AUGUST 11, 2016 // 11
REGATTA HONORS
ASTORIA’S HISTORY
THE 122ND ANNUAL FESTIVAL
TAKES PLACE AUG. 11 TO 14
By ELI STILLMAN
T
The nautical history the North
Coast was built upon will be
celebrated once again with the
122nd Astoria Regatta festival.
With tons of events packed into the
remainder of the week Aug. 11 to
14, everyone in the family will fi nd
something to enjoy.
Centered in Astoria, the festival
is known as the oldest celebration
in the oldest Oregon city, which
in turn, would make it the oldest
celebration in the state.
It’s typical that in 122 years,
things have a tendency to change.
While some aspects of the mar-
itime festival have been altered
throughout the last century, many
are sticking to tradition.
History and Defi nition
The story of the festival’s
conception dates back to 1894,
when two Astorians were casually
talking about boats. That conversa-
tion grew into a celebration to wel-
come fi sherman back from Alaska,
as they pulled in the Astoria harbor
with fresh fi sh. It would eventually
become one of the premier boating
festivals along the West Coast.
Today, the Regatta draws locals
from both sides of the river and
even some out of town travelers.
The word “regatta” means to
actually race boats, which has also
played an integral part in the back-
ground of the festival. Saturday
and Sunday there will be sailboat
races that can be viewed east of
the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The
Astoria Yacht Club is presenting
the races, which are sure to be fast,
wet and full of excitement.
Regatta Royalty
Since the beginning, there has
been a Regatta queen to head the
events. Last year Allison Bentley
won the crown, and now she will
pass down her title to one of the
four princesses. The fi nal decision
will be made during the annual
coronation ceremony that takes
place at 6 p.m. Thursday at the
Liberty Theater.
All year, the court has been
making appearances in parades and
other public events.
In the past, the Astoria Regatta
Scholarship Fund has donated up-
wards of $18,000 in scholarships
to the young women
on the Regat-
ta court. The
organization
hopes to encour-
age the local
high schoolers
to continue their
education in
college.
CAN’T-MISS
EVENTS
PH OTO BY
DA N N Y M
ILLER
PHOTO BY JOSHUA BESSEX
Above: The Astoria Grand Land Parade,
set for noon Saturday, is just one of many
exciting festivities of the Astoria Regatta.
Left: The historic Tourist No. 2 ferry returned
to Astoria on Aug. 1. The ferry will take part
in the Highwater Boat Parade during Asto-
ria Regatta on Saturday, Aug. 13.
Bridge
Anniversary
This year marks
the 50th anniversary of the Asto-
ria-Megler Bridge. In conjunction
with the nautical festival, there will
be a rededication ceremony at 9
a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13: The bridge
will be shut down and reopen after
city offi cials make their way across
in celebratory fashion.
After the bridge ceremony,
there will be the annual Grand
Land Parade through downtown
Astoria. Starting at noon, the pa-
rade is one of the most anticipated
events of Regatta. Along with local
offi cials, special dignitary guests
from Astoria’s sister city of Wall-
dorf, Germany will also be present
for the festivities.
Tourist No. 2
Prior to the completion of the
Astoria-Megler Bridge, which
stretches over 21,000 feet, the only
way travelers could get across the
Columbia was by ferry boat. It’s
a way of travel many today have
grown-up without experiencing,
but a few still remember dearly.
The Clowns
Early on the morning of Aug.
1, a crowd gathered at 17th Street
dock in Astoria. Anxiously pac-
ing, everyone stretched their eyes
downriver to try and make out a
long overdue return. Around 10
a.m., the crowd cheered when
the Tourist No. 2 pulled up to the
dock. Two crewman aboard the
92-year-old boat had made the
voyage from Bremerton, Wash-
ington to bring back the ferry
that had once taxied residents
from one side of the river to the
other.
The ferry’s return has been a
year and a half in the making. Now
the historic boat has arrived just in
time to take part in Astoria’s cele-
bration of maritime heritage.
“It’s a fl oating museum,” said
Donna Quinn, the director of sales
and marketing at the Cannery Pier
Hotel. “It’s such a treat to have this
piece of history here.”
The old boat will be included
in the Astoria Regatta Highwater
Boat Parade, which takes place at
5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Throughout the festivities,
be sure to keep an eye out for
the Astoria Clowns. They are
fun group of jokesters who have
always been an important part
of the town’s history. In fact,
former Astoria Mayor Willis Van
Dusen said, “Without the Astoria
Clowns, we would not have the
Astoria bridge.”
The clowns were huge pro-
moters of the bridge when it
was still a plan on paper. To get
the town on board for funding
the bridge in the late 1950s, the
clowns painted their bright yel-
low Chrysler to say “Let’s Build
The Bridge.” Right after the
final completion of the bridge,
the clowns were one of the first
cars to cross over it. Legend has
it there were 15 of them in a car
that was supposed to seat seven.
Warrenton Concert
A new addition to the festival
will expand into the city of War-
renton, as country music comes to
Warrenton City Park for a concert
Thursday, Aug. 11
Queen Coronation, 6 p.m.,
Liberty Theater
Friday, Aug. 12
Seamen’s Memorial, 3 p.m.,
Maritime Memorial Park
Concert in the Park, 7:30
p.m., Warrenton City Park
Saturday, Aug. 13
Regatta Square, 11 a.m. to 5
p.m., Heritage Square
Grand Land Parade, noon,
downtown
Highwater Boat
Parade, 5:30
p.m., water-
front
FIREWORKS,
dusk, East End
Mooring Basin
at 7:30 p.m. Friday. John Berry and
Sherrié Austin will play free sets
in the park to whomever wants to
come out and enjoy the evening.
Austin, a native of Australia, got
her start in music opening for
Johnny Cash when she was just
14. Since then, she’s enjoyed a di-
verse career, acting in “The Fresh
Prince of Bel Air,” performing a
song featured in the “Baywatch”
soundtrack and seeing multiple
singles on Billboard’s Hot Country
Songs chart.
Berry has been performing
country music for over three
decades. In that time he’s self-pro-
duced six studio albums, per-
formed for George H.W. Bush and
been nominated for a Grammy.
The seasoned country stars are sure
to bring an entertaining evening
to the Warrenton Park for the fi rst
time in the history of Regatta.