Several significant changes to the Ocean Shores events schedule were announced last week at the Showcase gathering at the Convention Center before about 65 people with direct impact on the planning, presentation and support for the effort to expand local tourism opportunities.

Of note was the announcement that the annual Razor Clam Festival would be scaled back to one single day, and a new promoter is now taking over the Seahawks 12’s Fan Fest and Beach Party that has become one of the most popular events of the late summer.

Also, the Elks Lodge is taking over the annual Flag Day Parade and the Woof-a-Thon in addition to its continued support for the Kids Fishing Derby and other events held at the Lodge itself.

The second annual Event Planners Showcase was held so “you can see what you are getting for your dollar and what you are getting as a member of this community to help you enjoy and have a wonderful life living here,” said Cheryl Turner, who manages the Convention Center for the city of Ocean Shores.

“As we quantify those events to see what conservatively they bring to this community, we’re looking at $9.5 million,” Turner said of the overall economic impact to the city. She explained that for the investment of about $1 million in the operations of the Convention Center, as much as $11 million is estimated to come back into the local economy.

“That’s a pretty good deal all around,” Turner said.

“Not one person can do this, and not one entity is more important than the other,” she added, advocating a team approach to events planning and promotions. “We are all in this together.”

Attempts are made to intersperse events with conferences and other meetings, such as City Council, along with weddings, non-profit banquets and fund-raisers, and private gatherings, like the upcoming Roanoke Conference of state Republicans and conservatives.

Those who attended said they found the Showcase valuable. “Sounds like things are cooking up in Ocean Shores,” said Nancy Fellows, a 27-year resident who owns and operates NanSea Stables.

“I’m excited about this year. We have a wonderful opportunity,” said Ocean Shores Mayor Crystal Dingler. “Things are better and the city is in better shape. We have an opportunity to do so many things that we were unable to do before.”

Along with the events schedule, several other new developments were announced at the Showcase.

Steve Borba, the new owner of the Ocean Shores Electric Boat Co. on the south end of Duck Lake Blvd., said he was going to have a public grand opening in March, and would be adding a number of boating opportunities to the business that operates in the canals and Duck Lake of the city’s fresh waterways. Doors to the public will open April 1.

“The focus will be the electric boats, but we will be adding kayaks, stand-up paddle boards and Hyper bikes,” Borba said.

Another business development came when Playtime Family Fun Center owner Mike Doolittle announced he would soon be retiring the old bumper cars at the popular go-kart and arcade center. He also will add a virtual reality gaming experience.

“Obviously, we’re all about fun, and we have ice cream, go-karts, bumper cars, the mechanical shark in the summer, anything we can think of,” Doolittle said. The original bumper cars date back to 1965 and will soon be replaced. “If you are attached to them, this is the time because they are not going to be here much longer,” Doolittle said of the old classic cars. “They will be replaced, hopefully by February.”

Nancy Oakes of the Elks Lodge announced there would be a public open house at the facility on Ocean Lake Boulevard on Feb. 16 from 4-8 p.m. She noted the Elks have now contributed more than $400,000 back into the community through programs that benefit others, including numerous scholarships that have been awarded.

For the Flag Day Parade (June 9), the community is invited back to the Elks Lodge for a community barbecue, Oakes said. Also, the Woof-a-Thon (Aug. 11) will again be at North Beach High School like last year after the location proved to be popular.

Dennis Irby with Puget Sound Trade Shows has three events planned, including the 11th annual Expo (May 25-27) at the Convention Center over the Memorial Day weekend, and the Bikers at the Beach festival (July 27-29). Irby also plans to try to expand what will be the third annual Beach Blast volleyball tournament on the heels of the Fourth of July holiday.

Shannon Rubin, who manages the Canterbury Inn, asked what opportunites Irby offered for local businesses to participate.

“We’ve always given the Chamber a couple of booth spaces, and we give Chamber members a discount for booth space,” Irby replied. “There are a lot of newer businesses that we have let come in at cost to get them started. Memorial weekend (for the Expo) is that first week right before summer and a lot of your snowbirds are returning, so it’s good way to get out in front of the residents who are here for the whole summer.”

Events planner Dianne Hansen handles planning and arrangements for both the Renewed Antique Show (Feb. 17-18) and the 31st annual Beachcombers Fun Fair (March 3-4). For the antique show, Hansen said the idea is to feature what is known as “antique blending,” where recycled and repurposed items are highlighted as well.

“People get very creative, and every year we do a theme. This year, we’re doing a ‘Little Bit of Blue’ for the ocean,” Hansen said.

Beachcombers “is just a way to celebrate life on the coast,” she added. “It is designed to help others appreciate and preserve the quality of life.”

Ocean Shores/North Beach Chamber director Piper Leslie announced a “shortening” of the Razor Clam Festival & Seafood Extravaganza to one day on March 17, rather than the three days that the event had grown to in recent years. The event had been sponsored by the now-disbanded Ocean Shores Action Committee on Tourism (ACT), which also previously sponsored the annual Flag Day Parade and the Sand & Sawdust Festival. That festival along with the Razor Clam event now are handled by the Chamber.

There will be a VIP dinner ($40 per person) on the Friday before the Razor Clam festival, which will include an auction and dinner with musical guest Ericka Corban performing.

“This is our big fund-raiser for the year, and it allows us to do all of the Chamber things we do and continue to grow,” Leslie said. “We wanted to create something so this can be a great festival and a community event.”

There will be no charge for admission, she said, and vendors will be limited to about 30 vendors, and ones that are “event-specific.” A Bluegrass concert also will close out the show.

In addition to the Convention Center and downtown-area festivities, Oyhut Bay plans a full slate of events, including the Old Fashioned Fourth of July and a summer concert series, and Oyhut Bay again will be co-host of the annual Paddle the Shores human-powered freshwater event (Sept. 1).

“What we have done at Oyhut Bay is create some daytime activities,” said Daniela Werner of Oyhut Bay. “In 2018, our seaside village looks to expand our existing on-site offerings by continuing to network and integrate with unique events that come to Ocean Shores. We plan to host complementing small-scale features that tie nicely with the Razor Clam Festival, Bikers at the Beach, Seahawks Fan Fest and Sand & Sawdust.”

On another event front, Werner announced a new promoter, DLS Media and Arsenal Promotions (Olympia), would be taking over the 12’s Fan Fest Aug. 17-19.

“The event has grown so much in the last two years that it needs to now be handled as a business, and as an actual production as opposed to a grassroots effort, so that is why we shifted gears and turned it over to an actual promotion company,” Werner said.

See the full Ocean Shores Festival Calendar at www.tourismoceanshores.com