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 […]
Oyster Festival
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 inNews
NCJ Preview: Condor Comeback, Grand Jury Report and Wild Morels
This week we’re looking at how the Yurok Tribe’s efforts to bring the California condor back to the skies above Humboldt is a cultural, ecological victory with a long road ahead. Mushroom enthusiasts will be happy to hear about this week’s recipe for stuffed and steamed morels, for a foraged dim sum dish. We’ll touch […]
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 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 inEat + Drink
All the Pretty Oysters
The drama. From the local beer debacle to the math error in a bacteria count that led health officials to temporarily close Humboldt Bay’s oyster fisheries two days before the festival, the lead-up to the 2019 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival was a lot. Head Oystress Sydney Morrone said she hadn’t heard of any oysters actually dumped […]
Posted inNews
Aww, Shucks: Crabs Lose Two on Oyster Fest Weekend
Well folks, I’ll be honest with you, it was a rough weekend. Beleaguered from a successful two-game road trip in the Redding heat, one they won in the 20th inning (yes, you read that right), our favorite crustaceans dropped two of three to the visiting Seattle Studs (yes, you read that right, too). Friday, June […]
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
Job Opening at Arcata Main Street
Update: On Nov. 9, Arcata Main Street Board Member Travis Turner emailed a letter of resignation to Neyra and others, in which he alleged misdeeds and said he was looking into the legality of the board’s actions. Turner said, in part: “I feel that you and your company profiting from the Oyster Festival creates a […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
More Beer, More Problems
Editor: At this year’s Oyster Festival in Arcata, the plaza was fenced off and a $10 admission was charged (“Oysters, Beer and Cash,” June 6). Arcata Main Street stated the main reason for the admission charge was to pay for additional festival security. The large attendance and with beer sales expected to top last year’s […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Fest Fee Shellfish
Editor: Thank you for the insightful article on Arcata Main Street and the Oyster Festival (“Oysters, Beer and Cash,” June 6). I have to confess that I decided to boycott the festival three years ago when the organizers jacked up the beer prices and also decided to charge a ridiculous $3 for a paper bracelet that verified […]