From left, Miss Clatsop County Haylie Moon, Miss Oregon 2019 Shivali Kadam and Miss North Coast Caitlin Hillman.

Seaside Beach Volleyball, one the city’s largest summer events, is canceled due to coronavirus restrictions.

The tournament, scheduled for early August and organized by the Seaside Chamber of Commerce and AVP America, is the latest in a series of cancellations as a result of the pandemic.

Hood to Coast, the Miss Oregon and Miss Oregon Teen competitions and the Fourth of July fireworks show are all canceled. Gearhart canceled its annual Fourth of July parade this week.

Large gatherings and events are not possible until a reliable treatment or prevention is available, Gov. Kate Brown said earlier this month. As a result, sporting events, concerts and festivals are canceled or significantly modified through at least September.

The event is considered the largest amateur beach volleyball tournament in the world.

“The Seaside Chamber of Commerce is very saddened to announce the cancellation of the 2020 Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament,” Brian Owen, the CEO of the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, said. “Player safety and the new regulations have made it difficult, if not impossible, to hold this event even in a modified format.”

Sponsored by the AVPFirst and AVPNext divisions of the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour, the tournament contributes to a national pipeline for youth, semi-pro and professional beach volleyball.

The tournament is the largest program for the chamber, which generated more than $238,000 in funds in 2018 — more than half of its $414,000 budget.

Last year, the tournament featured about 1,600 teams playing among three divisions, including doubles, quads and sixes. Organizers put up 184 volleyball courts on the beach, about 20 more than in 2018.

The tournament launched on Sept. 4, 1982, and was sponsored by Seaside lifeguards. It drew 57 teams and 215 competitors from Oregon, Washington state and California.

Lifeguards turned operation of the tournament over to the chamber the following year, under the direction of events coordinator Doug Barker.

The event grew steadily in interest and enthusiasm, with $19,000 in prizes by 2008 and participation of professional quality college-age youth.

By 2012, the event drew between 8,000 and 10,000 participants during the tournament, a number that has grown in years since.

In 2016, Bad Boys Open Volleyball partnered with the chamber to oversee organization and management of the tournament.

The “bad boys” — organizers Deng Thepharat, Mike Griffin and P.T. Thilavanh — brought more teams, national sponsors, streamlined play and more age groups to play. A smartphone app enabled players to receive net assignments digitally.

“We would like to thank all our athletes, partners, and sponsors for all the support and guidance over the past few months,” Owen said. “We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Aug. 12-15, 2021.”

Miss Oregon canceled

Directors of the Miss Oregon and Miss Oregon Outstanding Teen competitions last week canceled events in July at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center over the coronavirus.

Teri Leeper Taylor, the organization’s executive director, made the announcement after the postponement of the 100th anniversary of the Miss America competition due to the global impact of COVID-19. The national event has been moved to 2021.

Shivali Kadam, who represented Oregon at last year’s Miss America competition, and Marin Gray, Miss Oregon’s Outstanding Teen 2019, will extend their years of service until their successors are crowned in 2021.

The next Miss Oregon and Miss Oregon Outstanding Teen competition will be held in June 2021.

“The 2021 date allows everyone the opportunity to focus on what is most important now and to look forward with new purpose, new energy and anticipation to our 73rd competition,” Leeper Taylor said.

Miss North Coast Teen Emmy Huber, Miss North Coast Caitlin Hillman, Miss Clatsop Teen Gracie Weaver and Miss Clatsop County Haylie Moon will also keep their titles until next year’s competitions.

The competitions have been a summer attraction in Seaside since 1947, after city leaders suggested the appointment of a special events committee to attract visitors. The event was held at locations throughout the city before becoming an annual fixture at the convention center.

Miss America, started in 1921, did not have a competition in the years 1928 to 1932 and 1934. This will be the first year that Oregon will miss holding a competition.

Last year, 25 titleholders competed to win the Miss Oregon crown and advance to the Miss America competition, while 20 younger candidates competed for Miss Oregon’s Outstanding Teen.

Chelle Sollars, the co-director of the Miss Clatsop County Scholarship Program, has been involved in the pageant since 1995, a year after she appeared in the 1994 event.

The contestants for this year, she said, “are very disappointed” about the cancellation. “A lot of them had already ordered their dresses or have their dresses, and a lot of the paperwork has been submitted,” she said. “They’ve been on it, and have gotten their stuff done.”