Here’s the latest news from Oregon’s maritime communities of Astoria and Warrenton. In this update, you’ll find:
- Beer Buzz: Buoy Beer Opens on Riverfront
- Cheers to 200 Years: New Public Square Celebrates Chinese Heritage
- New Exhibit: Discover the Lost Age with Sea Rex in 3D
- Good Eats: Canby Asparagus Farm and Tora Sushi Open Downtown
- Upcoming Events: Music is in the Air on the North Coast
| 1. Beer Buzz: Buoy Beer Opens on Riverfront |
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Astoria’s newest tap room, Buoy Beer, has just moved into its 20-barrel brewing facility, serving up specialty Pilsners and Northwest-style ales like their popular NW Red and German Pils. Located in the historic New England Fish Co. cannery building over the Columbia River, the full-service restaurant, tap room and brewery focuses on reuse – from original walls and floors to furniture crafted from removed beams. In the restaurant space, floor-to-ceiling windows with cascading doors (10-16 ft.) will offer picturesque views of the mighty Columbia River from the lounge area. The restaurant will be open by summer 2014 for guests to enjoy a salty breeze. |
| 2. Cheers to 200 Years: New Public Square Celebrates Chinese Heritage |
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Now open in downtown Astoria, the beautiful new Garden of Surging Waves recognizes Chinese influences that helped shape and drive Astoria’s economy over the past 200 years. Chinese immigrants played a significant role in the history of Astoria, working in canneries, constructing the city’s sewer system and building the jetties at the mouth of the mighty Columbia River. Yet, this rich history has been largely undocumented throughout the town. The Garden of Surging Waves seeks to honor the experience of early Chinese immigrants and to celebrate their collective accomplishments and contributions to the Lower Columbia River Basin. The square is a place for reflection, history and community. Just like Pioneer Square has been Portland’s “Living Room” for the past 30 years, the Garden of Surging Waves will be an anchor for the continued revitalization of downtown Astoria. |
3. New Exhibit: Discover the Lost Age with Sea Rex in 3D |
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Now playing at the Columbia River Maritime Museum’s RealD 3D theater through March 2015, Sea Rex explores the amazing, pre-historic underwater universe and the larger-than-life creatures that inhabited the sea before dinosaurs roamed Earth. Go back in time to the Lost Age – 200 million years back in time – to discover the powerful Liopleurodon, long-necked Elasmosaurus and gigantic Shonisaurus. Get ready for a face-to-face encounter with the T-Rex of the seas! Tickets are $5 with museum admission and free for museum members. |
| 4. Good Eats: Casa de Tamales and Tora Sushi Lounge Open Downtown |
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Adding to Astoria’s growing food scene, Casa de Tamales from popular Canby Asparagus Farm and Tora Sushi from Seaside both opened second locations in Astoria, bringing new ethnic eats to downtown. With a cult-following at Portland-area farmers markets and a location in Milwaukie, Ore., Casa de Tamales serves up authentic tamales with fresh, local asparagus from their Canby, Ore., asparagus farm. The restaurant has plans to offer classes in the art of making tamales, enchiladas, tortillas, salsa and more. Satisfying sushi pangs on the north coast, Tora Sushi’s new downtown Astoria location opened in April 2014 and is led by head chef Paulina Hernandez. |
| 5. Tenor Guitar Gathering – June 5-8, 2014 |
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Back for its fifth year, the Tenor Guitar Gathering will feature the largest number of tenor guitar performers convened in one location, June 5-8, 2014. Hailing from Montreal to Nashville, professional tenor guitarists will travel to Astoria for a weekend of performances, parades, activities, singing and workshops taking place at various venues and impromptu locations downtown. Workshops will range from “tenor guitar for the absolute beginner,” to a “cigar box tenor guitar-making class” where children and adults will be able to craft their own playable instruments, among many more. This year’s performers include Nashville’s tenor guitar star Tim May, whose accolades include touring with Patti Loveless and being named the 2012 Best Instrumentalist by The Nashville Scene’s reader’s poll, as well as renowned guitarists The Lion Sons, Jean Mann, John Lawler and more. Preview the Tenor Guitar Gathering lineup with thisAstoria Tenor Guitar Gathering Spotify Playlist. |
| 6. Astoria Music Festival – June 13-29, 2014 |
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Lighting up the marquee of the Liberty Theater June 13-29, 2014, the just-released performance schedule for the Astoria MusicFestival suggests it’s the biggest year yet. This summer, the 12th annual Astoria Music Festival will host more than 26 classical, opera and chamber music performances from world-class stars and ensembles rarely seen outside of the United States’ largest cities. The gala’s opening act will feature renowned singer and sold-out performer Angela Mead from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera in Verdi’s tuneful tragedy “La Traviata.” Fellow Met performer Amber Wagner also returns to Oregon’s North Coast for more dazzling period performances, including her rendition of “Four Last Songs” in the symphony “Strauss at 150” to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Strauss’s birth. Other world-class performers heading to Astoria include cellist Sergey Antonov, Gold Medal prizewinner of Moscow’s prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition, Oregon Symphony Concertmaster Sarah Kwak, and pianist Carey Lewis. The Astoria Music Festival offers big city music from world-renowned performers for small-town ticket prices – something you can’t find anywhere else but on Oregon’s North Coast. |
| 7. Pacific Northwest Brew Cup – September 26-28, 2014 |
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Just in time for Oktoberfest, the Pacific Northwest Brew Cup returns to this suds-soaked corner of the Oregon Coast. The annual three-day festival features more than 36 Northwest beers, local eats, family games and live music at the Barbey Maritime Center along the Astoria Riverwalk overlooking the Columbia River. Admission is free; souvenir mugs ($9) and tokens ($1 each) are required for tastings. |
If you are working on an article now or would like to brainstorm additional story ideas including Astoria-Warrenton or Oregon’s North Coast, please let me know.
Thanks!
Sara Stewart
Maxwell PR for Astoria-Warrenton
(503) 231-3086 / sara@maxwellpr.com
Maralyn D. Hill, M.Ed., The Epicurean Explorer
Executive Editor, LuxeBeatMag.com
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