Eltrym Theater, 1809 1st Street

Mid-August

www.welikeemshort.com

At first blush it may seem incongruous that the small far-eastern community of Baker City would spawn an award-winning film festival, but upon further examination such surprise is short lived for Baker City, today home to the historic Eltrym Theater, was an early proponent of the performing arts. By 1884 the Oregon Short Line Railroad arrived in Baker City, and by 1900 this scenic community with the commanding views of the Elkhorn Range was the largest city on the rail line between Salt Lake City and Portland. Money—from mining and ranching and other pursuits—flowed freely, engendering an upper class eager to embrace the finer appointments, such as theater. Likely its first performance stage was the Rust Opera House, opened in the late 1800s; the city enjoyed nearly continuous service by various theaters and entrepreneurs whose interests included the performing arts.

The modern-day incarnation of these visionaries is multifaceted artist and former New Yorker Brian Vegter, now a Baker City resident, who created the We Like ’Em Short Film Festival (WLES) in 2009 to celebrate the art of animated and comedic short films, providing a platform for independent filmmakers from around the world to share their talent and projects. Short films present a challenge for scriptwriters, animators, and filmmakers, requiring concise and creative storytelling that captivates an audience quickly and holds it raptly. Annually WLES screens a variety of outstanding short films, all twenty minutes or less, and showcases local and regional filmmakers as well as films from around the world. Each year WLES hosts talented directors, with past special visitors including Chel White, Doug Lussenhop, Benjamin Morgan, and Joanna Priestley. Directors conduct workshops and presentations during this four-day festival and even work with the Baker High School Film Arts Club, one of the beneficiaries of proceeds from the event.

All short films—more than fifty each year—are shown on Eltrym Theater’s giant #1 screen through a Christie Digital Projector. Because they are so short, these films are generally only seen at film festivals and on the internet, so WLES provides big-screen showings that allow audiences to appreciate the vision and creativity of these projects. In 2014, WLES was honored with an Ovation Award from the Oregon Festival and Events Association, which recognized the festival as the Best Fine Art or Performing Arts Festival in Oregon.

Such prestige is further bolstered by the wonderful host city: Baker City exudes Old West charm and small-town congeniality; it’s a terrific place to spend a few days, not only to take in the festival but to sample the community’s variety of fine restaurants, fun pubs, and interesting shops, and to branch out to explore the verdant forested mountains nearby and their many hidden treasures. During the evenings of the festival, a variety of venues in the core downtown area host live music—and few towns in Oregon are more pleasant for a summer- evening stroll than historic Baker City. Tickets for WLES (modestly priced) are available via the event website, and for filmmakers aspiring to have their work showcased at this ever-expanding film fest, heed Vegter’s instructions: “Be creative, make us laugh and keep it short.”

The historic Eltrym Theatre anchors the award-winning We Like ’Em Short Film Festival.

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Empire District, various venues

Late June

coosbay.org/clamboree-and-glass-art-fest

What do bivalves and blown-glass art have in common? Simple: they share the spotlight at one the south coast’s most joyous and intriguing community festivals, the Clamboree & Glass Art Festival, held each summer in Coos Bay’s historic Empire District. Founded as Empire City in 1853, the town ultimately voted to become part of Coos Bay in 1965. The district occupies the bayfront on the west edge of the city, once a thriving working waterfront. The entirety of the Coos Bay estuary system has long been famous for excellent clamming prospects, so much so that to this day the gaper clam is locally called an Empire clam.

Fittingly, clams are a big part of Clamboree, served up in a variety of delectable forms by food vendors—clam chowder, grilled clams, clam hoagies, and even clam cakes. Many other wonderful foods are available, and adults

Kids love the tractor train at the Clamboree & Glass Art Festival.

21 and over can partake in local craft ales from 7 Devils Brewing or choose wine or even spirits. Meanwhile, the festival’s other top-billed attraction, the glass blowers, demonstrate and sell their intricate and beautiful creations, while an eclectic lineup of live music entertains fest-goers throughout the day. In addition to live music, Clamboree always serves up new entertainment surprises, which over the years have included folk dancers, a drum group, a magician, hula dancers and ukulele players, and old-time fiddlers.

Moreover, one of the most popular events at this congenial festival is a one-of-a-kind in Oregon, the annual Hollerin’ Contest, held at the aptly named Hollering Place Wayside. In this case, the Hollerin’ Contest is intricately tied to local history: Coos Bay is a narrow inlet, about a half mile across from Empire to the North Spit. The actual Hollering Place is across the bay from the wayside; Native Americans would stand on the north side of the bay and holler across the channel for a ride to the other side. Someone from the village would then canoe across to get them. When white settlers arrived, they adopted the same custom. Today this tradition carries on in the jovial Hollerin’ Contest, in which contestants belt out as many decibels as they can muster, with their lungpower measured with a meter. The most boisterous contestants in each of three categories—men, women, and kids—win prizes donated by local merchants.

Clamboree stretches for several blocks, and along the way are a host of other activities, including open houses with demonstrations, interpretive displays, and sales at the Coos Bay Boat Building Center, the beautiful historic Tower House (built in 1872 and now a B&B), and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Tribal Hall. There is no admission fee; just show up on Saturday morning, park at one of lots at or near the waterfront, and spend the day in revelry.

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Tenmile Lake County Park

Mother’s Day weekend in early May

www.facemy blog.com/Lakeside-Crawdad-Festival-321710537538/

Lots and lots of boiled crawfish, loads of cooked shrimp, maybe some alligator sausage; throw in some pirates and their wenches, and all kinds of great live music—yes, Lakeside is a bit of a drive for most Oregonians, but the annual Lakeside Crawdad Festival is a frolicking good time that makes the perfect

Newport Paper & my blog Arts Festival spotlights the amazing talents of paper artists from around the region capstone for a Mother’s Day weekend spent on the south coast.

Aptly named Lakeside, the close-knit community on the shores of sprawling, sinuous Tenmile and North Tenmile Lakes, about equidistant between Reedsport and North Bend, throws out the welcome mat for one of only two festivals in the state dedicated to the crayfish—aka crawdad—a freshwater shellfish especially popular in Southern cuisine. Annually the Lakeside Crawdad Festival burns through, or rather boils through, some 300 pounds of crawfish shipped in from Louisiana, the heartland of Cajun and Creole cooking, and anyone who waits until Sunday midday risks sadly discovering that the fest has run out of this scrumptious delicacy. Alongside the crawdad tails and claws, shrimp and alligator are on the menu. Bring an appetite because crawdad and shrimp are available in both half-pound and full one-pound meals, and alligator is available in both two-piece and three-piece meals as well as on a stick. Samplers are available for anyone who has never tried these three delicacies. Prices are very reasonable and you can wash down these rare treats with a beer or wine in the beer garden.

Throughout the three-day event, some of the region’s top musicians entertain the ebullient crowds, and a variety of vendors offers arts, crafts, foods, and others wares at the extensive street fair running alongside the crawfish festivities. Friday evening, the fun kicks off with a crawdad-eating contest, and throughout the weekend chefs compete in cooking contests, while kids get to catch live crawfish for the crawdad races and revel in the kids carnival.

Since its inception in 2007, the Lakeside Crawdad Festival has continued to gain attention throughout the state—to the tune of more than 10,000 attendees by its second year. So leave nothing to chance: my blog lodging or reserve a nearby campsite well in advance and make a weekend of it.

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Lincoln City

D River State Recreation Site

Late June and early fall

www.oregoncoast.org/lincoln-city-summer-kite-festival

www.oregoncoast.org/lincoln-city-fall-kite-festival

Lincoln City’s beautiful D River Beach comes alive with color during the Kite Festival. Lincoln City throws two popular Saturday/Sunday kite festivals each year, one in late June (Lincoln City Summer Kite Festival) and one in early fall (Lincoln City Fall Kite Festival), both held at the beautiful sand beach in the center of town at D River Wayside. These kaleidoscopic celebrations feature incredible displays of kite flying with massive, eye-popping kites of all descriptions handled by experts.

From simple handmade diamond-shaped kites like those we all flew as kids to the most elaborate novelty kites, every style of kite is represented at these family-friendly festivals, and at peak times the vibrant-blue summer sky over the beach literally swarms with incredible kites of all descriptions. In addition to the super-popular and colorful “big kites,” expert flyers also demonstrate stunt kites and other specialty styles. Events include the festive Running of the Bols, in which participants do their best to run the beach into the wind to launch and fly big, circular, spinning, bol-style kites, the Kids Kite Parade on the Beach, and the free kite-making workshops for kids. The daily schedule can vary based on weather conditions, but the beach and the surrounding area is well worth exploring no matter the weather.

The spectacular kite displays and the fun festival activities make the Lincoln City Kite Festivals must-see spectacles, and this central-coast community offers many other activities and attractions: quiet stretches of beach with little-known hidden access points, fantastic shops of every description, eateries ranging from great seafood restaurants to regionally renowned dinner houses, a popular craft brewery, countless lodging options, crabbing and fishing on Siletz Bay, and much more. Though spacious, the parking lot at D River Wayside fills up on festival weekends, so arrive early. Otherwise park at the nearby Lincoln City Community Center or Lincoln City Outlets and use the free shuttle, which runs continuously from 10 am to 4 pm both Saturday and Sunday. D River Wayside is within easy walking distance of a variety of restaurants, lodging options, and shops, as well as pleasant D River State Recreation Site.

Southern Oregon Kite Festival

Brookings

Port of Brookings-Harbor Kite Field

Third weekend in July

www.southernoregonkitefestival.com

Anchoring Oregon’s south coast, the community of Brookings offers everything a traveler could want—incredible beaches, myriad lodging options, fun restaurants, intriguing shops, wonderful weather much of the time, and a variety of enjoyable annual events, including one of the premier kite festivals in the United States. Since 1993, the Southern Oregon Kite Festival has attracted some of the best-known kite fliers and kite makers, all there to perform with bedazzling kites of all kinds and display their creations for locals and tourists alike. This invitational event originated as the dream of kite hobbyist Steve O’Brien and as the creation of Larry and Lynn Goodman, former owners of KCRE radio station in Crescent City,

California. Beginning in 2001 the Port of Brookings Harbor assumed sponsorship of the festival. In 2006, the kite festival became a nonprofit organization managed by a dedicated group of community volunteers.

The event, which is free to the public (including free parking and a free shuttle bus), offers kite demonstrations featuring everything from classic diamond-style kites to elaborate and incredibly decorative giant inflatables (and many other kinds of kites). Kids can build kites themselves at the free kite-making classes, and a variety of vendors offer not only kites and kite-related merchandise but also other arts and crafts and a variety of local foods. The festival begins with a Friday-night indoor kite-flying demo at the Brooking-Harbor High School gymnasium, then the outdoor events begin Saturday morning at 10 at the harbor along the mouth of the Chetco River (which is also adjacent to lovely Sporthaven Beach).

Sunday begins with the pancake breakfast at the Harbor Fire Hall.

Parking is limited at the kite-flying field, but the free shuttle buses run from the spacious parking lot nearby on Lower Harbor Road. Each year, the festival publishes a program (available on the website) that lists many lodging options, but make reservations early; RVers can find spaces very close to the kite field at either Beachfront RV Park, www.beachfrontrvpark.com, or Driftwood RV Park, www.driftwoodrvpark.com, and the area offers several other RV sites.

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Marine Park, 355 Wa Na Pa Street

Mid-August

www.pctdays.com

Stretching for 2,659 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, through the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, the Pacific Crest Trail was completed in 1993, with many of its segments leading through designated wilderness areas in California, Oregon, and Washington, not to mention six national parks.

Along its colossal course, the PCT (as devotees lovingly call it) necessarily intersects highways, backroads, and rivers; it crosses some sixty major mountain passes and dips though nineteen major canyons. But only once does it run into a truly monumental obstacle: the mighty Columbia River. The Outdoors enthusiast check out the vendors at Pacific PCT meets the Columbia at Crest Trail Days.

Cascade Locks and crosses the river on the 1,856-foot-long Bridge of the Gods a few miles downstream from Bonneville Dam.

The bridge is, of course, an essential link in the Pacific Crest Trail and the perfect place to gather in honor of the PCT and everything wilderness represents to the American collective consciousness. So each August, Pacific Crest Trail Days, a three-day festival at Cascade Locks, draws throngs of likeminded outdoor enthusiasts together for an energetic celebration of hiking, camping, backpacking, and other pursuits. Attendees learn about essential skills and get the scoop on the latest outdoor products from a variety of exhibiting sponsors, including some of the biggest names in outdoor recreation alongside innovative small companies. Moreover, PCT Days includes all kinds of fun activities, games, and presentations, along with outstanding local food and beverage vendors, live music, and great deals at the largest gear expo in the country.

With tent-camping available for a modest fee on Thunder Island or by vehicle at the Cascade Locks Marine Park, many attendees stay for the entire event, but day-trippers are equally welcome, and the festival even serves as a special respite for hikers navigating the PCT. Festivities kick off Friday afternoon with the opening of the gear expo (which continues all day Saturday) and with the rollicking evening PCT Days Welcome Party featuring games, trivia, food, drinks, and more, followed by live music (each summer, the event website announces all the activities and details for PCT Days). Saturday delivers a full slate of fun activities and games, with live music capping off the evening—if you’re visiting PCT Days for one day, Saturday it should be. Throughout the day, attendees can buy inexpensive raffle tickets at the PCT Days info booth, and then come evening hope to win great gear prizes in the jubilant PCT Days Gear Raffle at the big stage. All proceeds from raffle ticket sales go to the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the American Long Distance Hiking Association-West.

The final special event occurs Sunday morning, when PCT Days treats Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers to a free breakfast before they shoulder their packs and hit the trail. PCT Days is the perfect way to bone up on outdoor skills, check out all the latest gear, mingle with outdoor-loving friends old and new, and revel in the words of Edward Abbey: “Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.”

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Wulfy Beach, Tenmile Lake County Park Father’s Day weekend in mid-June www.facemy blog.com/lakesidebrewfest/

Location, location, location. And for a brew fest, it doesn’t get much better than a summer day at the beautiful new Wulfy Beach on Tenmile Lake. Hosted by the city of Lakeside, a friendly little waterside community that annually draws boaters and RVers by the throngs to play at Tenmile Lake and the nearby beaches, the Lakeside Brewfest features most of Oregon’s south coast breweries, as well as a few surprise vendors from afar. In recent years, even a few craft cider producers and wineries have joined the fray.

Beginning on Friday afternoon and running through Saturday, the festival features live music, as well as a variety of ancillary activities for both adults and children. The festival vendors set up under canopy tents on the extensive lawn at Wulfy Park; the park features dozens of palm trees and an extensive sand beach, not to mention a commanding view of Tenmile Lake and the surrounding evergreen-cloaked coastal hills. Tenmile Lake County Park sits adjacent to Wulfy Park and features a large public boat ramp. Visitors can literally boat in to the brew fest, with larger boats using the county park’s mooring and small craft such as kayaks paddling right up to the beach.

The brew fest makes a great primary destination, as does Tenmile Lake— the lake itself, with Lakeside as the hub, offers superb water skiing and other water sports, and is one of Southern Oregon’s best fisheries for largemouth bass, panfish, and large yellow perch. Lakeside is just ten miles north of Coos Bay and offers all basic services and amenities—including a handful of fun restaurants, including Up the Creek Tavern on 8th Street, just a five-minute walk from the brew fest, as well as the restaurant at Lakeside Shore Lodge, which has window seats overlooking the Tenmile Lake. Entry fees for the brew fest are nominal and include the logo-inscribed tasting glass.

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Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 92937 Walluski Loop Third full weekend in June www.astoriascanfest.com

The Pacific Northwest enjoys a rich Nordic heritage, having attracted immigrants from Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) and Finland as early as the mid-1800s, and in just a twenty-year period, from 1890 to 1910, more than 150,000 Scandinavians settled in the Pacific Northwest. Astoria, the first permanent US settlement on the Pacific Coast and incorporated as a city in 1876, attracted Scandinavian and Finnish settlers in substantial numbers in the late nineteenth century, many of them migrating there to earn a living fishing the bountiful Columbia River. To this day, many descendants of the Nordic immigrants still reside in and around Astoria.

This pleasant and popular north coast community celebrates its Nordic roots each year with the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival. Historically midsummer was celebrated on the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, but its roots can be traced to pre-Christian solstice celebrations; in 1952, the Swedish Parliament decreed that this major festival be held on a weekend, so it always falls between June 20 and 26. The Midsummer Festival in Astoria began its modern incarnation as a Brownie troop presentation in 1968, and soon grew into a citywide celebration. During its three-day run, this colorful and educational event features myriad Scandinavian musical, dance, and theater group performances, as a well as an engaging array of traditional Midsummer Fest activities, and numerous vendors offering handcrafts, imported Scandinavian goods, and traditional Scandinavian foods. Special meals—Beef Dinner, Viking Dinner, Midnight Sun Breakfast, Pannukakku Breakfast— provide a chance to try traditional preparations at very modest prices.

The vendor area and beer gardens open on Friday afternoon, and Friday evening brings the Queen’s Coronation in which a panel of judges selects Miss Scandinavia for that year. This festive event includes presentations on Scandinavian heritage as well as theatrical performances, and then ushers in the Torchlight Parade, in which Scandia men bearing flaming torches escort the newly crowned Miss Scandinavia and audience members to the bonfire to throw straw hexes into the flames. This tradition symbolizes ridding oneself of bad luck for the year. Accordionists play tunes and dances tend to break out around the fire. Saturday kicks off with the Midnight Sun Breakfast and the Running of the Trolls (register online or at the festival), with several footrace distances to choose from. Entertainment, ongoing throughout the weekend, highlights superb musicians and actors, and also includes a living history display called the Empire of Chivalry and Steel Viking Encampment, in which costumed reenactors demonstrate crafts, tournaments, armor making, and combat arts from the culture of the Middle Ages.

The festival parade begins midday on Saturday, featuring Miss Scandinavia and her court, costumed dancers and entertainers, representatives from the Scandinavian lodges, and family groups parading through the arena and festival grounds to the outdoor stage for the traditional Flag Raising and Midsummer Pole ceremony. Saturday festivities go deep into the night, with a variety of additional activities held throughout the day and Celebrate Nordic heritage at the Astoria evening, including the Parade Scandinavian Midsummer Festival of Costumes, providing attendees a chance to speak with traditionally attired festival participants about their costumes. Hungry fest-goers can dive into traditional foods of many kinds, with lefse (Norwegian flat bread) being a major attraction. Ultimately the Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival comes to a close with a formal flag ceremony on Sunday afternoon, but not before throngs of attendees have garnered newfound appreciation for the Northwest’s Nordic heritage and perhaps their own family histories.

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Various venues

Memorial Day weekend

www.brookingsharborchamber.com

In 1939, the state of Oregon opted to dedicate a new state park at the outskirts of the then-tiny community of Brookings. The site was chosen because of its prodigious and beautiful native western azaleas (Rhododendron occidentale).

WL Crissey and Elmer Bankus, well-known local citizens and members of the Brookings Chamber of Commerce, felt the dedication ceremony for Azalea State Park should be a showy extravagant The Azalea Parade is one of many events included in the Brookings Azalea Festival. affair, and conceived the Azalea Festival. The inaugural event, with state parks superintendent Samuel H. Boardman in attendance and the azaleas in full bloom, was a regal success, with a variety of events, including a parade, Azalea Queen coronation, and a nightcap banquet featuring barbequed hog. That evening amid the fanfare, according to state parks historian WA Langille, the locals decided the event should continue annually. World War II, however, intervened, and after the even larger festivals of 1940 and 1941, the event was suspended as the nation had more pressing matters weighing on its collective conscious. After the war, the festival began anew and continued to expand in scope and attendance.

Today, this sprawling, multiday festival draws some 15,000 attendees annually and features a wide variety of activities and events held throughout Brookings-Harbor. Hundreds of participants make the Azalea Parade on Saturday a key part of the celebration, with spectators lining the route, and an expansive street fair features many dozens of vendors. The event continues the tradition of crowning an Azalea Queen from a court of princesses, and the park itself is headquarters for several key events, including the presentation of the queen as well as the festival grand marshall and the Pioneer Citizens. Associated events during the five-day-long community-wide celebration include a classic car show, quilt show, carnival, my blog sale, veterans events, and the prodigious Azalea Festival Art Show, which draws some 150 exhibitors.

At the two-day art show (free admission), local and regional artists, from novices to professionals, display and sell their works, and skilled artists conduct workshops throughout the show. Out-of-town judges select winning entries in the art competition, and special awards are chosen by the Azalea Festival Queen, Grand Marshall of the Parade, and the Pioneer Citizens. All show visitors may vote for the People’s Choice award. Meanwhile, down in the adjoined town of Harbor, local Chetco Brewing Company sponsors Rock the Chetco, a lively, festive, weekend-long party featuring craft beers, great food, games, brewing competition, artisan market, and outstanding live music.

More than two dozen different events, activities, and associated celebrations make up the Brookings Azalea Festival, with the schedule posted on the fest website well in advance. Because Azalea Fest is held over Memorial Day weekend and attracts lots of visitors, be sure to reserve lodging well in advance.

Source: Toursmaps.com

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Les Schwab Amphitheater, Old Mill District Mid-August

https://bendbrewfest.com

These days, beerocratic Bend doesn’t do much of anything that isn’t a lively major production, and millennials might be surprised to learn that not long before they were born, busy, bustling, ebullient Bend was a rather quiet little oasis where strangers said hello when passing on the quiet downtown sidewalks. Such nostalgia aside, these days Bend is a swank destination drawing visitors from all quarters; it is now the state’s fifth-largest metropolitan areas and among the fastest growing in the nation.

Bend is also one of the most beercentric cities in the West, as evidenced not only by its myriad always-crowded breweries but also by the massive, jovial, frolicking Bend Brewfest, spanning three days each August at the sprawling lawn of the Les Schwab Amphitheater in the Old Mill District just south of downtown. Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds vie for samples of dozens upon dozens of regional beers in this incredible event that surely must by now rank among the most grandiose brew festivals in the state. In recent years, the Bend Brewfest has boasted at least 100 breweries, cideries, and wineries, and that number may soon hit 200. One of the popular aspects of the Bend Brewfest are the XTap samplings at the Brewtality Tent: numerous participating brewers bring low-production specialty beers to sample during designated time slots and the brewers themselves are on hand at the

Bend Brewfest is a massive, three-day celebration of regional ales.

Brewtality Tent to talk about their creations. The Brewfest begins on Thursday at noon and runs through Saturday, open until 11 each night. Thursday generally begins rather inauspiciously, making it a great time to find nearby parking—get there early and plan to stay into the night. There is no actual admission fee, but sampling requires one-time purchase of a souvenir mug that comes with five tasting tokens and additional tokens are sold separately.

A variety of excellent food vendors (cash only/ATM onsite) provide an eclectic lineup of meals and snacks. Parents are welcome to bring children up until 5 pm; thereafter the event is 21 and over only. August in Bend almost always means all-day intense sunshine, so bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and perhaps even a low-profile carryable beach/camp chair. Parking is always a challenge, so consult the event parking map at www.bendconcerts. com/parking_map.html. Lodging in Bend is even more challenging than parking, so make hotel reservations weeks if not months in advance. Campgrounds are scattered throughout the region, including ever-popular and conveniently located Tumalo State Park on the north end of town. This three-day festival allows readmission, so you only need to buy the required sampling mug on your first entry; spend some time exploring the city, then come back for more frivolity at one of Oregon’s biggest brew fests.

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Rogue Ales & Spirits, 2320 SE OSU Drive Second weekend in August www.rogue.com

Oregon is a decidedly dog-friendly state, and many of its craft breweries welcome our four-legged friends to outdoor seating venues as allowed by state law. So why not honor canine companions by throwing a brew bash specifically for a beloved pup from long ago—Rogue Ales brewmaster John Maier’s faithful buddy, the black Labrador aptly named Brewer, who passed away in 2006. In honor of Brewer, Rogue launched Brewer’s Memorial Ale Fest, now called the Rogue Dog Days of Summer Oregon Coast Brew Festival, which celebrates dogs perhaps even more than it celebrates ales.

Held at Rogue’s main campus on the south side of Yaquina Bay, this two- day festival features a variety of activities for dogs and their owners: cutest wag contest, best dog trick competitions, dog fashion contest, doggy musical chairs, dog wash, dog-owner lookalike contest, dog Olympics, and the ever-popular Brewer lookalike competition.

Fittingly, Rogue Brewery donates proceeds from the event, which charges a nominal entry fee and modest fees for beer samples, to local pet charity organizations.

For this unique festival, Rogue invites other regional breweries, so attendees can enjoy more than thirty ales from a dozen or so craft ale producers. Live music entertains guests throughout the event, which runs from 4 pm to 10 pm on Friday, and noon to 10 pm on Saturday. Tickets are available at Rogue’s website and at the door. One of Oregon’s largest and oldest breweries, Rogue is also among the most socially and culturally cognizant and responsible breweries in the state. A complete list of their many special events is available on the brewery website.

In addition to the headquarters in Newport, Rogue Ales & Spirits operates several tap houses in Portland, as well as one in Astoria and one each in Issaquah, Washington, and San Francisco, California. Rogue also has a taphouse and restaurant on the north side of Yaquina Bay on the historic Newport bayfront. Near Independence, Oregon, Rogue operates a cozy and inviting tasting room and farm. In addition to its well-known ales, Rogue crafts lagers, ciders, distilled spirits, and sodas; the brewery’s seasonal ales are legion and legendary.

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