A Looking Back at the Newport Crab Festival 1949
By Veronica Russell
Published: 02/09/2013  Updated: 08/08/2019
The Newport Crab Festival Court hoisted in a box high above a fishing boat in 1949.
The Newport Crab Festival Court hoisted in a box high above a fishing boat in 1949.  Courtesy of the Lincoln County Historical Society

The Oregon Coast has had a long love affair with Dungeness crab. Oregon's official State crustacean makes an appearance at small crab cracks and large seafood festivals all along the coast. In August, the Charleston Seafood Festival, complete with crab races, takes place near Coos Bay. In late April, the Astoria-Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival is a three-day event, much to the delight of thousands of seafood loving visitors. In February, Dungeness crab is a highlight of the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival. The Newport festival began as the Newport Crab Festival in 1938 when the abundance of crab paired with the need for visitors to the small coastal town brought 25,000 visitors came for the free lunch. This photo depicts the Newport Crab Festival Court in 1949 being hoisted in a box high above a fishing boat.
A Looking Back at the Newport Crab Festival 1949