Less than two months out from the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, controversy is again bubbling up over beer at Arcata Main Street’s fundraiser. The previously local-brew-centric event drew fire last year for requiring donations rather than purchasing from local beverage companies and only pouring Redwood Curtain Brewing Co. beer alongside out-of-towners Lagunitas and SeaQuake at the […]
Oyster Fest
Posted inEat + Drink
Best Oysters on the Plaza
On Saturday morning, as locals and tourists were still making their way to the plaza from distant parking spaces and (one hopes) slathering on sunscreen, 18 judges crowded around a trio of awkward tables in the lobby of the Jacoby Storehouse. Volunteers brought in candidates for Best Raw, Best Cooked and Best Non-oyster at the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos from the Oyster Festivities
Thousands of attendees consumed tens of thousands of oysters at the 28th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival on Saturday. The traditional event featured the usual long lines at the favorite award-winning oyster vendors and added a number of new entertainment features, including the Mermaid Lounge and silent disco, to the usual line up of oyster […]
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
Early Oyster Fest Lineup
Maybe you can still revel in the moment when it’s this chilly and rainy out, but we’re dreaming of sunshine and looking at the early lineup for the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival on June 16, when we’ll be ambling around in the sunshine with stainless steel beer cups and slurping the fruits of Humboldt’s waters […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Bivalve Bacchanal
You could get just about any creative approach to raw or barbecued oysters on Saturday at the 27th annual Oyster Festival in Arcata – except oyster-flavored ice cream. Staff from Humboldt Creamery, who were passing out free ice cream in the Family Fun Zone, said they might work on that for next year. The Arcata […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Best of the Oyster Fest
Upsets and new blood (brine?) marked this year’ Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. As crowds swarmed the plaza, lining up for paper trays of oysters, judges (myself among them) sampled entrants in the Best Raw, Best Cooked, Best Non-oyster and, for the first time this year, Best in Show. The new Best in Show category, according […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Shell of a Good Time
The 25th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival filled the plaza and plenty of bellies this past Saturday. The sun was out, the bands were swinging and the lines at the more than 50 booths snaked in all directions. When the judging was through, Sushi Spot took home Best Raw Oyster again, Folie Douce won Best […]
Posted inNews
Top 10 Stories of 2013
Summing up the tumult and transformations of a year in Humboldt County with only 10 stories is impossible. Collected here are some — definitely not all — of the events that stayed with us. For more on these stories, go to northcoastjournal.com. The Fires The communities tucked along the rivers in our mountains know fire. […]