People are still trickling into the lot in front of the Arcata Playhouse, thickening the crowd already encircling the low stage, where Marylyn Paik-Nicely, a “founding mother” of Humboldt Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), stands in pink sneakers and a purple T-shirt commemorating this, the first Obon festival in Humboldt County, a cell […]
festivals
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos: 55th Annual Annie and Mary Day
While fewer people than last year showed up for Blue Lake’s 55th annual Annie and Mary Day on a perfect weather day on Sunday, everyone present seemed to share a positive attitude. (And despite the ongoing pandemic, very few were wearing masks.) The day featured most of the usual participants in Blue Lake’s small-town parade […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Oyster Fest’s Rocky Return
An hour into the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, the lines for oysters at the Obento stall stretched across the battered grass and under the red and blue striped tent where local food businesses were tabling. The shade was a relief on a sunny day that promised traditional Oyster Fest sunburns, but those in the queue […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos: Oyster Fest 2022
It wasn’t quite hot enough to cook an oyster, but the sun shone bright over the rebooted and relocated Arcata Bay Oyster Festival in the Creamery District on Saturday, June 25. The all-day event with vendors, food stalls and live music performances followed a kick-off event the night before and required a $15 ticket for […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Choose Your Own Oyster Fest Adventure
In the middle of planning for its annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival last year, the folks at Arcata Main Street made the bold shift to a virtual event. With the March declaration of shelter in place and a spring of gradually climbing COVID-19 case numbers, most festivals here and across the country were canceling. But […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Westhaven’s Blackberry Pie Fire Sale
If you’re missing the annual Westhaven Wild Blackberry Festival, which is canceled due to COVID-19 this year, help is on the way: The Westhaven Ladies Club will be selling its stockpile of 450 frozen blackberry pies for $20 a pop on Sunday, July 26 starting at 10 a.m. It’s help for the Westhaven Volunteer Fire Department, […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos from Trinidad Fish Fest
A large Father’s Day crowd found their way to the 62nd annual Trinidad Fish Festival on Sunday, which featured the usual salmon barbecue lunch (with fish imported from Oregon). The Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce lined up live music offerings, art and craft vendors, educational booths, community organizations and post-lunch desserts for sale by the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos from Oyster Fest 2019
The 29th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival managed to pack the Arcata Plaza with thousands of attendees on Saturday, despite some unusual drama in the days before the event. First there was the local beer controversy and then the last-minute health crisis — oops, a math error, no crisis — regarding the safety of the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Hayrides and Apple Harvest at Clendenen’s
Bushels of fun were had this past weekend at Fortuna’s annual Apple Harvest Festival. Locals and visitors alike enjoyed pies and cider, a street fair, arts and craft vendors and live music throughout the weekend. And down at Clendenen’s Cider Works, apple-cheeked kids and adults alike sampled pressed cider and climbed aboard hayrides through 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 […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Irie Stylings at Reggae on the River
Instagram-ready festival wear has become its own species of personal expression. The styles at Reggae on the River are certainly qualify, whether on performers, fans or the vendors, workers and volunteers who make the show possible, including volunteer security personnel, medics, food truck operators, cooks, camera people, sound technicians and journalists. Oven-like August temperatures presented a […]
