Welcome to Explore Lincoln City’s Industry eNewsletter, where we share updates, initiatives, and resources to support our tourism community. Please feel free to pass this along to colleagues and partners to help strengthen our collective outreach.

Kim Cooper Findling
Director, Explore Lincoln City

This year's Independence Day celebration takes on a new format with purpose. Stars, Stripes and Wildlife returns to the Taft District near Siletz Bay — free, family-friendly, and running noon to 5 pm with live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and Siletz Bay wildlife education programming. The professional fireworks display has been relocated to Devils Lake, away from the ecologically sensitive Salishan Spit and the Siletz Bay Wildlife Refuge. Personal fireworks remain prohibited citywide — including beaches, parks, and private property — and this includes sparklers and novelty devices. Violations are subject to fines and prosecution. Please help spread the word to your guests ahead of the holiday. Find event details and the full regulations here. 

The long-anticipated Lincoln City Welcome Center at D River Wayside has officially broken ground. The aging restroom facility was removed on May 7th and active construction is now underway. The project will deliver a new combined Lincoln City Welcome Center and restroom facility, a redesigned parking lot, an improved beach access ramp, and beach wheelchair availability — along with visitor information and local attraction resources on-site. Note that D River Wayside will be impacted during the construction period — plan accordingly and communicate any access changes to your guests. Stay current on milestones and project documents.

The Lincoln City Public Arts Committee is seeking proposals from artists or artist teams for a commissioned public artwork to be sited at the new Welcome Center plaza. This is a significant opportunity to contribute to Lincoln City's public art inventory at a high-visibility location. The submission deadline is June 30, 2026. Send proposals to Tyrel Trainor at ttrainor@lincolncity.org with "RFP Artwork for Lincoln City Welcome Center Plaza" in the subject line. Please share the RFP with artists and creative partners in your network.