Third Annual Oyster Fest

"A mug of beer at Mike Anderson's" Painting by Mark Adams

This past Saturday proved perfect for our third annual Oyster Fest ~ with temperatures ranging in the low 60's, 350 oysters from the Eastern Shore, Beach Bully BBQ and a diverse crowd of friends and family.  Not to be left out, it seems our sweet pup sent a little invitation of her own as a multitude of neighborhood dogs joined the outdoor activities and quickly gobbled up whatever morsels fell on the grass, were held in the unwary hand of a child, or were perfectly placed at nose level on the table.

SHUCKERS:

The oyster bar was kept busy throughout the day with shucking, cooking, and preparation of the oysters for eating and drinking.

OYSTER SHOOTERS:

Spicy Oyster Shooter

 

 A little history:  

The oyster cocktail, a popular West Coast treat, originated in a San Francisco restaurant around 1860 by a miner back from the gold fields. The miner was loaded down with gold nuggets bigger than ballpark peanuts. Being hungry, the miner asked one of the the restaurant's waiters to bring him a plate of California raw oysters with some ketchup, horseradish, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and a whiskey cocktail. After drinking the whiskey, he put the oysters into the goblet, adding salt and pepper, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and ketchup.  The restaurant keeper looked on with interest. "What sort of mess do you call that, partner?" he asked. The miner responded, "That is what I call an oyster cocktail."

Knowing the history, an oyster roast would not be complete without oyster shooters.  Therefore, the men busied themselves preparing the oysters and concocting the drinks.  Our recipe came from Pearlz Oyster Bar in Charleston, S.C.  - Absolut Peppar, oysters, spicy cocktail sauce and a slice of lemon.

The glasses were raised in a toast to good friends, good weather and the coming of spring.  Then drunk as a shot, the oyster slides down your throat, as you try not to chew and enjoy the heat

THE CROWD:

The crowd was a diverse gathering of all ages.  Our friends brought their children and grandchildren - the babies were well behaved, enjoying their first ever oyster roast.

Grandparents, cousins and friends caught up with each other while our pup wondered if anyone would throw her the ball.

Neighbors shared stories while moms questioned their children and friends home on their college spring break

This annual event gets better each year as families continue to grow and colleges continue to schedule their spring breaks around our little festival.

SOLD:

And to top it all off...I sold one of my paintings - Duck's Cottage - right off the walls of my house.  A perfect way to end the day!  Thank you Carter!!