"Basically, whatever people want to do, they bring their ideas and figure out a way to make it happen," Lauren Sorg told the Tillamook Headlight-Herald this year. Sorg is executive director of the Bay City Arts Center.
That quote reads like a mission statement. This fall it describes the building's actual situation. The Masons put up the building in 1926, so this is its centennial year. The nonprofit inside expects to finish paying for it this year. The two biggest projects on its list, a commercial kitchen and a finished backyard, are partly funded, and the board is still asking the community what they should become.
So the building's next era is still open. The October-through-December calendar is where you can see that, and where you can join in.
A Lodge, a Loan, and Twenty-Six Years
The Masons built the building in 1926 as their local lodge. The Bay City Arts Center was founded in 2000 by a group of community members. One of those early supporters bought the building from the Masons, and the center has been repaying that purchase price ever since.
The center is now in its 26th year of operations. Sorg told the Headlight-Herald that BCAC would complete repayment later this year and take full ownership of the property. That report describes the payoff as coming, not done.
The center also has paid staff for the first time in a while. An Oregon Community Foundation grant for operations let BCAC hire Sorg last year, along with a volunteer coordinator. Sorg ran Food Roots from 2015 to 2023. She took a sabbatical, volunteered with the center's kids' theater program, and then applied for the director's job.
A paid director, a volunteer coordinator and a nearly paid-off building put the center on steadier footing than it has had for most of its history. That footing is what makes the next round of projects realistic.
Three Rooms That Do Different Jobs
From A Street it's easy to think of BCAC as a gallery. Inside, the building runs three separate operations.
The downstairs and upstairs galleries. Local artists show monthly, and each show opens with a reception on the first Friday. October's exhibitions opened Oct. 2. Downstairs are Cathy Gordon's Macabre Humanist works, ceramic carved pumpkins by Stacy Mason and concrete skulls by Ryan Scott. Upstairs, Justin Howard's work takes on child-like adventure along the Oregon Coast.
The upstairs theater. It can be set up for film screenings or live performances.
The radio studio. A small studio upstairs broadcasts around the clock. FCC records list the station as KAYN-LP, licensed to the Bay City Arts Center at 92.9 FM. The center brands it KAYN 92.9. Its radio page invites show proposals and says BCAC is working to add programming with local artists, youth and local news.
That last part shows Sorg's quote in practice better than anything else here. A Bay City radio station with open airtime is asking for people to fill it.
The Fall Calendar, Week by Week
October dates come from the center's October lineup as published by the Tillamook County Pioneer. November and December dates come from the center's own calendar.
| Date | Event | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mondays in October | Open oil-painting studio with Erica Robin | 5–8 p.m. | Free |
| Wednesdays | Open Art Night | 6–8 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat.–Sun., Oct. 10–11 | Open auditions, "The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals" | Noon–4 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Halloween-themed oil-painting workshop with Erica Robin | 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. | $75, or $65 for members |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | The Glensiders, an evening of Celtic folk music | 6 p.m. | $15 adults, kids free |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Artists of the Month opening reception | 5–7 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Native American Marketplace | 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Lifeways of Tillamook People storytelling event | 1–3 p.m. | Not listed |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Artists of the Month opening reception | 5–7 p.m. | Not listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Annual Lasagnathon | 6–8 p.m. | Not listed |
| Dec. 18–20 | "The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals" performances | 6 p.m. Dec. 18–19, 2 p.m. Dec. 20 | Not listed |
A few details from the listings aren't in the table.
The auditions are for a meta-comedy about a man who lands in a world where everyone bursts into song. It's open to adults 18 and up. Bring a monologue of one to two minutes, ideally comedic, and 16 bars of a song. The center's production page lists 11 rehearsal dates. The first is Oct. 25, followed by Nov. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29, then Dec. 12 and 13, with a dress rehearsal on Dec. 17.
For The Glensiders, you can bring non-perishable food donations instead of paying admission. The center gives the food to local families. Expect sea shanties, storytelling and sing-alongs celebrating the culture and music of the Gaelic nations.
The Monday studio is free. You can work on your own project with Erica Robin there to help, and you can buy supplies on site or bring your own.
The November events are part of BCAC's celebration of Native American Cultural Heritage Month, which also features a Native artist as artist of the month. One October listing gave the date as Nov. 4. The center's calendar and the Headlight-Herald both say Saturday, Nov. 7.
Where the Centennial Money Is Going
The Lasagnathon is BCAC's major annual fundraiser, and Sorg said this year's will be larger than normal as part of the centennial. The size of that December dinner matters because the two building projects are only partly paid for.
This year BCAC received $30,000 from Bay City's transient lodging tax grant program. It also received $30,000 from the Oregon Cultural Trust. The two grants pay for different things.
- The kitchen. The city grant goes toward remodeling the building's kitchen so it's suitable for commercial use.
- The backyard, phase one. The Cultural Trust grant pays for grading and adding electricity.
- The backyard, phase two. A later stage could add a covered art workshop, a stage or a sculpture garden. That part isn't funded or decided yet.
Sorg said both projects need more money, and the board is still asking for community input on the backyard. In other words, the backyard on A Street could still become an outdoor stage, a covered workshop or a sculpture garden. Neighbors who weigh in now will help decide which.
Programs also bring in money. Part of every class and workshop fee goes to the center. Memberships and event rentals help support operations too. Signing up for the Oct. 24 workshop or joining as a member helps pay for the building.
Driftwood on the Wall
August hinted at the building's next look. During the Bay City Pearl and Oyster Festival, BCAC ran several classes. It also launched what Sorg hopes will become an annual driftwood festival, a 15-artist show built around the local material. One piece from that show, a driftwood quilt square, will be installed on the building's exterior.
The festival weekend also opened Bay City's new inclusive, accessible playground at Al Griffin Memorial Park, with a ribbon-cutting on Sunday, Aug. 23. The festival billed that day as Kids & Family Day. The weekend left two lasting marks on town. One is city park infrastructure. The other is a piece of art headed for the outside wall of a 100-year-old lodge.
You can find the full schedule and registration at baycityartscenter.com, or stop by 5680 A Street on a Wednesday between 6 and 8 p.m. during Open Art Night.
If the arts center is part of why you love living in Bay City and you're thinking about what's next for your own place in town, Homes By Dylan is a good place to start. Dylan grew up in Tillamook County and knows which details matter on a Bay City property. Schedule a free consultation, and maybe we'll see you at the Lasagnathon on Dec. 5.
