.
“Just like any other business, we’ve
been challenged to find labor and sourc-
ing materials. Our typical planning pro-
cess was thrown out the window. We have
been scrambling to make sure we have all
the supplies necessary.”
The biggest financial increase comes
from the simple slabs of wood that make
the tournament possible: the fence posts
that string up the volleyball nets.
“Typically it would cost us about $25
for a post, this year it’s more than three
times that cost and we have to have them
special ordered,” Owen said.
See Page 9
Hailey Hoffman/The Astorian
Alyssa Evans
Under a cloudy sky, Nola Morrison, 55, waits for the ball to drop before spiking it over the net during the Seaside Beach Volleyball tournament
in 2019.
Jeremy Furnish’s sculpture celebrates the
125th anniversary of the Astoria Regatta.
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