This little village seems to be busy with some festival or other event just about every weekend. For a full schedule, see the local chamber of commerce website (www.yachats.org/events.html [1]). Below are some highlights.
Spring brings two arts and crafts festivals to the Yachats Commons (U.S. 101 and W. 4th St.): In late March, the chamber-sponsored Original Yachats Arts and Crafts Fair (541/547-3530 or 800/929-0477, free) exhibits the work of some 75 Pacific Northwest artists and artisans.
Yachats [2] pulls out all the stops for the Fourth of July. Events include the short and silly La De Da Parade at noon, a pie and ice cream social, lots of live music, and a fireworks show on the bay when darkness falls.
During the Yachats Fish Fry, held the second Saturday of July, deep-fried cod and snapper are served on the grounds of Yachats Commons Picnic Shelter (on 5th St. at U.S. 101). Yachats used to be one of the few places in the world blessed with a run of oceangoing smelt, but they have declined drastically due to changing ocean conditions, and the town’s erstwhile smelt fry has morphed into a fish fry.
For $10 you get fish and a variety of side dishes ($6 for children 12 and younger) with side dishes and a beverage. Or choose a sausage plate for $5. What you’re really paying for is a classic small-town festival where you get to rub elbows with a spirited community. More info is available from the chamber of commerce.
The same weekend, the Yachats Music Festival takes place several blocks north at the Presbyterian Church (360 W. 7th St., 541/547-3141 or 510/601-6184). The lineup features classical virtuosi and vocalists from the San Francisco Bay Area for evening concerts and a Sunday matinee performance.
A relatively new but popular event here is the Yachats Village Mushroom Fest (541/547-3530 or 800/929-0477), held the third weekend in October. Native mushrooms abound in the temperate rain forests of the Cape Perpetua [3] region, and fall is the season to harvest them. Chef John Ullman started the Yachats [2] event, inspired by similar festivals in Italy. Activities over the weekend include the Friday-night Yachats Rain forest Fungi Feast, mushroom-cooking demonstrations, guided mushroom walks at Cape Perpetua visitors center, and the last farmers market of the season.
Links:
[1] http://www.yachats.org/events.html
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/oregon/central-coast/yachats
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/oregon/central-coast/yachats/sights/cape-perpetua