LINCOLN CITY, Ore. - The hot weather and the Fourth of July weekend have businesses along the Oregon coast seeing dollar signs as they try to make up for a bad start to the year.

And while the hot weather in the Willamette Valley is drawing local crowds to the coast, if you ask around you will find plenty of people from out of state, and even out of the country.

For example, at Paws in the Sand, a store that sells items for dogs and cats, there were two tourists from Norway spending their money at the shop. 

"So far, it's been very busy," said owner Patty Morgan.  "We've been busy for the last couple of weeks. We're very happy."

"It's been a difficult year so psychologically for retail, lodgings and restaurants, to have a good weekend makes them feel more hopeful and less panicky," said Sandy Pfaff, director for the Lincoln City Visitor and Convention Bureau.

Pfaff said over the Memorial Day weekend, sales were down in Lincoln City by 2.5 percent, which is why merchants need this summer to be profitable.

Accommodations

According to Andre Hagestedt with Oregon Coast Beach Connection, finding lodging at the coast this weekend will be tough.  For example, one innkeeper in Manzanita said he has a waiting list two pages long for those hoping to slip in if someone cancels.

If you'd like to make a few phone calls and check on availability for accommodations on the coast, you can check out Oregon Coast Beach Connection's Web site for listings.

Fireworks at the Coast

Click here for a list of Fourth of July celebrations and fireworks displays scheduled at the coast.