COOS BAY, Ore. – The city of Coos Bay is turning 150 this year and while the actual birthday isn’t until October, community members are invited to celebrate all summer long.
The party kicks off May 18 with the Coos Watershed Mayfly Festival in Mingus Park. Created by the Coos Watershed Association and local partners, the festival is designed to highlight the connections between community, the environment, and water.
Events are scheduled all over the city from May to October with a big Block Party Bash taking place Saturday, October 26.
According to the city’s website, Coos Bay was originally named Marshfield when it was founded back in 1853 by J.C. Tolman, who named it after his hometown of Marshfield, Massachusetts. The city of Marshfield, Oregon was incorporated on October 24, 1874.
Then the name changed to Coos Bay in 1944 when residents voted in favor of a name change because of the community’s most prominent geographic feature. However the official name change didn’t occur until February of 1945.
Additionally the website states, the name Coos “is derived from the two distinct Tribal languages miluk and hanis, where ‘kuukus’ and ‘gugwəs’ are terms used for the Coos Bay region, signifying ‘South’ in these languages.” At that time the area was inhabited by members of the Coquille Indian Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians, and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.
Celebrations include:
- Mayfly Festival (May 18, 11am-3pm, Mingus Park)
- July 4th Celebration & Fireworks (July 4th, Mingus Park and Boardwalk)
- July Wine Walk (July 5, 5pm-7pm, Downtown and Coos Bay Village)
- Bloody Mary Walk (July 6, Downtown)
- Film Presentation of Historic Coos Bay at the Historic Egyptian Theatre (July 6, Egyptian Theatre)
- Oregon Coast Music Festival (July 13-27, multiple venues)
- Dolphin Playhouse’s presentation of “The Hollering Place Radio Show- Celebrating the 150 Year History of Coos Bay” (July 12-14 and 19-21, The Dolphin Playhouse)
- National Night Out (August 6, 6-9pm, Ed Lund Park in Empire and Eastside Park in Eastside)
- Coos Art Museum 40th Anniversary (August 11, 11am-5pm , Coos Art Museum)
- Blackberry Arts Festival (August 24 9am-6pm and August 25 10am-4pm, Downtown)
- Bay Area Fun Festival, with Cruz the Coos and Prefontaine Memorial Run (September 21-22, Downtown)
- Blowout Birthday Party (October 26, Coos Bay Village, Coos History Museum and Front Street)
To see a complete list of events, head to the Visitor & Convention Bureau website.
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