Stay Eat Events Weather Beaches


Seaside's Rock 'n Roll Riots Subject of Talk on N. Oregon Coast, Oct 24

Published 10/11/24 at 5:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – History & Hops in Seaside is one of the more dynamic talk series given along the Oregon coast, with each time a different speaker rolling down coastal Memory Lane with an intriguing new take. It's often filled with surprises.

Latest Coastal Lodging News Alerts
In Seaside:
Includes exclusive listings; some specials in winter
In Cannon Beach:
Includes rentals not listed anywhere else
In Manzanita, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach:
Some specials for winter
In Pacific City, Oceanside:
Some specials for winter
In Lincoln City:
Some specials for winter
In Depoe Bay, Gleneden Beach:
Some specials for winter
In Newport:
Look for some specials
In Waldport
Some specials for winter
In Yachats, Florence
Some specials for winter
Southern Oregon Coast Hotels / Lodgings
Reedsport to Brookings, places to stay; winter deals

Put together by the Seaside Museum on the last Thursday of each month, September through May, the next installment comes up on October 24, with RJ Marx, local writer and journalist. He'll dive into a wowing story of local history with Seaside's riots – specifically the second one that happened in 1963.

The event at Seaside Brewing Co is free to attend and begins at 6 p.m.

In '63, Seaside was hoping to not repeat what happened the previous year on Labor Day, where a major riot broke out and even high U.S. government officials commented or even turned their attention here. Hundreds overwhelmed firefighters and police personnel.

According to Marx – who has written a book this subject - “The city was calm Labor Day weekend until late Saturday. It was then that a massive gathering on the beach,” he said. “Many hoping to hear the hot new rock band Paul Revere and the Raiders pulled down the lifeguard tower for the second straight year and dragged it over the Prom onto Broadway.”


1961 - Oregon State Archives

Thousands of young people descended on Seaside on August 31. The event even brought guardsmen and Oregon State Police.

Thus begins Marx's “Seaside’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Labor Day Riots.”

In The Oregon Daily Journal's September 3 issue right after the riots, the paper describes a situation where local police threatened a teenage band leader with jail time if he and the band actually went on – after Mayor Maurice Pysher had promised local youth this show. The paper also reports police as being verbally abusive to teenagers and visitors in the north Oregon coast town.


1953

Reportedly, in spite of the destruction of the riot, some visitors of other age ranges felt safer with the rioting teens than with local police. The paper described them as “almost hysterical, club-wielding, gun-toting.” A Journal staff writer said one uniformed policeman even threatened her and other members of the press, saying about her: “I'm liable to rap her on the side of the head with a club.”

At the time, the paper reports nearly 70 arrests.

Hindsight sometimes reframes history. Find out what Marx uncovered.

R.J. Marx is an author, editor and journalist. At the Record-Review newspaper in Bedford, New York, he won numerous awards for his journalism, including the New York Press Association’s awards for the state’s best community newspaper. In 2015, he relocated to the Oregon coast, where he was the editor of the Seaside Signal and South County reporter for the Astorian until 2023. His experience covering Oregon’s North Coast introduced him to the people and historical events of Seaside in the 1960s. He lives in Seaside with his wife Eve and their dogs Lucy and Trixie.

Seaside Brewing Co. is at 851 Broadway, Seaside.

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



MORE PHOTOS BELOW






Booking.com


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

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


Coastal Spotlight


Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Seaside Aquarium: Debris Field of Nature Stuff on N. Oregon Coast is 3 Blocks...
As high as a foot. Called an ocean burp, how it works. Marine sciences

Central Oregon Coast's Yachats Mushroom Fest is Back October 18 - 20
Foraging, culinary delights and educational outdoor adventures. Yachats events

Sunday's Fall Equinox and the Bizarre to Sad Science of Sunset on Washington ...
Last sunset after 7 p.m. - sunset is a projection. Sciences

Chances of Aurora Borealis Through Sun for Washington, Oregon, the Coast
Northern lights possible but you'll need a camera to see. Astronomy, sciences

Seaside's Rock 'n Roll Riots Subject of Talk on N. Oregon Coast, Oct 24
1000s rioted in Seaside streets that Labor Day. Seaside events

Reedsport / Winchester Hotels, Rentals You Didn't Know: South Oregon Coast Se...
Reedsport lodgings not very well known

Mesmerizing Slabs Beneath Cape Kiwanda: Mysterious Caves, Holes of N. Oregon ...
Pacific City landmark has much at its base, rocky surprises, colors

Garibaldi Roadwork Continues as Oregon Coast Railroad Moves Depot Building
A whole historic building was lifted and moved. Wheeler, Rockaway Beach Tillamook


Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on Oregon Coast Beach Connection
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright © Oregon Coast Beach Connection. Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted