page_title: Seaside, Oregon
section_title: Annual cultural events
hierarchical_section_title: Seaside, Oregon / Arts and culture / Annual cultural events
context_page_description: Seaside is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. The name Seaside is derived from Seaside House, a historic summer resort built in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The city's population was 6,457 at the 2010 census.
context_section_description: Seaside hosts an annual 4th of July celebration which includes a parade, outdoor concerts, and one of the largest fireworks displays on the west coast.
  Every spring until 2016 (In 2017 and 2018 the conference was moved to Salem. in 2019 the Dorchester Conference was moved to Welches, Oregon.). Seaside hosted the Dorchester Conference, a convention of Oregon political activists, typically conservative, independent, or center-right. This convention was founded in 1964 by then-state representative Bob Packwood as a forum for all Republicans statewide.
  In the 1990s it became dominated by members of the conservative branch of the party. Over the years the conference has attracted visits from presidential candidates, debates between Republican primary candidates, and discussions of wider political and social issues. It is run by an independent board and is not formally affiliated with the Oregon Republican Party.
  The Miss Oregon Pageant, the official state finals to the Miss America Pageant, takes place annually at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center.
  The annual Salt Maker's Return is held in August.  The themed event celebrates Seaside history. Five men of the Lewis and Clark expedition needed nearly two months to make the equivalent of 28 US gallons (110 l) of salt; it was critical for them to be able to preserve meat for the winter and their several thousand-mile journey home to the East.
  The beach and promenade at Seaside serve as the finish line for the Hood to Coast and Portland to Coast relays, held annually on the weekend before Labor Day.
caption: Seaside in 1972
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