Lady Humboldt

A weekly field guide to life on the North Coast

elegant terns · minus tides · juggling fire

April 28–May 4, 2026

Opening Letter

The Pacific has been pulling back its curtains. Minus tides this week revealed the usual secrets: purple urchins, orange stars, children with buckets. The terns have decided Humboldt Bay will do nicely. Music fills the smaller rooms this weekend, and the ceramics kilns stay warm. Lady Humboldt has been taking notes.

Weather Report

Lady Humboldt's Pick

Humboldt Juggling Festival

Saturday 2nd · 10:00 AM · Redwood Raks

Three days of objects in flight, including workshops for the curious and performances for the appreciative. The fire show particularly rewards attendance, though Lady Humboldt notes that gravity remains undefeated.

The Five

Field Notes

The Elegant Terns have arrived in Humboldt Bay this week, appearing at five separate locations with the confidence of birds who have consulted their maps and decided this is close enough to Southern California. The terns typically prefer warmer waters, which makes their presence here a matter of some ornithological interest. They have been spotted at the Elk River Wildlife Sanctuary, the Eureka waterfront, and various points between, diving for small fish with the precision of creatures who know exactly what they are doing, even if no one else does. The local gulls appear divided on the matter.

Hike of the Week

Big Tree Loop — Humboldt Redwoods

The Big Tree Loop in Humboldt Redwoods State Park offers what might be the county's most efficient introduction to old-growth grandeur. The trail forms a quarter-mile boardwalk circle around a redwood that stands 363 feet tall with a 53-foot circumference — statistics that mean less than the actual experience of standing beside something that was already ancient when your great-great-grandparents were learning to walk. The loop is flat, accessible, and takes roughly fifteen minutes if one walks with purpose, though purpose seems beside the point. The tree's fluted base creates natural rooms and alcoves where children inevitably play hide-and-seek, though hiding from something that size requires optimism. Find the trailhead along the Avenue of the Giants near Weott. Parking is straightforward. The tree has been standing there for roughly two thousand years and shows no signs of impatience.

View on Map →

Morning Spot

Old Town Coffee & Chocolates

Old Town Coffee & Chocolates on F Street roasts their beans in-house, which explains why the morning air near the boardwalk carries hints of Guatemala and dark chocolate. The lavender honey truffle has arrived for spring, though one suspects it never truly left. The baristas pull shots with the precision of people who have been caffeinating Eureka since before the waterfront was fashionable. Opens at 7 AM for those who understand timing.

View on Map →

From the Archives

This week in 1862, early settlers established the first organized dairy farms in the bottomlands surrounding Ferndale. Danish immigrants arriving in the 1870s expanded operations dramatically, and by 1890 eleven cooperative creameries operated in the Ferndale area alone. The cows, it should be noted, had no opinion on nationality.

Lady Humboldt Almanac

Featured Artist

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Humboldt Veterans Clay Group

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Happenings

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Tuesday the 28th

Arcata Library

On Display: Art by Annette Makino and Arcata Elementary Students — 12:00 PM

Eureka Main Library

On Display: Art by the Representational Art League — 12:00 PM

Wednesday the 29th

Arcata Library

Baby Bookworms — 10:15 AM

Story Time — 11:00 AM

Redwood Curtain Brewing Company

Redwood Curtain Trivia Night — 7:00 PM

Thursday the 30th

Eureka Main Library

Crafting Circle (Drop In) — 12:00 PM

Arcata Library

Casual Drop-in Chess and Games — 4:00 PM

Cal Poly Humboldt

Speaker series: America’s Nuclear Waste Gridlock and the Future of the Humboldt Bay Spent Fuel Site — 5:30 PM

Blue Lake Casino & Hotel

Blue Lake Casino Bingo — 6:00 PM

Ink People Center for the Arts

Ink People Life Drawing — 7:00 PM [gallery]

Friday the 1st

Eureka Main Library

Friends of the Redwood Libraries Cookbook Sale — 10:00 AM

Garberville Town Square

Garberville Farmers Market — 11:00 AM

Arcata Library

A Call to Yarns (Drop In, All Welcome) — 2:00 PM

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Forest Walk: Prairie Creek — 2:00 PM

Arcata Playhouse

Heart Matter with Dillon Vado — 7:00 PM [music]

Eureka Theater

May Day Essential Cinema: Inglourious Basterds — 7:00 PM [gallery]

Blue Lake Casino & Hotel

Wave Lounge Live Music — 8:00 PM [music]

Humboldt Brews

Cassidy Lyn & The Ramblers — 8:00 PM [music]

Savage Henry Comedy Club

Savage Henry Comedy Night — 9:00 PM [gallery]

Saturday the 2nd

KHAH 94.7 FM

Starfish Radio Hour with Shoshanna (Live on Radio & Online) — 8:00 AM

Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary

Arcata Marsh Bird Walk — 8:30 AM

Arcata Plaza

Arcata Farmers Market — 9:00 AM

Fair Curve Farm

Fair Curve Farm Late Spring Plant Sale — 9:00 AM

Manila Dunes

Friends of the Dunes Guided Walk — 10:00 AM

Redwood Raks

Humboldt Juggling Festival — 10:00 AM [gallery]

Arcata Library

Baby Bookworms — 10:15 AM

Saturday Story Time — 10:30 AM

Story Time — 11:00 AM

Purls of Wisdom Knitters (Drop in, All Welcome) — 11:00 AM

Collective Book Making: "You Are Here" — 1:00 PM

Kids Lego Club — 2:00 PM

Online

No Reading in Place meeting this week. — 11:00 AM

Eureka Main Library

Clarke Museum, "Northern Humboldt Hinterlands" Historical Lecture with Jerry Rohde and Erin Scofield — 2:30 PM

Old Town/Downtown Eureka, CA 95501

Arts Alive — 5:00 PM

Old Town Gazebo

Arts Alive — 6:00 PM [gallery]

Blue Lake Casino & Hotel

Wave Lounge Saturday Music — 8:00 PM [music]

Humboldt Brews

The Hitch, Magic of Spells — 9:30 PM [music]

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park

Hike and Bike Day: Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway — Sunrise

Sunday the 3rd

Arcata Veterans Memorial Hall

Humboldt Folk Dancers — 4:00 PM

Humboldt Brews

Open Mic Night — 8:00 PM [music]

Monday the 4th

Miranda

Miranda Farmers Market — 2:00 PM

A Matter of Local Importance

Lady Humboldt would like to know: what is the county's most underrated sound?

Lady Humboldt's Notebook

Until next week,
Lady Humboldt

Lady Humboldt

A weekly field guide to life on the North Coast

Humboldt County, California

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