4 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
CRABFEST COMETH
DANNY MILLER/THE DAILY ASTORIAN
Food and wine, arts and crafts, live music and family fun
Vendors look forward
to Astoria Warrenton
Crab, Seafood & Wine
Festival all year
blew half the festival tent away.
“So moving to a permanent
location was great,” Stetzel
said. “Everybody is protected
from the weather, which is too
unpredictable this time of year.”
The festival, including the
number of wineries, has grown.
“There is more variety,” said
Stetzel, who is unfazed by the
competition. On Valentine’s
Day, the winery released a 2014
Pinot Noir.
Kelsey Balensifer, event coor-
dinator for the Astoria-Warrenton
Chamber of Commerce, said the
festival has 60 alcohol vendors
total: 55 wineries, four local
breweries and one local distillery.
By CATE GABLE
FOR COAST WEEKEND
A
Asked to describe the Astoria
Warrenton Crab, Seafood &
Wine Festival, Don Nisbett
— an artist, cartoonist and
local personality from Ilwaco,
Washington — replied: “It’s an
adult prom.”
“You get to dress up and go
out and have a great time,” he
said. “Everybody is in such a
good mood — you’re sipping
wine and eating great food,
visiting and going around to all
the vendors.”
The 35th annual festival will
be held Friday, April 28; Satur-
day, April 29; and Sunday, April
30 at the Clatsop County Fair &
Expo Center. A family friendly
venue for food and wine, arts
and crafts, live music and more,
the festival draws approximate-
ly 14,000 to 16,000 people, and
about 175 vendors, each year.
JOSHUA BESSEX/T HE DAILY ASTORIAN
Crews at the Astoria Clowns booth prepare crab and shrimp melts
during the 2016 Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival at the Clatsop County
Fair and Expo Center.
A growing festival
A vendor himself, Nisbett
is famous for his hand-painted
wine glasses. His most popular
image: Crabs pouring or drink-
ing wine. But every year, he
comes up with new ideas.
“All year long, every time I
get a spare minute, I start paint-
ing glass for the crab and wine
festival,” he said.
Some vendors, like Nehalem
Bay Winery, have been serving
at the festival for more than 20
years.
Melissa Stetzel, the winery’s
general manager, remembers
when Crabfest used to take
place at the Hammond water-
front. One year, a big storm
‘Let’s try it!’
Leslie McCray, a vendor who
owns Sweater Heads, makes
clothing, hats and accessories
from reclaimed sweaters and
other found fabrics. She once
owned a deli and painted houses
for a while. But she wanted
something to do when she
couldn’t paint. So she started
making hats and selling them at
fairs in Oregon and Washington.
Continued on Page 16
Dungeness crab in a great big
pile.
IF YOU GO
When: April 28, 29 and 30
Where: Clatsop Coun-
ty Fair & Expo Center,
Highway 202, four miles
from the U.S. Highway 101
junction, 92937 Walluski
Loop, Astoria.
Check out: Getting to the
Festival Page, as parking
is limited. Shuttles are
available from Astoria or
Warrenton.
HOURS AND PRICES:
Friday, April 28 – 4 to 9
p.m.
Saturday, April 29 – 10
a.m. to 8 p.m.
$10 adults
$5 children (ages 5 to 12)
Sunday, April 30 – 11 a.m.
to 4 p.m.
$5 adult admission
Free children (ages 5 to 12)
Free military (active duty
military ID required)