08/23/2026
Origins of the Bay City Pearl and Oyster Music Festival .
In Bay City, from 1936 until 1941, because of little knowledge of, and little local oyster consumption, Hayes Oyster Company put on an annual promotional (free) oyster teed.
In Bay City, on land then called Cooperative Property, between what is now Hayes Oyster Drive and the railroad tracks, were dug two parallel 50-foot-long trenches for the purpose of steaming oysters. The trenches were filled with wood that burned all night. In the early morning the coals from the fire were covered with seaweed, then the oysters were put on top of the seaweed, and the oysters were covered with seaweed where they steamed until the feast began.
The annual feed became very popular, and began drawing crowds of up to 15,000 visitors and developed a carnival atmosphere. By World War II, the festival was no longer hosted.
The Bay City Oyster Festival returned in 2000 and evolved to include community-wide celebrations and now a music festival.
Pictured: Hayes Oyster barge. Tillamook County Pioneer Museum archives.
