Tucked away in the quieter neighborhood streets on the south side of Cannon Beach, just one block from the ocean, Sea Level Bakery + Coffee makes a strong case for the title of best bakery on the Oregon coast.

Opened in 2014 by couple Jason and Liz Menke, the cozy, modern cafe (which was remodeled in 2023) offers fresh-baked bread, sandwiches and bowls in addition to its well-stocked pastry case where there are no bad choices.

On a recent visit, the case was stocked with sticky buns, biscuits, scones, banana bread, kouign amann, Danish, pound cake, muffins and five kinds of cookies. There was also something called tide truffles, a vegan and gluten free treat that sells in packs of three. In a neighboring case were loaves of fresh-baked bread, as well as baguettes, ciabatta and slices of focaccia.

Offerings rotate seasonally, sometimes even weekly, based on available ingredients and the whims and experimentations of the staff bakers.

On a recent visit, we ate a raspberry pistachio scone with lemon glaze that was sweet and delicious. A soft biscuit, dusted with cinnamon sugar and loaded with marionberry jam, was a great accompaniment. I made a mental note to pick up a baguette on our next beach day.

Jason Menke said he grew up going to French boulangeries with his grandmother, where he fell in love with the idea of serving a community through food. When the couple opened Sea Level, in the old Waves of Grain bakery space, they wanted to bring that boulangerie culture to the Oregon coast.

“We felt like it needed to be both a cafe, coffee ship and a bakery,” Menke said of the business. “We just know that people need better food options, particularly at the beach.”

Grab a table on the covered patio outside and you might feel like you’re joining the Cannon Beach community. On our visit, a local woman introduced us to her dog, who stared hungrily at our pastries. We eavesdropped on a group of surfers nearby. A family of sleepy tourists shuffled in and plopped down around a table with cups of coffee. The indoor seating, which consists of a few smaller tables, is crucial for the rainy season, but when the weather is nice the patio is idyllic.

Sea Level, which is nestled into the Tolovana Park neighborhood, is a surprisingly peaceful place given the commotion all around it. The main drag of Cannon Beach, which is choked with tourists in the summer, is only a mile to the north. And only two blocks south is the busy Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site, which attracts upwards of 1.2 million visitors each year.

“When we first started it seemed like a curse to be in that part of town, because it was quiet down there,” Menke said. But after a couple of years, once business caught on, the couple grew to appreciate their place in Cannon Beach.

“We like to say that we’re Tolovana proud,” he said.

With their major remodel still fresh in the rearview mirror, the couple finds it hard to think too much about the future. But when pressed, Jason Menke said they’ve been dreaming about adding yet another offering to their cafe: pizza. After a successful one-time pizza night last year, the couple has been toying with the idea of making it happen monthly or even weekly.

That would only be another extension of their mission to provide good food to the community on the north Oregon coast.

“There’s definitely not enough good food at the beach,” Menke said.

The takeaway: Sea Level offers everything you could want from an Oregon coast bakery: great pastries, good coffee, ample seating and a quick walk to the beach.

Sample menu: A biscuit and jam ($4.25), a seasonal scone ($4.25) and espresso ($4).

Drinks: Coffee and espresso from Portland’s Heart Coffee Roasters, with tea and a rotating menu of seasonal drinks.

Details: Counter service with indoor and outdoor seating. ADA accessible with parking spot, ramp and restroom. Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 3116 S. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach; 503-436-4254; sealevelbakery.com.

“I wasn’t sure how far back everybody else was behind me, so I knew to just keep rolling, to keep going, because I really wanted to get first,” Brooklyn Anderson told a local outlet.

A high school Oregon track star somersaulted her way through the state championship finish line last week.

Brooklyn Anderson, a junior at Thurston High School, turned heads during her somersault finish in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles at the Oregon State Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on May 30. To much surprise, Anderson tumbled in at first place. Thurston High School is located in Springfield, Oregon, about 120 miles south of Portland.

Footage captured by the National Federation of State High School Associations shows Anderson, who was already ahead in the race, tripping and performing a double somersault across the finish line. She won the race with a final time of 14.93 seconds. The second-place runner, Maisy Scanlan from Wilsonville High School, came in at 15.15 seconds, according to the Oregon School Activities Association.

“All I remember is resorting back to my gymnastics career and just somersaulting over that line,” Anderson told The Oregonian after her race. “I wasn’t sure how far back everybody else was behind me, so I knew to just keep rolling, to keep going, because I really wanted to get first.”

Celebrating the win, Anderson shared a photo and video of her somersault finish on Instagram.

“Wow, what a memorable season,” Anderson wrote in the Instagram post. “Year 3 is one for the books. Thank you everybody for the support, and especially thank you to the most amazing heat of girls a girl could finish a race with. You guys are awesome. GO COLTS #jryear #somersault #track #100mhurdles.”

The 500-meter hurdles weren’t the only event Anderson competed in. She also placed fourth in the girls’ 100-meter race, third in girls’ long jump and 10th in the girls’ 4-by-100-meter relay, per the Oregon School Activities Association.

Watch high school track star somersault to a first-place finish

High school track athlete somersaults to victory

A high school track athlete competing in a championship 100m hurdles race rolled her way to victory after she tripped near the finish line.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.

SALEM Ore. (KPTV) – Big changes are coming to Oregon’s Bottle Bill.

Stores will be able to opt out of accepting late-night bottle and can returns.

The changes were approved Thursday morning in an OLCC special meeting.

Starting Thursday, new temporary rules let stores limit bottle return hours to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The rules also open the door for nonprofit-run redemption centers to be established.

Stores in Portland will only be required to accept Oregon Bottle Redemption Center green bags.

It is a part of Senate Bill 992 that was signed into law.

The OLCC says the goal is to keep Oregon’s nation-leading 87% redemption rate strong while giving communities more options.

Starting July 1, people can redeem cans of wine and cider over 8.5%.

Sake and mead containers are accepted as well.

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