The Clambake Jazz Festival is well known throughout the region for it’s Big Band, Zydeco, Blues, Gospel, Oldies, Rock & Roll and Swing sounds- and yes, there is dancing!

A lot of people ask us “What is a clambake” and “Are there baked clams”? A “clambake” is a jam session- not a food festival (though we have plenty of those coming up). That doesn’t mean that you can’t get good seafood while you are here! Check our site for great seafood restaurants all over the area.

The 2012 theme is “More than Just Jazz” and features the sounds of some of our favorite musicians including Soulpie, Gator Beat, Stompy Jones, Coup d’Bop, Peter Krebs Trio, Sister Swing, Young Bucs, Evolution Jazz Band /Youth Bands, The Stolen Sweets, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, It’s About Time, Big Band High Street Band and Big Skies Big Band.

We recommend that you book your reservations early by visiting our lodging section.

The 2012 venues are:
The Mill Casino – Salmon Room East-West Family Site until 10 pm
The Spruce-Cedar Room Family Site until 10 pm
The Hazel-Willow-Beargrass Room, Family Site until 10 pm
The Red Lion
(All are Non-smoking venues)

Tickets to the January 20, 2012 Clambake Jazz Festival Preview are just $10 and on sale now at KoKwel Gifts inside The Mill Casino and can be purchased by visiting www.clambakejazz.org/events.

Tickets/badges to the March 9-11, 2012 Festival are available at www.clambakejazz.org/badges or by calling the Mill Casino to purchase tickets at 800.953.4800. See Festival website for band schedules and more info: www.clambakejazz.org

• What: Clamboree!
• When: Saturday, June 25, 2011 10am-6pm
• Where: Coos Bay, Oregon. Empire District (downtown area along Newmark Avenue).  Venues include the Fire Hall, the Hollering Place, Ed Lund Park, the Tribal House of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw tribes.

Clamboree! is a celebration of the history, the clams, the culture, and the future of Coos Bay, Oregon. This event is held in the Empire District along Newmark Ave, which used to be Empire City, a thriving town back in the late 1800s before it merged with Coos Bay.

Clamboree! events will include live music, a parade, food with clam themes, historic tours and cultural information and activities. Demonstrations include Native American crafts, live Coast Guard operations, and much more!   While you are here be sure to check out:

• The popular Hollerin’ contest where anyone can compete for prizes by having the loudest “holler” The contest will take place at the Hollering Place* in Empire.
• The food from the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute. Menu items include: New England Clam Chowder; Local Clam Fritters (with Remoulade); Oysters on the half shell; Crab Cocktail; Shrimp Cocktail; and OCCI Signature Apple Doughnuts.
• Live Music throughout the day from The Lab Band and many other scheduled performers

10am-11am: Robin O’Neill
12pm-1pm: Alexis Harris
1:30pm-3:30pm: Blues Gypsees
4pm – 6pm: Gran Torino
And more!

For more information contact Tom Greaves 541-888-3020 or t.greaves@charter.net

*A historical note about the Hollering Place, located at the intersection of Newmark Ave & Empire Blvd (Cape Arago Hwy). It is the located on the narrowest portion of the bay. People traveling south along the beach route would holler over to the villages for someone to paddle over and provide passage. Learn more about the history of Empire and Hollering Place in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Poster Artist Jerry Baron

The 32nd Annual Oregon Coast Music Festival officially kicks off in Coos Bay, Oregon next month and the free Opening Day Event is scheduled to begin at 12pm on July 17 at Mingus Park with the Bay Area Concert Band.

Concert goers will enjoy wine, food, and wonderful music to start the celebration.  This annual summer festival features performances in a multitude of musical styles that reflects the diverse musical tastes of our community: jazz, traditional, Native American, blues, Celtic, chamber, and features our 80-piece symphony orchestra made up of outstanding musicians from all across the country.

The festival builds in popularity each year and is getting noticed by critics. Here are some of the reviews of the event from previous years:

“Coos Bay may be a long way from Portland or San Francisco, but the concerts of the Oregon Coast Music Festival rival the best heard in the bigger cities. Live orchestral classical music performed before a regional audience is a rare cultural jewel. It deserves our respect and support.” -Keith Henty, JEFFERSON PUBLIC RADIO

“The concert was wonderful — really quite an amazing performance. This was the third time I’ve been down to hear the OCMA orchestra, and the repertoire is always interesting, the performances spirited, and the auditorium an infinitely remarkable place to hear such music. Your festival and its orchestra are real gems.“-Peter Dammann, Producer PORTLAND WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL

The festival runs through July 31 has multiple dates and venues that include Marshfield Auditorium, Mingus Park, Shore Acres State Park, The Mill Casino, OIMB Boathouse, Black Market Gourmet and Hales Center. To see the full event schedule and to get ticket information, visit www.oregoncoastmusic.com

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Did you know the Oregon Coast Music Festival…

• Attracts over 5,000 total patrons annually to concerts in Coos Bay, North Bend, Bandon, Shore Acres and Charleston.
• Is the only festival of its kind in southwestern Oregon and features top caliber performing artists from throughout the United States.
• Draws part of its audience from out-of-town, and to help boost the economy and popularity of Oregon’s Bay Area during the ten-day festival.
• Has initiated a scholarship/musical instrument support program for promising young south coast musicians.

For more information about OCMF please call 541-267-0938 or toll free 1-877-897-9350

Music!

Whale Watching!

Tall Ships!

Nature & Education

Double-platinum recording artist Tracy Byrd is one of country music’s best-loved artists, achieving gold status on five straight albums. Byrd’s smash hits include “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous,” “I’m from the Country,” “The Keeper of the Stars” and the remarkable “Watermelon Crawl.” Multiple Grammy winner and double-platinum recording artist Tracy Lawrence has produced numerous  #1 hits including “If The World had a Front Porch,” “Time Marches On,” “Can’t Break It To My Heart” and “Texas Tornado.” And, for more than a dozen years, Richie McDonald was the voice and most recognizable face for the platinum-selling country group, Lonestar. As lead singer for the CMA and ACM Award-winning group, Richie’s soaring vocals propelled such classics as “Amazed,” “No News” and “I’m Already There.”

Tickets for the performances are on sale now in the Ko-Kwel Gift Shop, you can get more information by calling 800.953.4800.  This concert is for those 21 or older.