Charleston, Oregon on the Coast is one of our favorite, fun places to go. Charleston has a fishing fleet from which you can purchase fresh whatever-is-in-season right off the boat. The boat docks are also a very popular place to go crabbing and we have been there many times with our crab pots. We stop at the Old General Store or one of the others for our fish head bait and off to the docks we will go to catch some great Dungeness Crab for supper. After 3 or so hours pulling in the crab pot, we’ll gather up our crabs and gear and head to one of the places that will cook and crack them for us—an arduous task that they make look easy. Here is our previous blog post about crabbing in Charleston and some of the other places we like to visit here. https://umpquariverhaven.com/2015/09/26/lets-go-fishin-7/

Along with all that fun, this weekend there is a 3-day festival celebration of seafood, beer and wine! August 11, 12, and 13 will host the 28^th annual Charleston Seafood Beer & Wine Festival at the Charleston Marina.

There will be over 50 vendors selling food, Craft Beer, Regional Wines, crafts, shirts, trinkets and much more.

The Best of the Northwest will be available all weekend in the way of locally and regionally made wine and beer. Oregon is ‘wine country’ with many vineyards and wineries. They produce great wines and you’ll have a chance to sample some this weekend, here in Charleston!

This fun weekend is sponsored by the Charleston Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, Oregon International Port of Coos Bay and K-DOCK Radio.

K-DOCK’s CLAM JAM brings live music all weekend by several groups. Our favorite group, The Clamdiggers, will be performing on Saturday at 11 a.m.

The Firefighters will have a Fire Truck Super Slide for the kids. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will have a fully stocked trout pond for the kids to fish in with the ODFW Good Guys. All the gear they need will be available.

While you are in Charleston, watch for Charlie the Tuna. Really, you can’t miss him. He was adopted by Charleston some years ago and a wood statue in his honor was erected. In 2008, the statue was destroyed by vandals. A funeral was held in the visitor’s center. The Wild Women of Charleston and The Tuna Guys provided music and mourners shared stories about Charlie. The remains were burned and buried at the center. A new statue of Charlie replaced the old one. Stop and take a selfie with Charlie when you see him.

Don’t miss this fun weekend and do stop in and say ‘Hello’ or stay with us at www.umpquahaven.com We’re just an easy hour’s drive away from Charleston.