Astoria Sunday Market is hosting the Commercial Fishing Expo and Hotdog Highliners Fisherman Competition on September 7.  “This is the first in what we hope becomes an annual tradition here in Astoria,” explains Ron Williams, Event Coordinator for Astoria Sunday Market.  Registration to enter the contests ends September 3.

Contests include a Dover Sole Relay Race comprising of teams of three; a Fork Lift Coin Flip, Oyster Eating Contest, and the ultimate test for the best fisherman:  The Hotdog Highliner Competition.  The Highliner Competition will require contestants to successfully complete a series of challenges that will include eating oysters, stacking crab pots, getting into a survival suit, and tying a bowline, among other things. 
 

Prizes will be donated by Englund Marine for the topdog hotdog highliner.  “In the fishing industry, highliners are the top fishermen,” explained Williams.

The Commercial Fishing Expo includes competition for fishermen, demonstrations of crab pot and net knitting, maritime entertainment, and guest vendors offering a variety of seafood related products.  Entertainment includes Hobe Kytr, the Sea Shanty singers from Pacific Northwest Living Historians and the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and a sampling of fisher poets.

“Our hope is to attract new people to the Market and give our regulars something different to experience,” explained Director Cyndi Mudge.  “Events like this also allow us to support the community on a broader level while promoting the Astoria Sunday Market and historic downtown Astoria as a vacation destination.”
Sponsors of the Commercial Fishing Expo and Hotdog Highliners Competition include:  Bornstein Seafood, Englund Marine, Port of Astoria, and Jon’s Seafood Market along with J & H Boatworks, Inc., Jensen Communications, Uniontown Fish Market, Pier 39, W.L. Junes, LTD., and Polk Riley’s Printing.
 
Regular Market vendors will be open for business as usual throughout the special commercial fishermen program offering fresh produce, art, hand-crafted items, food and entertainment.