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A family-oriented festival, the St. Mary's event is noted for its' emphasis on food, shucking and cooking contests, and quality entertainment. Lots of exciting attractions are planned for each year's festival. Of particular note is the "Kid's Korner". Carnival games and rides are featured from a regional amusement firm. A roving clown show and pony rides delight the kids. The text that follows describes some of the entertainment highlights from previous years. The times are examples and may vary. |
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There's something for the curious shoppers in the crowd as well. Three buildings are typically dedicated to displaying and selling local arts and crafts, in conjunction with the Craft Guild of St. Mary's County and the St. Mary's County Art Association. In addition the St. Clement's Island-Potomac River Museum often holds a silent auction. When held, the auctions are in Building 20 at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 2:45 p.m. on both days. Typical items auctioned include museum items, antiques and Maryland State memorabilia. |
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| Varied entertainment is provided at three locations on the festival grounds including the outdoor covered Pavilion Building, building 11, and the portable stage next to the oyster-shucking stand. Saturday's schedule at the Pavilion often includes a contemporary, rock n roll band, followed by local artists. Often a folk group such as Rakes and Roses and the St. Mary's College Jazz Band completes the day. One of the most popular and entertaining shows, these performers present a music style that appeal to fans of Celtic, bluegrass, folk, jazz and country music. If you have a plug-in application in your browser that supports .mpg video files, you may sample some of the music from prior years by selection the following the link to the right. If you have a plug-in application in your browser that supports .mpg video files, you may sample some of the varied musical styles from the 2004 Oyster Festival by selecting the links entitled "sample" throughout this page. |
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| The Saturday schedule in the auditorium, building 15, features a local barbershop chorus. If you have a plug-in application in your browser that supports .mpg video files, you may sample some of this music from years past by selecting the links to the left and the right. In addition to scheduled entertainment, musical groups also play between the heats in the Shucking Context area. These groups play lively music for the spectators enjoyment while the oyster presentations are judged behind the scenes. Shucking Stand Sample (Requires a MPEG player). Sunday's entertainment at the Pavilion, building 11, features various singing groups. The Jay Armsworthy Band, a four-piece bluegrass band usually performs, followed by an encore performance from a local singer. |
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| Meanwhile, the Tri-County Barbershop Chorus performs again in the Auditorium,
building 15. While at the Oyster Festival, be sure to drop by the Southern Maryland Farm Museum. It is loaded with farming implements and other memorabilia from the rich farming heritage of the region. The museum is well maintained and offers insights into the practices of years past that set the stage for the present. It contains many artifacts fro days not so long past. |
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