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Newport Seafood & Wine Festival To Pack Central Oregon Coast This Month

Newport

(Newport, Oregon) – At the last weekend of every February, the central Oregon coast resort town of Newport swells with well over 17,000 visitors, who come to the annual Newport Seafood & Wine Festival for a weekend of wine, wonders in the culinary world, seafood and arts & crafts.

This year, the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival celebrates its 30th year of cramming hordes of wine and food lovers into a small coastal town, happening February 23 - 25, 2007 - adjacent to the Rogue Ales Warehouse, 2320 OSU Drive, just south of downtown Newport.

Entry fees at the door range from $7- $13, depending on the day.

Groups of 15 or more can call the Chamber office (800-262-7844).

More than 120 exhibitors are on hand at this festive and energetic event – including wineries, microbrews, dishes prepared by some of the finest chefs in the western U.S., and arts & crafts booths. Wines from Washington, Oregon and California are spotlighted.

The culinary fireworks include such exotic dishes as calimari, eel, as well as the Oregon coast’s renowned salmon, oysters and Dungeness crab. For those who don’t like seafood, plenty of other food items will be available as well.

Photography, painting, framed exotic fish prints, handcrafted jewelry, original oceanscape paintings, wood carvings, wall hangings and pottery are just a few of the arts and crafts you can expect to find at the festival.

Nehalem Bay Winery is always full of surprises

The full list of wine vendors is:

Abiqua Wind Vineyard, Airlie Winery Amity Vineyards Anthony Dell Cellars Barking Frog Winery, Cardwell Hill Cellars, Cathedral Ridge Winery, Champagne Creek Cellars, Chateau Bianca Winery, Chateau Lorane Winery, Cliff Creek Wines, David Hill Winery, Eola Hills Wine Cellars, Girardet Wine Cellars, Hauer of the Dauen Winery, Honeywood Winery, Hawks View Winery/Sea Mist Winery, Hip Chicks Do Wine, Kramer Vineyards, Kristin Hill Winery, Lavelle Vineyards, Marquam Hill Vineyards, Namaste Vineyards, Coleman Vineyard, Nehalem Bay Winery, Oak Knoll Winery, Orchard Heights Winery, Pheasant Valley Winery, Saginaw Vineyards, River's Edge Winery, Sake One, Silvan Ridge/Himan Vineyards Winery, Silverton Cellars/Vitis Ridge Wines, Spangler Vineyards, Spindrift Cellars, Sweet Cheeks Winery, Springhill Cellars, ST. Josef's Wine Cellars, Trinity Vineyards, Troon Vineyard, Tyee Wine Cellars, Valley View Winery, Vitae Springs Vineyard, Willamette Valley Vineyards/Griffin Creek, Wasson Bros Winery, Wine By Joe and Youngberg Hill Vineyards and Pacific Northwest Wine Club.

Newport's Yaquina Bay Lightouse

Along with a number of civic organizations providing food booths, the list of culinary concessions to be found this year include:

Buoy's Best Chowder, C&H Classic Smoked Fish, Café De La Rue, Canby Asparagus Farm, Chinook Winds Casino Resort, CMV Concessions, Costco Wholesale, Cousin Kenny's BBQ, Embarcadero Dock, Keli's Hawaiian Teriyaki, Garlic Gourmay, Garlic Lady, Great Bear Chocolates, Local Ocean Seafoods, Lovin' Spoonful Catering, Moby Dick's Seafood & Spirits and Mr. Bill's Village Smokehouse, Inc.

Arts and Crafts available this year include:

Altrusa, Authentic African Art, Bead Chica, Moenig Designs, Breach The Moon Gallery, Forrest Gallery, KT'S Treasure Chest, MA Graphics, Michaels Coastal Photos, Panepento Jewelry Designs, Roby's Furniture, Silk & Stone, Pencil Art By Maddox, Piromya, Old World Candies, Rogue Creamery, Sada's Sushi Bar, Oregon Flavor Rack, Original Shrimp & Crab Company, Otis Café, Rice Plate, Rogue Ales, Sand Lake Farm, LLC, Shrimply Delicious, Tillamook Creamery Association, Talismana Designs, Vincent LaRochelle Designs, Wild Rose, Wind Drift Gallery and Wine Country Woodcraft.

The festival takes place along the stunning tranquility of Yaquina Bay, with its bustling bayfront across the way from the facility hosting the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival. Also for the enjoyment of the visitor are two lighthouses, miles of pristine beaches, the charming, historic Nye Beach area, numerous other legendary dining and wine establishments and some innovative and beautiful lodging possibilities.

Being the early bird is the key more than ever these days for lodging, as rooms fill up to 100 percent in the area, including in outlying towns like Depoe Bay, Lincoln City and Waldport.

Nye Beach

“Lodging occupancy usually is 100 percent for the weekend, and bookings several months out or even a year out are common,” said Lorna Davis, Director of Tourism Development for the Newport Chamber. “Those who wait until the last minute to book may be out of luck – unless there’s a last-minute cancellation.”

Check back here on Thursday or at the home page for lodging availability reports for the weekend. There is also the Birding and Blues Festival in Pacific City that weekend, so there is little lodging to be found in Lincoln County - but BeachConnection.net is getting reports of availability for beach homes and some rooms in Lincoln City, and even a few in Newport. Check back on Thursday for complete reports.

Economic impact of the festival in the area is huge as well, said Davis. “There are around 17,000 that go through the gate each year, though the population of Newport can and does swell beyond that,” said Davis. “Lodging, dining, retail, grocery and other businesses all look forward to the surge of business this event provides in the dead of winter. It is estimated anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 million dollars come into the community during this time, which is significant given the time of year that the event is held.”

You must be 21 years or older to attend this event. You must also show valid picture ID or you will not be able to enter the event. The site is smoke free and handicapped accessible. Parking at the facility is $3. Shuttles buses will run for free from Newport.

Festival hours & costs:

Friday 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. $10

Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. $13

Sunday 10 a.m. 4 p.m. $7 (seniors and Lincoln County residents $6)

www.newportchamber.org

800-262-7844.

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