FOR IMMEDIATE USE

October 11, 2005

THIRTY-NINTH ANNUAL ST. MARY'S COUNTY OYSTER FESTIVAL

It’s a Bi-valve Bash so shuck, slurp and savor to your heart’s content!

It’s that time of year once again. When, for oyster lovers, the county fairgrounds near Leonardtown transform to nirvana. Oysters served up raw, scalded, grilled on the Barbie, on bread, on the half shell, stewed, nude, cooked in savory sauces, in salads, even in desserts, just about every way imaginable and then some. They’re here for the eating and enjoying at the 39^th Annual St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival. This year's festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 15^th and 16^th at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds on Route 5 near Leonardtown.

The idea of the oyster festival was first hatched back in 1967 when the Lexington Park Rotary Club was looking for a project in which the entire membership could involve itself for the good of all concerned. In addition to the member’s involvement, the festival had three main objectives:

Promote a weekend of fun, food and fellowship in a rural atmosphere.

Promote the bounties of life in this land of pleasant living, especially St. Mary’s County oysters, as an attraction to visitors.

To provide funds for the benefit of the charities of the various service and civic participating organizations.

A little under a thousand visitors relished this first endeavor. Through the years, attendance steadily grew, as did the festival. In 1974 the festival went from a one-day to a two-day event, and was moved from the first weekend in October to the third weekend in October where it remains today. Today the St. Mary’s Oyster Festival has become one of the Eastern Seaboard’s leading folk festivals. Good food, quality entertainment and two nationally recognized contests, the National Oyster Cook-off and the U.S. National Oyster Shucking Contest are the elements that attract visitors from across the country each year.

Oysters any way you like 'em have always been the trademark of the festival and this year is no different. Visitors can stroll around the festival midway and sample the delicious bivalves served in chowder, stewed, raw, fried, grilled, or scalded. Other seafood lovers can feast on a delicious range of local specialties like fried clams, scallops, soft crab sandwiches, crab cakes, shrimp, fried fish, and crab soup. Southern Maryland ham, beef and chicken specialty dishes are available. Polish and Italian sausage, hamburgers, hot-dogs, and, of course, stuffed ham sandwiches are also on the menu. All served up by volunteers from local non-profit organizations.

On Saturday, nine finalists from across the country will compete to determine the nation’s premier oyster chef in the National Oyster Cook-off. Their recipes were chosen from nearly 100 entries submitted by contestants from 12 states, and Washington D.C. The finalists will cook their fresh oyster specialty dishes for a panel of five expert judges. The judges are Rob Kasper, syndicated columnist, The Baltimore Sun, Sandra Martin, Editor, Bay Weekly, Anne MacKenzie, retired Food Editor, The Aegis; Betty Wren Day, Food Editor of the Gloucester-Mathews Gazette Journal and Great American Dinner Designer and locally renowned caterer, William Taylor

The three fresh oyster categories finalists will compete in are: Hors D'oeuvres, Soups and Stews, and Main Dishes, Past winning recipes include such titles as “Oyster Cheesecakes with Oyster Sauce and a Caviar Garnish”, “Grilled Oysters Mornay”, and Spinach ‘N Cheese Oyster Chowder” to name just a few.

Oyster Cook-off cookbooks featuring all the recipes from this year’s contest as well as others submitted for the competition are available. Visitors will have the opportunity to watch the preparation and later sample the contestants' dishes. First, second and third place cash prizes will be awarded in each category. The recipe deemed best overall by the panel of judges takes home the Grand Champion prize totaling $1,000 cash and a silver platter. Visitors will also be allowed to vote for their favorite recipe, which will determine the “People’s Choice” winner. The Cook-off begins on Saturday at 10:00 am in Building 16 on the festival grounds.

In conjunction with the National Oyster Cook-off Contest, oyster-cooking demonstrations will be held at the festival. On Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Chief David Weidener the “Oyster Man from Hell” from Washington State will be preparing the super-spicy, “Oysters from Hell”. Sunday’s cooking demonstrations will highlight local chefs as they prepare their favorite oyster dishes. Demonstrations will be held throughout the day starting at 12:00 noon with local Chief Mark Turkaly of the J.T. Daugherty Conference Center in Lexington Park, preparing Oysters en Escabeche. From the Tides Restaurant and Oyster Bar in Lexington Park, Chief Ahmed Koroma will be demonstrating Oyster in Bondage at 1:30 p.m., and John Spinnicchia, Local Chef Extraordinaire, will be preparing Southern MD Oyster Pie at 3:00 p.m.. There will be literature available with recipe ingredients and instructions, and visitors will be able to sample the dishes prepared. All cooking demonstrations will be held in Building 16 on the festival grounds.

The U.S. National Oyster Shucking Championship Contest, held both days, features the fastest men and women shuckers from ten states and the fastest local tidewater shuckers competing for cash prizes totaling $1,800 and a trip to Galway, Ireland to compete for the International Oyster Opening title. Considered the “Super Bowl” of oyster shucking contests, this year’s competition will once again feature contestants from across the country. States represented include Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Texas, Washington State and Maryland.

Current U.S. National Oyster Shucking Champ, Scott Stiles from San Antonio, Texas will be here to defend his crown. Stiles recently returned from the International Competition in Ireland where he represented the United States. Shucking champions will begin their competition on Saturday with several heats held for both men and women contestants. Winners of the first round will compete on Sunday, with the women's final beginning at 3:00 p.m., and the men's final at 3:30 p.m. Then at 4:00 p.m., the women's champion and the men's champion will square off head to head for the U.S. championship crown and the right to represent the United States in the International Oyster Shucking Competition.

A family-oriented festival, the St. Mary's event is noted for its' emphasis on food, shucking and cooking contests, as well as quality entertainment. Lots of exciting attractions are planned for this year's festival. Of particular note is the "Kid's Korner". Carnival games and rides are featured from M&M Amusements. Air Brush Tattooing, Balloon Creations, and Magic Shows will be feature by Hyperspace Fun Center.

There's something for the curious shoppers in the crowd as well. Two buildings will be dedicated to displaying and selling local arts and crafts, in conjunction with the Old Town Crafters and the St. Mary's County Art Association. Always a crowd pleaser, exhibitors are restricted to local arts and crafts to preserver the local flavor.

Live entertainment will be provided at three locations on the festival grounds including the Pavilion Building, Building 15, and the portable stage next to the oyster-shucking stand. Saturday's schedule at the Pavilion includes contemporary jazz and swing music performed by the St. Mary’s College Jazz Band, at noon followed by the Traditional Celtic sounds of Fair Warning at 1:15 p.m. At 2:30 p.m. Danny Flynn will perform with a collective of Maryland Musicians playing Irish Music. The folk sounds of Ben Connelly will begin at 3:45 p.m.

The Saturday entertainment schedule in Building 15 features the 18-member Tri-County Barbershop Chorus performing at 1:30 p.m.

On Saturday, at the Oyster Shucking Stand Sound Stage, The Blue Crabs featuring Blues, Big Band sounds and popular music will perform from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. These popular and entertaining shows present a music style that will appeal to fans of bluegrass, folk, jazz and country music alike.

Also on Saturday, at the Shucking Stage at 2 PM will be the awards ceremony for the National Oyster Cook-off. An amateur oyster-shucking contest takes place at the Oyster Shucking Stand followed by the Oyster Cook-off awards at 3:00 and the preliminary Men's and Women's Shucking heats from 3:30 until 5:00.

Sunday's entertainment at the Pavilion begins with Jay Armsworthy and Eastern Traditions, a four-piece bluegrass band performing an extended set at 12:00 noon followed by Byzantine Top 40, playing at 1:30. At 2:45 p.m. visitors can enjoy the jazz music of Schaller Jazz.

Rounding out Sunday’s entertainment in the Auditorium, Building 15 will be an encore performance by the Tri-County Barbershop Chorus at 1:30,

On Sunday, at the Oyster Shucking Stand, the National Oyster Shucking Championships will be held. The women's final will begin at 3:00, the men's final at 3:30, and the overall final at 4:00. The Blue Crabs will perform at the Oyster Shucking Stand Stage at 3:00 p.m.

Entertaining and educational exhibits sponsored by county, state, and private community organizations participate in the festival. There is also a building on the grounds filled with exhibits including old farm and watermen's implements. These exhibits showcase and celebrate a time and place when men and women made their living working the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Local organizations that participate in the festival include: the Rotary Club of St. Mary's-Lexington Park, Seventh District Optimists, Mechanicsville Optimists, St. Marie's Optimists, Third District Optimist, Jolly Gents, Kiwanis Club of St. Mary’s County, The St. Mary’s County Watermen's Association, Job's Daughters, St. Mary's County React, Charlotte Hall Rotary Club, Waldorf Rotary Club and the Woman's Club of St. Mary's. Commercial vendors include Copsey’s Seafood, Mckay’s Food and Drug, Circle 'C' Oyster Ranchers Association, St. James Pub, and Sunshines Catering.

The gates are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and from 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, no charge for children 12 and under, and there is plenty of free parking. The festival events continue, rain or shine, since adequate buildings and tents are provided on the grounds.

The Festival has come a long way since 1967 when the stalwart bunch worked night and day to stage the first festival. The Rotary creed of “Service Above Self” has been at work in its most graphic state – not only by Rotarians but also by all those who participate.

For more information on the festival contact the Oyster Festival office at 301-863-5015, or write to P.O. Box 766, California, MD 20619, or visit the festival web site at www.usoysterfest.com

DESCRIPTION NATIONAL OYSTER SHUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP OYSTER COOK-OFF
ENTERTAINMENT GREAT FOOD DIRECTIONS CONTACT US OYSTER FESTIVAL