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Text and Photographs by K.B. DIXON

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Cannon Beach is one of the Oregon Coast’s more polished and picturesque towns. Named in 1922 for a cannon that washed ashore from the shipwrecked USS Shark in 1846, it offers an eclectic mix of both commercial and cultural attractions.

For the gourmand there is the best breakfast on the coast, at Lazy Susan Cafe. For the bibliophile there is the discerning and extraordinarily well-stocked Cannon Beach Book Company. For those who like their thespians live, there is the Coaster Theatre Playhouse—a converted roller rink offering such Tony-bedizened standards as Sleuth and Monty Python’s Spamalot.

There are also any number of galleries. The White Bird Gallery is one of the oldest; Steidel’s Art one of the most phantasmagoric.  For those with healthy bank accounts and decorative tastes, there is the Bronze Coast Gallery and the ever-proper Jeffery Hull Gallery. At Icefire Glassworks (celebrating 50 years of glass in Cannon Beach June 10-12) you can watch old pros huffing and puffing their way to blown-glass glory.

As the city thrives on a steady flow of visitors, there is a steady flow of tourist-friendly events. The most notorious is the Sandcastle Contest in June that brings huge crowds to look on the works of ye mighty sculpting teams and despair as the tides and time reclaim their remarkable fantasies. In November there is the eponymous Stormy Weather Arts Festival.

Of course, if all that is not enough, there is always kite flying, milling around Haystack Rock (aka tide-pooling), and simple beachcombing to be done.

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Steidel’s Art, 2011

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William Steidel, 2016

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Beach House, 2012

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Lazy Susan Cafe, 2012

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Beach Access, 2015

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Jim Kingwell, Icefire Glassworks, 2013

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McBee Cottages, 2017

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One Man Band, 2016

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Greaver Gallery, 2021

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Cannon Beach Book Company, 2022

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Horses, 2022

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The Landing, 2018

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Coaster Theatre, 2022

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Bruce’s Candy Kitchen with cat, 2015