OFFICIAL OYSTER FESTIVAL GUIDE Maps • Schedules • Bands Contests • and More
www.oysterfestival.net
25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
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W elcome !
Arcata Main Street welcomes you to the 25th anniversary of the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival on the historic Arcata Plaza! In 1990, Arcata wanted to create a new event that would showcase aquaculture and community – that's when Oyster Festival and Fred Oystaire were born. Our mascot and master of ceremonies will guide us as we revel in this momentous commemorative 25th Oyster Festival celebration. The Arcata Bay Oyster Festival is now the largest one-day event in Humboldt County. Every year, over 12,000 voracious festivalgoers gather on the Arcata Plaza to celebrate our local aquaculture and savor the delicacies that have earned us the reputation as the Oyster Capitol of California. Food lovers’ taste buds will be lured by the siren song of sublime oyster flavors, and then it’s bottoms up with pints of local craft beer served in wastereducing commemorative steel cups. Also new this year – hard apple cider, plus two different wine booths will proudly pour locally-made wines, many with locally-grown grapes. Local chefs will be competing for the coveted Best Raw and Cooked Oyster and Non-Oyster awards, while dancers frolic on the grass to local music. Let your kids take you on a Treasure Hunt, including a fun kids area by the new Fire Department. Don’t miss the quirky, ritual Oyster Calling Contest at noon (now limited to 30 second calls!), then at 2:00 p.m. contenders will be slamming down bivalves in the Shuck-n-Swallow Contest. Oyster Festival is about celebrating the North Coast culture where our merchants, restaurateurs, volunteers and guests embrace locally grown and prepared foods, drinks, and art. When you leave the Arcata Plaza, you’ll take a renewed appreciation for our home, our marshes and our bay with you. You can also take away some cool gifts from our Oyster Fest Gift Shop! Thank you for taking part in our quarter century milestone on June 20. Now let the fun, food and frolic begin! Happy Shucking,
Vicky Joyce, President / Arcata Main Street Nancy Stephenson, Event Coordinator / Oyster Festival
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25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
O yster yster F estival estival R ules ules • Alcohol may only be consumed in the cups provided. • All patrons are subject to search. • Arcata municipal code prohibits consumption of alcoholic beverages outside the festival area. • Must be 21 years of age to consume alcohol. • No alcohol may be brought in or out of the event. • No ice chests or disposable water bottles.
All aboard!
• No animals other than approved service dogs. • Arcata municipal code prohibits smoking on the Plaza at all times. • No weapons are allowed inside the event. • Tokens are non-refundable. • You must wear a ID wristband to consume alcohol at the festival. Last Call for Alcohol 4:00 p.m. Taps Close at 4:30 p.m. No Alcohol on Plaza after 5:00 p.m.
S hucker hucker S huttle huttle
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Main Stage (Center Plaza)
10:00 to 10:30 a.m.: Fred Oystaire (Stir Fry Willie) & music 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.: Kingfoot Noon to 12:30 p.m.: Oyster Calling Contest 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.: Jenny & David and the Sweet Soul Band 1:45 p.m.: Contest winners announced 2:00 to 2:30 p.m.: Shuck-n-Swallow Contest 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.: Vanishing Pints 3:45 p.m.: Fred Oystaire & announcements 4:00 p.m.: Last Call 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.: Object Heavy (The Get Down Crew) 4:30 p.m.: Taps close 5:30 p.m.: Festival closes
Humboldt Made Stage (H St. between 7th & 8th) Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Farmers’ Market on I and 8th streets from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Artisan Booths on H St., with Humboldt Made, between 7th & 8th. Oyster Fest Gift & Beverage Shop Corner of 8th and H streets Arcata Playhouse/Playhouse Arts Street performances all day Kids’ Area on 9th between F & G streets, in front of new Firehouse all day Aquaculture Alley on 9th between F & G streets all day Kinetic Kar Show all day at Pacific Outfitters and roving around the Plaza Blood Mobile on 9th St. between H & I streets Humboldt Made booths and entertainment on H St., between 7th and 8th Bloodmobile on 9th between F & G streets Dell’ Arte Look for characters from Mary Jane: The Musical around the Plaza
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25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
L ocal ocal E ntertainment ntertainment Kingfoot plays a unique style of original Acoustic Americana music blending Country, Bluegrass, Russian, Ska, African, Celtic and Rockabilly into a melting pot of great music. Joe King, singer-songwriter, recounts stories of fallible humans finding their way in life. Kevin Johnson lays down the rhythm on the upright bass with his own blend of Rockabilly slap bass. While playing with Heartbeat he opened for the Itals, Eek A Mouse and other touring groups. Jimmy Foot, originally from the San Francisco music scene, has played shows opening for Jimmy Cliff, Madness, Fishbone, Etta James, Tito Puente and others. Jimmy interweaves his musical melodies on guitar, mandolin and banjo with the lyrical stories of Kingfoot's music. Find them on Facebook.
The 2015 Oyster Festival Official Guide is published by the Mad River Union, 791 Eighth St. (Jacoby’s Storehouse), Suite 8, Arcata, CA 95521. Jack Durham & Kevin Hoover Publishers Lauraine Leblanc Production Manager Jada Calypso Brotman Advertising Manager Marty Burdette Proofreader Contributing Photographers Jack Durham, Kevin Hoover, Matt Filar, Mark Larson Printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks. Please recycle.
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Jenny & David and the Sweet Soul Band has five seasoned
musicians who have played with numerous groups in Humboldt county as well as nationally over the years. Their goal is to have fun, engage their audience and create a party feeling wherever they play. Come enjoy their outstanding vocals, soulful funk, and rhythmic blues grooves. Find out more at www. jdssband.com.
Vanishing Pints have mashed Irish folk with malty punk and hoppy rock, fermented it in a vat of seasoned musicians, producing a brew of musical entertainment that defies tyranny, and celebrates the triumph of the human spirit, and beer. With acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, accordion, bass and drums, Vanishing Pints belt out drinking songs, sea shanties, and working class laments, advancing a theme of tenacity in the face of adversity. You may kick us to the ground but we will not stay down. Did we mention beer? Visit vanishingpints.com for more details. Object Heavy
(previously The Get Down Crew) delivers high-energy original music – a blend of soul, funk and dance music. They started on a Monday night; it was a jam scene. They were the house band. At first it was just fun, then it became a dance party. Band members are Drew Mohr, Pete Ciotti, Johnny Fiya and B Swizlo, with singer Damon Cooper.
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25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
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Fred Oystaire is a friendly, charming, and mild mannered vinyl collector, DJ, MC and artist. This local performer can be seen at a variety of different events throughout the county. Also known as Stir Fry Willie, he has performed throughout Humboldt for more than 18 years. He has been the official Arcata Main Street Oyster Festival MC since 2012 and has been attending the festival since its inception when, as a young boy, he acquired his taste for the bivalve, holding the annual event very close to his heart ever since. When he is not lounging on a bear skin rug in front of the fireplace, you may find him jamming out live improv looping performances, vocalizing as the front man for the local funk, metal, jazz, hip hop band Dungeon Heat, or maintaining his art blog and a career as a commercial graphic designer. For the 2015 event year he is assuming the role of the of the Oyster Festival mascot, Fred Oystaire.
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The Hip Joint is Slam Jazzy Funk
Bop with a Cherry on Top! They are: Mia Casasanta, Most high vocalist and conga whisperer; Cory Goldman, String Tickler to the Gods; Mike “Tofu” Schwartz, Beats ’n’ Boom; Chuck Johnson, Curly Haired Thump Pumper and Justin Schwartzman, The Reed-Nastier Key-Master. They’ll be playing two sets on the Humboldt Made stage on H St., between 7th and 8th, at both noon and 1:45 p.m.
Universal Balance Productions has a long
history of providing high quality live sound, event production and recording to Northern California. Sam Safier and Russ Cole have dialed in the sound for OysterFest many times and have the equipment, crew, organizational and technical know-how to make any project or event the highest quality possible.
25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
F or
Kids’ Area
On 9th between F & G streets Carnival booths, shadow puppet portraits, wax hands and flowers, face painting, giant puppets, fire truck, PeacePops, FREE Humboldt Creamery milk and cookies!
the
Treasure Hunt
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K ids
Pick up your free map and passport at SCRAP Humboldt or the Oyster Fest Gift Shop (8th & H streets). Get your passport stamped at locations throughout the festival and return to SCRAP Humboldt for great prizes!
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C ontests
Window Contest Area businesses have been invited to participate in the annual window display contest. The judging is based on: how well the design incorporates local aquaculture, creativity, and the best use of reused materials. SCRAP Humboldt will judge local window displays on Friday, June 19. There is a colossal SCRAP Humboldt-custom made trophy for the winners and, of course, the “Business Bragging Rights”! Be sure to take a walk around the Plaza and bordering streets to check out the aquaculture-themed store window displays, and look for the marked winning entries! Best Decorated Booth
Oyster Festival depends on volunteers to run different areas of the festival. Volunteers decorate their booths and are judged on how well their booth design incorporates local aquaculture, represents their business, expresses their creativity, and best uses reused materials. Judges will tour the festival on Saturday, June 20. Special thanks to the following businesses for generously donating their time to operate a token and/or beer booth: Coast Central Credit Union • Edward Jones • Humboldt Roller Derby • Redwood Capital Bank • Rotary Club of Arcata Noon • Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise • US Bank • Wells Fargo
Oyster Calling Contest Calling all
oysters! Hey kids of all ages, step right up to the main stage at noon, where you’ll have 30 seconds to show the world how to bring sea creatures scurrying from Arcata Bay straight into your mouth at the Oyster Calling Contest. Once again this year, master of ceremonies Dave Silverbrand will preside magesterially over the Oyster Calling Contest. All participants will be awarded fantastic prizes from SCRAP Humboldt!
KWPT The Point Shuck-n-Swallow Contest Gather at
the center stage at 2:00 p.m. (get there earlier for a good spot) to witness a danger-filled, edge-of-your-seat competition of flying knives and voracious appetites: the legendary Shuck-n-Swallow Contest. Five teams of two people – one professional “Shucker” and one heckuva “Swallower” – are given fifty raw oysters to shuck and swallow as fast as humanly possible. The team that shucks and swallows all their oysters first within the allotted time wins!
The Best Oyster Contest Every year, local chefs face off to showcase their skills in preparing raw and cooked oysters into culinary masterpieces, as well as non-oyster food creations. These delicacies are sure to tantalize taste buds and awaken the senses. Chefs from all over the county come to show off their stuff, and oysters are served barbequed, fried and raw. Local chefs and oyster enthusiasts act as judges and select the best culinary delights of the festival based on flavor, presentation and creativity. The winners will be announced at the center stage around 1:45 p.m.
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25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
L ocal B everages
Local Wine
New this year, you’ll find two wine booths featuring local wines from • Humboldt Wine Association • Humboldt Grown Wines: Quality Assured
Local Beer
Three beer booths will tempt you with local beer offerings from • Eel River Brewing Co. • Lost Coast Brewery • Mad River Brewing Co. • Redwood Curtain Brewing • Six Rivers Brewery Special thanks to volunteers from Humboldt Roller Derby, Edward Jones Investments, and Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise.
Cider
You’re in for a treat, with special OysterFest Humboldt Cider tapped at all 3 beer booths!
Non-Alcoholic Beverages
A variety of beverages will be available at vendor booths throughout the Plaza, at the OysterFest Gift Shop, and at the Chamber of Commerce booth.
Hydration Stations
No plastic bottles of water are allowed at Oyster Fest this year, but you will find hydration stations throughout the festival, sponsored by New World Water.
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D rink G reen Steel Re-fillable cups
An Oyster Fest first, available individually or in a bundle. • Steel cup, wristband and 1 beer/wine token for $10 • Steel cup, wristband and 3 beer/wine tokens for $20 • Wristband and 3 tokens for $18 • Wristband and token $9 • Single token $6 • Wristband $3 • Steel cup $5 at merch booth Steel cups are generously sponsored by the Blue Lake Casino as part of their green campaign.
Your 100% local weekly newspaper
Now available online! p Newspaper only: $35/year p Online only: $35/year p Both online and delivery: $40
Name:_____________________________________________ Address:____________________________________________ City/State:___________________________________________ Email address:________________________________________ Zip:__________________________ Amt. enclosed:___________ Clip & send to: Mad River Union, 791 8th St. Ste. 8, Arcata, CA 95521 Or subscribe online at madriverunion.com.
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M ap K ey Please refer to the map on the previous pages to find food, fun and merchandise booths.
1 Humbrews Café 2-3 Bear River 4 Up & Under 5 Jack’s Seafood 6-7 Music Tent 8 Butterfly Body Art 9 Forget Me Not Photo 10-11 Rita’s 12 Cooking for Wellness 13 Pizza Gago 14 BEER Edward Jones 15 Tomo 16 Emerald & Sage 17 Mad River Tap Room 18 Sushi Spot 19 Humboldt Outfitters 20-21 Congo Café 22-23 Folie Douce 24 Annie’s Cambodian
25 WINE HWA 26-28 BEER Humboldt Roller Derby 29-30 Humboldt Made 31-32 Eureka High Cheer 33-34 El Pueblo Market 35. Arcata Chamber 36 Mazzotti’s 37 Smiling Oyster 38-39 Coast Seafoods 40-42 MERCH Gift Shop & Beverages 43 SCRAP Humboldt 44 Humboldt Hot Sauce 45 Blue Lake Casino 46 WINE Humboldt County Grown 47-49 BEER Sunrise Rotary 50-51 Fire Brothers BBQ 52 Dashi 53-54 Hog Island Oyster 55-56 Humboldt Bay Oyster Co.
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A rts , C rafts & A rtisans 2015 Poster art by Maya Aviña
For the 25th Anniversary, Arcata Main Street invited the artist who designed the original, iconic “Oyster Man” graphic, using a process known as scratchboard, to create the commemorative poster and logo. “Lorna Brown and I were partners in the early ’90s, and when we presented poster proposals, we each had two or three designs to show and for this one mine was selected. I’m thrilled that the artwork has been so enjoyed over the years,” said Maya.
Oyster Fest Gift Shop
Look for the Oyster fest Gift Shop at 8th and H streets for themed gifts and souvenirs from downtown businesses, official Oyster Fest merchandise (T-shirts, 25th Anniversary cups, glasses and beer steins, aprons) and more!
Humboldt Made
Check out the Humboldt Made area on H street between 7th and 8th streets for great live entertainment by The Hip Joint and locally made arts and crafts.
25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
P layhouse & K inetics
Arcata Playhouse and Playhouse Arts enliven
the Oyster Festival with their signature outdoor spectacles, including giant puppets, stiltwalkers, street performers, and the Pink Polka-dot Peglegged Pony! Watch for the bright colors, oversized creatures and festival fun!
Human-powered, amphibious, allterrain Kinetic Sculptures will be sprinkled
along G and H streets north of the Arcata Plaza and staged in the parking lot at Pacific Outfitters’ Kinetic Kar Show. Check out the “Shells Angels” biker gang and the Hot Roddenberrys – Grease meets Star Trek. Ken will have his 30 foot metal shark all steam punked out, calling it “Bite Me... Punk.” Blue Oyster Cult and other sculptures will also make appearances.
Characters from Dell’Arte’s Mary Jane the Musical may make special appearances at the Oyster Fest!
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R esource esource R ecovery ecovery Recycling
Please note the Resource Recovery Sites located around the Arcata Plaza. They feature the latest in waste diversion to enhance the sustainability of the festival. At each station there will be clearly labeled receptacles. • Recyclables – beer cups, bottles, cans, and cardboard • Compostables – napkins, wax cups, paper coffee cups, food boats & food scraps • Landfill trash – plastic bags, straws, cup lids, plastic forks • Oyster shells – all oyster shells will be repurposed by Blue Lake Casino, who will use them for landscaping and soil amendment.
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What
25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
Arcata Main Street is
a non-profit organization that works to create a healthy, vibrant downtown Arcata. It does this by fostering business vitality, providing opportunities for community events, and organizing projects and initiatives that respond to community needs.
is
Through the work of its Board of Directors, its committees and its members, Arcata Main Street has created numerous festive experiences on and around the Plaza, including: Halloween Trick-or-Treat, Season of Wonder and Light, monthly Arts! Arcata events and the annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. Arcata Main Street has also coordinated funding for downtown businesses to refurbish and renovate their building exteriors, created promotional efforts to support downtown businesses, and partnered with the City of Arcata, the Arcata Chamber of Commerce, Humboldt State University and others to allow visitors and locals alike to take advantage of the many offerings of Arcata’s independent business community and historic downtown. The Arcata Bay Oyster Festival has become a significant source of revenue that Arcata Main Street uses to support its operations and activities. Proceeds from this event are reinvested in the community to promote Arcata’s identity, economy and cultural spirit.
Board of Directors for 2015 Ed Bernard, Libation Amanda Dorigoni, US Bank Anna Jewett, Pacific Outfitters Vicky Joyce, Bubbles Nick Matthews, Pacific Paradise David Neyra, Humboldt Outfitters Dan Tangney, The Garden Gate Brett Watson, Humboldt Traders
Visit our website at www.oysterfest.net for all the latest news !
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25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
S ponsors
Half Shell Sponsors
Oyster Shooter Sponsors
Shell Fish Sponsors
Mollusks Sponsors
Humboldt Bay Oyster Co. North Bay Shellfish Kumamoto Sponsors
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25th Annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
2015 P artners Without you, this festival would not be possible!! Abruzzi Catering Aldaron Laird AmeriCorp Aqua Rodeo Farms Arcata Chamber of Commerce Arcata Fire Protection District Arcata Garbage Arcata Mad River Transit System Arcata Main Street Members and Board of Directors Arcata Playhouse/ Playhouse Arts Arcata Police Department Bank of America 95.5 The Bay Blue Lake Casino Bob Doran Brio Café Bubbles Bug Press CAFF Buy Fresh Buy Local City of Arcata Coast Central Credit Union Coast Seafoods Company Coastal Business Systems Cynthia Hooper Dave Silverbrand Dianna Rios Edward Jones Investments Eel River Brewery Eureka Payments Fire & Light
Fortuna Business Improvement District Hog Island Oyster Company Humboldt Bay Harbor District Humboldt Bay Oyster Company Humboldt Baykeeper Humboldt Beer Distributors Humboldt County Grown Humboldt Crabs Humboldt Creamery Humboldt Made Humboldt Outfitters Humboldt Roller Derby Humboldt Wine Association Humboldt Grown Wines: Quality Assured Jack Durham Jambalaya Jitter Bean Coffee Company Kevin Hoover KBAE KGOE KHSU KHUM KIEM Kinetic Lab KSLUG KWPT The Point Libation Lost Coast Brewery Lost Coast Outpost Mad River Brewery Mad River Union Maya Avina Mazzotti’s
Michael Welch Mike “Tofu” Schwartz Mike Wilson Miss Aiya’s New World Water Moore’s Sleep World North Bay Shellfish North Coast Growers’ Association North Coast Journal North Coast Mercantile North Country Fair / Same Old People Pacific Outfitters Pacific Paradise Pacific Seafood Plaza Grill Rachel Hoeflein-Lay Redwood Capital Bank Redwood Curtain Brewery Rita’s Cafe Rotaracts Rotary Club of Arcata Noon Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise Russ Cole Sam Safier Scott Sterner SCRAP Humboldt Select Bankcard Six Rivers Brewery Statewide Traffic Safety & Signs Simon “Stir Fry Willie” Kriger Times Standard US Bank Wells Fargo Zero Waste Humboldt