As springtime approaches with flowers blooming and the fresh coastal air pouring in, it’s time for social events and festivals to restart. When questioning what to do in Coos County there are plenty of options, such as going to the beach, biking, crabbing or fishing, and touring. One popular Coos Bay event that just took place is the Clambake Music Festival at The Mill Casino in early March.
The festival itself was first held in 1988 and has been around for approximately 30 years. But ever since, it has been a great way to discover your music pallet. The South Coast Clambake Music Festival will have nine bands and musicians attending. This includes Ocean Blvd, Alpha Rhythm Kings, and The Throttles, to name a few.
“The festival is wonderful because it’s a great way for the community to get together,” said Jim Ring, staff member at the festival. “It allows all of us to have fun and dance together. The festival actually used to be held in different venues around here, but we decided to turn it into a festival under one roof. So instead of being just a Dixieland Jazz festival – or traditional jazz – there’s other things like country and whatnot.”
Clambake has been holding free dance classes throughout the community for the last few months, getting people ready to dance the foxtrot, swing dance, salsa, electric slide, and more. While some of the bands who play at the festival are from outside the area, some are local, and try to use the event to spread music awareness in Oregon’s Bay Area.
“Our band has been together for a long time and we’ve played at this festival for the last couple of years,” said Andy Price, a bass player and band leader with Ocean Blvd Band. “It’s been a lot of fun and we’re all excited to come back,” says Price. “We suggest that people attend and if you don’t you’re missing out.”
Even the Marshfield High School jazz band also attended the festivities, and played in the festival, which took place on March 7-10 at the Mill Casino. As this is an annual event, everyone should look forward to 2025 and try to attend.
