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The festival, coordinated by the cham-
ber and sponsored by Fred Meyer, will cel-
ebrate its 40th anniversary this year, return-
ing to the Clatsop County Fair and Expo
Center on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Established in 1982, the festival has grown
to include more than 150 vendors offering
coastal cuisine, Oregon wine, local brews
and spirits, alongside hand-crafted art and
local goods.
Some iconic Northwest flavors offered
at this year’s festival will include crab mac-
aroni and cheese, seafood ramen, crab and
shrimp melts, crab cakes and fried oysters.
The event will also feature nearly 40 win-
eries, offering a taste of the Northwest. “It’s
a great representation of our area and our
culture,” Willkie said. “It’s for locals, it’s
for folks out of town. It is bringing peo-
ple together to celebrate what we are,” she
added.
Festival attendees are encouraged to eat,
drink and be merry, with live music sched-
uled throughout the weekend across two
stages. Friday’s lineup will begin with Port-
land based singer-songwriter Katelyn Con-
very and the Grammy-nominated Ellen
Whyte Ensemble Trio. Saturday’s lineup
will include Steve Hale, Andrea Algieri, Al
Hare, Stacy Jones Band, The Junebugs and
Infamous Soul.
Wrapping up the set on Sunday will be
Vancouver, Washington, based rock group
Flying Whammy, following performances
by keyboardist Nathan Olson, singer-song-
writer Bruce Thomas Smith and mari-
time bluegrass group Brownsmead Flats.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” event coordi-
nator Kristen Klein said. “That’s been the
ongoing conversation: people amped up to
return.”
A month of celebration The festival is
a longstanding tradition for not only the
North Coast community but also for many
visitors who travel to Astoria each year. The
event was last held in-person in 2019, going
virtual during the COVID pandemic.
Last year, the festival featured virtual
interviews with vendors, as well as art-
ist demonstrations and music. The cham-
ber also introduced a new element designed
to highlight the area’s restaurants, cafes and
coffee shops, the festival feast dining pass-
port. According to Willkie, the passport
gave people something in-person to do in
conjunction with the virtual festival. Well
received in 2021, the dining passport has
returned for this year’s festival.
Throughout the month of April, indi-
viduals can experience a restaurant trail
inspired by the festival, featuring nearly two
dozen local restaurants, breweries and cafes.
With each visit, pass holders have access to
special offers and menu items. “One lady
The Crab, Seafood & Wine festival will feature a full schedule of performers across two stages throughout the weekend.
‘IT’S A GREAT
REPRESENTATION OF OUR
AREA AND OUR CULTURE.
IT’S FOR LOCALS, IT’S FOR
FOLKS OUT OF TOWN.
IT IS BRINGING PEOPLE
TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE
WHAT WE ARE.’
Vendors and visitors gather in a large tent at the Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival in 2019.
called it a ‘scavenger hunt of deliciousness,’
which I thought was great,” Willkie said.
Participants also receive an automatic
entry into weekly drawings for dining gift
certificates, festival merchandise and other
prizes, as well as entry into a grand prize
drawing, which includes an overnight stay
at the Cannery Pier Hotel and Spa, gift cer-
tificates, museum passes, a sampling of
Oregon wine and more.
‘Quite an endeavor’
This year’s festival will welcome about
40 new vendors, about 25% of the festi-
val’s total participants. Klein looks forward
to seeing some fresh faces and selections,
but is also appreciative of the dedicated ven-
dors who have participated in the event for
many years.
“I want to really applaud those vendors
that are returning, because they’ve gone
through a lot, and they’ve stuck it out,”
Klein said. “They’ve been with us even
through the virtual festivals we’ve done.”
She is also grateful for the volunteers who
contribute to operating the festival by filling
the necessary 300 volunteer shifts. The fes-
tival is a major fundraiser, for not only the
chamber but also for dozens of participating
organizations.
“Our community coming together to pull
this off is quite an endeavor,” Klein said.
“The excitement and support from the com-
munity to do this event are overwhelming.
It’s very, very cool,” she added. Organizers
recommend that patrons purchase festival
tickets in advance.
Not only do advance tickets offer a dis-
count, but it’s a good idea as parking at
the fairgrounds will be limited during the
event. Attendees are also encouraged to take
advantage of the festival shuttle, with conve-
nient stops near lodging facilities in Astoria
and Warrenton.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2022 // 5