Pacific City celebrates a festive and successful 66th annual Dory Days

Chelsea Yarnell • July 31, 2025

The 66th Annual Dory Days celebration drew crowds from across the region for a weekend filled with heritage, music, fresh seafood, and community spirit. Hosted in the heart of Pacific City, this Oregon Heritage-designated event once again honored the historic dory fishing fleet while providing fun for all ages.


Thanks to the hard work of 65 volunteers and the support of 24 generous sponsors who contributed nearly $12,000, this year’s Dory Days was one of the most successful yet.


Festivities began Friday when crowd-favorite Countryfied took the stage for an evening concert that welcomed 120 attendees at the Kiawanda Community Center, kicking off the weekend with dancing and live music. 


Early the next morning, a huge crowd arrived at the traditional Pancake Breakfast, hosted by the Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District, which sold out over 200 meals and raised approximately $2,500 to support local emergency services.


Saturday brought the famous Dory Days Parade, with 60 unique floats and an impressive 343 participants dressed up and parading through town, celebrating dory traditions with “Christmas In July”-themed costumes and decorated boats. Spectators also flocked to the Artisan Market, where 21 local vendors showcased handmade goods.


The famous Fish Fry served up 318 meals of fresh, local dory-caught fish from Kiwanda Reef Fishing Company, while Saturday night bingo saw 75 people vying for prizes in a packed house of friendly competition. Meanwhile, young attendees enjoyed colorful fun with a face painter delighting at least 50 children during the fish fry. Across town at the Pelican Brewery, 125 kids enjoyed a treasure hunt in the sand for prizes and Pelican rootbeer. 


History lovers made their way to the "Launching Through The Surf: The Dory Fleet of Pacific City" exhibit, which welcomed 250 visitors eager to learn about the proud and continued legacy of Pacific City’s dory fleet. On Sunday, 47 people gathered at the Kiawanda Community Center for “Sand Kickin’ and Storytellin’,” an intimate storytelling event where 9 local voices shared memories of fishing and life on the coast.


Online interest in Dory Days was strong, with the event website seeing 9,600 views during the week of the celebration. Nearly 800 unique visitors explored the site on Friday, with that number rising to over 900 on Saturday. Additionally, 134 commemorative buttons were sold throughout the weekend, helping guests take home a bit of the Dory Days magic.


“Dory Days is more than an event, it’s a love letter to our fishing heritage and the community that continues to keep it alive,” said Arica Sears.  “This weekend showed the joy of our rural community and our commitment to working together. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who participated, volunteered, supported, or simply came out to enjoy the fun. See you next year!”


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