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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 2015)
One for all, 33rd annual Crab, Seafood & Wine Fest April 24, 25 & 26 Hours/Admission and all for one Friday, 4 to 9 p.m. ($10/adult; $5/child) Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ($10/adult; $5/child) Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($5/adult; kids & active military FREE Location Celebrating 33 years of goodwill at the Astoria-Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival Story by LYNETTE RAE McADAMS According to Kelsey Balensifer, events coordinator for the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce, that’s t’s not often that you get to indulge, been part of the plan since the beginning. “It’s always guilt free, in the pleasures of excess EHHQLPSRUWDQWWRXVWKDWWKLVHYHQWEHQH¿WQRWRQO\EXVL- food and drink, but at the Astoria-War- nesses and chamber members, but the community as a renton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festi- whole,” she says. To that end, the chamber, which has val, not only is it encouraged — you been hosting the event since 1982, hires as many local might even consider it your civic duty. QRQSUR¿WRUJDQL]DWLRQVDVLWFDQWRFRYHUWKHHQRUPRXV Whether you’re coming from near amount of behind-the-scenes work that’s required to keep RUIDUSDUWLFLSDWLQJLQ\RXU¿UVWIHVWLYDO the very popular festival running smoothly. or one of many in a long-standing tradi- “There’s a massive amount of community sup- tion, know that most of the dollars you’ll port and involvement behind it,” Balensifer says, spend during this annual three-day event rattling off a mile-long list of unsung heroes: “The get funneled directly back into the local community — a Astoria Band Boosters unload the buses for us; the lot of it right before your very eyes. Boy Scout parents handle vendor parking; we’ve got “I think that’s one of the greatest things about Crab Fest,” Kiwanis on trash duty again this year, picking up Photo by Alex Pajunas says Gary Friedman, who manages the Clatsop County Fair- during festival hours; and the Key Club (a branch of Dave Goldie, middle, of Astoria, and Joe Seganos, of Longview, Wash., keep things mov- grounds, where the event is held. “I’ve always admired the Kiwanis for high schoolers) handles clean up each ing on the legendary crab and shrimp melt assembly line at the Astoria Clowns booth fact that there’s such a wide range of organizations helping QLJKWDIWHUFORVLQJ7KH&ROXPELD3DFL¿F$VVLVWDQFH inside the food tent at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds during last year’s Crab Fest. run the festival, and also making money at it.” League is operating our wine-check service, where attendees can check the wines they purchase instead of carrying them around all day, and you can’t for- get groups like the Roller Dolls (the North Oregon Coast’s women’s roller derby team), who very will- ingly sort the vendor recycling, or our local bank volunteers, who handle the busy admis- sions table so expertly. ³,W¶V GH¿QLWHO\ DQ event that only happens because the community chips in so much,” she adds. “Everyone gets excited about it, and for a lot of these groups, it’s a major fundraiser.” “Actually, it’s our only fundraiser,” says a chuckling Bill Landwehr, coordinator (“by default”) for the Astoria Clowns, a local group of ambassadors who run amok all over the Northwest in promotion of their fair city. “I don’t want to brag,” he continues in a hushed tone, Photo by Alex Pajunas “but I think we might have the most popular booth The sound of a shattered wine glass, accidently dropped by Dave Crosby, right, of Spokane, Wash., provides cause for celebration at last year’s Astoria-Warrenton Crab, there. It’s our only fundraiser because it’s the only Seafood and Wine Festival. The oft-repeated occurrence is regularly met by applause and cheers from festival attendees and results in prompt clean-up by people like one we need.” Daniel Emlet, left, who calmly moves in with a broom and dust pan. No, the clowns aren’t hired as part of the week- I ‘It takes more than 150 volunteers coming from across the community to run this event, and 33 years later, here we all are, doing it again. I think that’s incredible.’ 16 | April 23, 2015 | coastweekend.com end’s entertainment; for these three days they aban- don their costumes and balloon tricks and start swinging spatulas instead, peddling their famous Clown Bread to the attending masses who eagerly line up for it. “You can pick out the people who’ve never been to the festival before,” Landwehr says. “They look at our sign like, ‘what could I possibly want from a clown booth?’ That’s when we lure them in with samples.” For those not in the know, Clown Bread consists of a slice of freshly baked French bread smothered in the clown’s own super secret sauce, then topped with your choice of either crab or shrimp, and broiled to perfection. “And yes,” Landwehr says, “it is THAT good.” (Don’t think you can trust a clown? Judge instead by the winding line that will be out the 2015 Wine Competition Each year, all participating festival wine vendors are invited to put their best bot- tles forward for the annual Crab Fest Wine Competition. Judged during a blind tasting by industry professionals — winemakers, wine writers, wine buyers and restaurant somme- liers — here are this year’s winners: Best of Show RED: Girardet Baco Noir 2013 Best of Show WHITE: Abiqua Wind Vineyard Early Muscat 201 People’s Choice Award: J. Scott Cellars Pinot Blanc 2013 Clatsop County Fairgrounds • 92937 Walluski Loop, Astoria Parking: $15/car; space is limited Shuttles $3/person, round trip (exact fare, cash only). Park and ride locations at the Port of Astoria, several lodging properties, and some campgrounds. Expect delays during peak festival hours. Service is limited on Sunday. For complete shuttle bus and live music schedules, or for more information, visit oldoregon.com or call 800-875-6807. door all day.) While the festival is lots of work, it’s also worth it, according to clowns like Landwehr. “It’ll take 10 or 12 of us guys to work it on Saturday — that’s the big day—but it’s lots of fun and for a good cause, so we enjoy it every year.” The money raised from sales pays for the Clown’s year-round participation in parades, funds four Clatsop Community College scholarships, covers an annual donation to the Boy Scouts, and helps stock food baskets in December. The Clowns won’t be the only ones working hard all weekend to drum up cash for worthwhile causes. The Astoria Rotary Club — a charter Crab Fest vendor — will once again be offering half and full Dungeness crab dinners, replete with bread and homemade coleslaw, for what always seems like a bargain. “We get our crab locally from Bornstein Seafoods,” says Mitch Mitchum, the club’s com- munity service chair, “and this year we’ll start off with 800 pounds and buy more over the weekend if we need it. The price of crab is up by about 35 percent over last year, so that makes it challenging, but we’ll still try to offer the best deal we can. We’re also hoping to have Whiskey Crab Soup again this year — an old Bornstein family recipe, which will be great. It always sells out.” Like the Astoria Clowns, Mitchum says the funds raised will secure the club’s scholarship program, as well as support a few other charitable events throughout the year. About the festival, he adds, “It takes about 40 Rotarians to pull it off, and we’ll be happy to be there again this year. It’s good exposure, it’s service based, it’s fun, and you get to see a lot of friends. After all these years, it feels like home.” That’s not news to Balensifer, who says she hears similar sentiments throughout the community. “I think most people consider the festival a very authentic cel- ebration, a time during the off season…when we can really welcome visitors and showcase the amazing bounty of our own region and the entire Northwest.” Returning this year are some repeat festival fa- vorites, like inexpensive park-and-ride shuttle ser- vices throughout the greater Astoria area, live music all three days on two different stages, and of course, almost 200 vendor booths — featuring more than 60 different Oregon wineries, a handful of local brew- HULHVRQHGLVWLOOHU\D¿UVWWLPHHYHQWRYHUDKXQ- GUHG ¿QH DUWV DQG FUDIW YHQGRUV DQG REYLRXVO\ DQ ocean’s worth of seafood. “It takes more than 150 volunteers coming from across the community to run this event,” says Bal- ensifer, “and 33 years later, here we all are, doing it again. I think that’s incredible.” Asked what she was most looking forward to at this year’s Crab Fest, Balensifer was quick to an- swer, illustrating nicely the heart of service that permeates the whole event: “For me, it’s the little moments when you get to help someone have a real- ly great experience — that’s ultimately what I love about my job. That, and just getting to share this wonderful location.” Submitted photo Bill Landwehr, also known as Stubby the clown, coordinates the Astoria Clowns to appear in regional parades and festivals. The clowns will appear sans costumes and serve their famous Clown Bread at the Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival, their only fundraiser. Submitted photo Carrie Cunningham will perform songs of imagery and emotion from 3:15 to 5 p.m. Saturday on the Exhibit Hall Stage. Photo by Alex Pajunas Ryan Stembridge, the tasting room manager at TeSóAria Vineyard and Winery in Roseburg, sells one of their 13 different bottles of wine during last year’s crab festival. April 23, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 17