Launching through the Surf: The Dory Fleet of Pacific City

“Launching Through the Surf: The Dory Fleet of Pacific City” Exhibit Returns for 2025 Dory Days

The traveling exhibit Launching Through the Surf: The Dory Fleet of Pacific City is making its much-anticipated return to the Kiawanda Community Center during the 2025 Dory Days celebration in Pacific City! Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the rich heritage of the local dory fishing tradition.

Exhibit Hours:

• Saturday, July 19, 2025: 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Sunday, July 20, 2025: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

This collaborative exhibition, created by Linfield University and the Pacific City Dorymen’s Association, is part of the larger Launching Through the Surf project. It explores the vital role dory fishers and their boats have played—and continue to play—in the life and identity of Pacific City.

Since its inception in 2011, the project has documented the stories of this unique fishing community through oral histories and artifacts. To date, the team has interviewed more than 100 dory fishers, collecting over 15,000 photographs, 300 hours of audio and video recordings, and 1,500 artifacts. These stories are shared in the voices of those closest to the fleet: the fishers themselves, along with their families, friends, boat builders, and fish buyers.

The exhibit features 20 interpretive panels covering:

• A century of dory history in Pacific City
• The craft of building and fiberglassing a dory
• Traditional skills like oar turning
• The evolution of the dories
• The Dory Derbies and Dory Days celebrations
• The Memorial Wall and Blessing of the Fleet
• Yamhill County connections
• Launching and landing techniques unique to the Pacific surf

Each panel is richly illustrated with vintage and modern photographs, historic documents, and powerful quotes from the oral histories.

The exhibit also includes a special photo display from the personal collection of Sandy Weedman, affectionately known as the “PC Photo Lady.” Widely regarded as the unofficial official photographer of the Pacific City Dory Fleet, Sandy has been capturing the spirit of the fleet for decades. Most weekends and holidays, you’ll find her on the sands of Cape Kiwanda, camera in hand, documenting the dramatic launches into the surf and the breathtaking return landings that define the dory experience.

Come celebrate this remarkable maritime tradition and discover the enduring legacy of Pacific City's iconic dory fleet.