N. Oregon Coast: Seaside Beach Wheelchairs, Drone Video Raises Money

Published 07/07/2018 at 05:12 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – Two interesting developments for tourism on the north Oregon coast. Seaside now has beach wheelchairs and northern Tillamook County has more money for historical sites thanks to some drone videos.

Seaside’s Sunset Empire Park & Recreation District (SEPRD) announced this week it will be providing two complimentary beach accessible wheelchairs starting on July 7 for use by the public.

It becomes the third Oregon coast town to do this: Cannon Beach and Manzanita added wheelchairs earlier this year.

These wheelchairs create new opportunities for those with mobility issues. Outfitted with large, wide tires, the wheel chairs make it much easier for mobility impaired persons to go on the sand.

One of the primary, driving forces behind the program was local painter Randy Anderson, according to the City of Seaside. Anderson has resided in Seaside since 1990 and wanted to provide beach accessible wheelchairs in this community for the thousands of residents and guests that visit each year.

The program was also activated by Denise and Patrick Duhachek, owners of Wheel Fun Rentals in Seaside. Wheel Fun Rentals donated two beach wheelchairs from their inventory to the program with the hopes that SEPRD can provide year-round access. Additionally, Anderson will be providing an extra beach wheelchair to meet the demand that is anticipated.

The program started this weekend. Reservations are encouraged and can be made by calling the Bob Chisholm Community Center staff at 503-738-7393. Reservations are completely free and will be made on a first-come, first-served basis for a maximum of four hours.

Also on the north Oregon coast, Tillamook County has managed to raise some substantial funds for historical and cultural centers of the area. A couple of fundraisers pulled together $2000 that will go to much-needed and much-loved local institutions the Garibaldi Museum, Garibaldi Historic Coast Guard Boathouse, and the International Police Museum in Rockaway Beach.

The clincher was a fundraising event that also resulted in some stellar drone video footage of this part of the county, utilizing the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad and a special benefit run. Offering seats at the discounted rate of $10 a person, the train filled with 200 passengers.

The video team needed drone footage of the train for three film projects in Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach. The train does not usually run a sunset excursion other than for special holidays, but rather than film the train with empty railroad cars, OCSR turned it into a fundraising opportunity.

“I was hearing a lot of ‘oohs and aahs’ from the drone crew,” said Brian Watson, partner in Sea Legs Media, the videography company. “We couldn’t have asked for a better sunset and the passengers seemed to be having a great time.”

“OCSR is part of the cultural heritage of Tillamook County, and we saw this sunset filming schedule as a way to give back to our community,” said Bill Devlin, interim Executive Director of OCSR. “We needed to run the train, so why not make it fun for the people who continually support our efforts.”

Just the night before, the train hosted a special 4th of July fireworks excursion. Other special events will be held throughout the year, including the popular Candy Cane Express in December.

For more information, contact Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad at info@oregoncoastscenic.org, or call 503 842-7972. For schedules, go to www.oregoncoastscenic.org. Oregon Coast Hotels in these areas - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours

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