By 10 a.m., the 10 judges whom organizer Jessica Silva (a Journal contributor) had asked to arrive by 9:30 a.m. were finally assembled around the long table on the stage at the rear of the Wild Hare Tavern. Entries for the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival’s annual Best Oyster competition were trickling in on paper plates […]
Best Oyster
Posted inEat + Drink
Oyster Fest Hopes to Pack the Plaza Again
The last time revelers swarmed the Arcata Plaza for Oyster Fest was 2019, the pre-pandemic Before Times, when long lines, sunburn and a hangover were the looming fears. Following two years of virtual events and a ticketed in-person event in the Creamery District last June, the annual bivalve bacchanalia is set to take over the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Oyster Fest Winners
By 10:15 a.m., parking was scarce, revelers were flowing onto the plaza and the first entries for Best Raw Oyster at the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival were teetering toward the judges on an ice-packed tray. By noon, the staff was tallying ballots, and by 1:40 p.m., the winners were on the books and volunteer coordinator […]