Shuck & Awe: Wellfleet's Annual Oysterfest Draws Its Biggest Crowd To Date

Seafood lovers came by the thousands to sample a beloved New England delicacy, the Wellfleet Oyster, at the sixth annual Wellfleet OysterFest October 14-15, 2006. An estimated 20,000 people turned out for the autumn celebration, highlighted by a flawless weekend of sunshine. While dancing to live music and shopping for arts and crafts, the crowd's primary focus was consuming steaming chowder, lobster rolls, local beer and over 100,000 briny oysters and 10,000 littleneck clams.

Sponsored by Wellfleet Shellfish Promotion and Tasting (SPAT), preliminary numbers indicate that this year's celebration brought in its highest gross ever, which, after covering the costs of the festival, will allow the non-profit to dedicate about $35,000 to its educational mission. Each year, SPAT awards a $10,000 (over four years) scholarship to a graduating Nauset Regional High School senior interested in pursuing college studies related to a fishery career. SPAT also distributes individual grants on a rolling basis to people and organizations whose creative or educational contributions will increase awareness of Wellfleet's shellfishery, a vital part of the town's community life. For more information and to download an application, visit http://www.wellfleetoysterfest.org/scholarships.html.

"Our goal is to reach a million-dollar endowment to be able to provide scholarships for local students and, hopefully, one day, to partner with the town to create a shellfishing museum," says SPAT president Lisa Brown. "Each year, the OysterFest helps us get a little closer to that goal, so a special thanks to everyone who helped make this year's 'Fest our biggest yet!"

Eric Williams, WOMR radio personality and writer for the Cape Cod Times, served as emcee for the Oyster Shuck-Off competition and got the crowd going with a lively play-by-play as each pair of competitors took the stage to wrestle open 24 oysters as quickly and deftly as possible. Local Wellfleet shellfisherman Barbara Austin, a member of Wellfleet Shellfish Co., took first place in Sunday's finals, with an adjusted time of 3:52 after penalties. Eastham firefighter/paramedic Kyle Morse came in second, missing out on the win by only one second, with a final time of 3:53. The town's shellfish constable, Andrew Koch, placed third, with a time of 4:02. Austin won $1,000 and donated $300 of it to local charities.

Joshua Hollinger, executive chef at the Harbor View Hotel on Martha's Vineyard, and Paul Parker, executive director of the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association in Chatham, offered their expertise as judges, carefully examining each freshly shucked oyster for broken shells, cut bellies and other battle wounds that add the penalty seconds to a shucker's time.

On Saturday afternoon, spectators took a break from snacking to gather inside the library for the annual Spelling Bee. Fifth-grader Alabama Lightsey of South Wellfleet took first place in the Littlenecks division (ages 12 and under) by correctly spelling "carapace." The Quahogs division (ages 13 and up) was equally competitive, with Maria Maffei of Jamaica Plain spelling "ceviche" for the win.

The annual 5K "Shuck 'n Run" road race drew 250 eager runners on Sunday morning, including Joe Navas of North Eastham, who won the men's division with a time of 16:36. Nicole Busschaert of West Dennis finished first among women in 20:54. Twelve-year-old Raymond Rowell of Wellfleet pounded the pavement and took first place in the Children's Fun Run for the third consecutive year, running 1.4 miles in 9 minutes and 7 seconds. Kids of all ages enjoyed thechildren's area in the magical park behind the old Catholic Church. Here, the young ones were treated to face-painting, balloon-twisting, oyster jewelry making, fortune telling and more!

Fulfilling SPAT's educ