The Story of the Oyster Festival

The story of the Oyster Festival, now in its 44th year, is so entwined with that of the Lexington Park Rotary Club that it is sometimes difficult to remember which came first, the hen or the egg.  The idea of the oyster festival was first hatched back in 1967 when the new 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:

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

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

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

The first festival was held on Saturday, October 7, 1967 at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds from 3 until 9 p.m.  A charge of $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children was collected and the advertising stated “Delicious bivalves served raw, steamed, scalded, fried with traditional trimmings and all you can eat."  A little under a thousand visitors  relished this first endeavor.  Attendance steadily grew as did the festival.  In 1974, the festival went from a one day event to a two day event, and was moved from the first weekend in October to the third weekend in October.  The later was a result of historical data analysis as to which weekend in October had less rainfall.  This became necessary after three straight festivals of inclement weather.  It was determined that the third weekend in October was 32% less likely to have rain than the first.  The festival date was moved where it remains today.

The festival quickly blossomed from expanded public relations campaigns and being organized in a more business-like manner.  By the late 1970’s, attendance averaged about 25,000 for the two days.  The year 1982 saw one of the largest crowds with attendance for the weekend estimated at over 32,000.  Today the St. Mary’s Oyster Festival still averages nearly 22,000 visitors for the two fun-filled days and has become one of the Eastern Seaboard’s leading folk festivals attracting visitors from across the country.

Co-sponsoring the first Festival was the St. Mary’s County Watermen’s Association.  As the Festival grew Rotary and the Watermen’s Association yielded much of their role as food purveyors over to other civic groups.  Today,  more than 12 other civic and service groups participate the Oyster Festival.  Oysters are still featured – fried, stewed, scalded and “nude,” but crab cakes and soup, clam chowder, shrimp, fish sandwiches, locally famous St. Mary’s County stuffed ham, barbecued beef, chicken and pork, and even polish sausage make it difficult not to find something for even the most discriminatory palate.

NATIONAL OYSTER SHUCKING CHAMPIONSHIPS CONTEST ®

Some of Rotary’s tasks for the Festival have had to be released to others over the years but Rotary has retained complete control over the NATIIONAL OYSTER SHUCKING CONTEST ®.  The shucking contest first took off in 1969 when it was known as the “Chesapeake Bay Oyster Shucking Championship”, with local watermen competing for small prizes and a trophy.  In the first few years’ only 12 oysters per shucker were used, and rules were few and time was the only feature.  James “Golden” Thompson was the first champion, and he recorded a time of 80 seconds. 

The year 1975 saw the first contest with women competing against women and then a battle of the sexes.  Bernice Newton of St. Mary’s County was the first women’s champion.  Cornelius Mackall of Calvert County was the men’s and the first designated National Champion.  The following month he went to Ireland and won the International Championship, the only time that to date we had done better than our usual third place.  That is, until 2008 when William “Chopper” Young won the US Championship, went to Ireland and walked away with the International “Oyster Opening” title in Galway. In 1978 Heidi Ho of Florida became the first female National Champion.  Following the trip to Ireland the contest changed to 24 oysters (in Ireland they use 30, but theirs are smaller), the rules were revised and updated to conform better with the International Rules.  More emphasis is now placed on “presentation” with appearance overshadowing raw speed.  After a contestant shucks his or her 24 oysters, judges inspect their oysters and add seconds to each contestant’s shucking time according to the following table:
1.  Oyster not cut completely from its shell-  Add 3 seconds
2.  Oyster presented on a broken shell-  Add 1 second
3.  Oyster presented with grit, blood or other foreign substance-  Add 3 seconds
4.  A cut oyster-  Add 3 seconds
5.  Oyster not placed properly on shell-  Add 2 seconds
6.  Missing Oyster-  Add 20 seconds

Other Milestones in the contest evolved as the term “National” took on truer meaning, and in 1984 Rotary finally obtained a trademark on the wording NATIONAL OYSTER SHUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP CONTEST® for the sole use of our Rotary Club.

NATIONAL OYSTER COOK-OFF®

A major addition to the Oyster Festival has been the National Oyster Cook-off®.  This popular addition to the Festival began in 1980.  In 1979, Lucy Wing, then Food Editor of Good Housekeeping Magazine, told Buck Briscoe of the St. Mary’s County Economic Development Commission that the festival needed a cooking contest.  His office joined forces with the Cooperative Extension Service of the University of Maryland and the Home Economics heads from the Maryland Department of Agriculture and Seafood Marketing.  The Cook-off has now achieved a level of notoriety that in a typical year over 350 recipes from 30 states are received.

Usually held on the Saturday of the Festival, the Cook-off features 9 finalists from across the country that compete for prizes in three fresh-oyster cooking categories – main dish, hors d’oeuvres, and soups and stews. The top winners in each category are then judged for the best overall recipe and the winner receives $1,000.00 and a silver platter.  Festival goers have the opportunity to watch each contestant prepare their dish and “taste test” each contestant’s recipe. Attendees are also given the opportunity to vote on their own “people choice” award among the recipes prepared.   Additionally, returning cook-off winners and creative chefs are on hand to demonstrate and prepare their favorite oyster dishes after the contest.

A family-oriented festival, the St. Mary's County Oyster Festival is noted for its emphasis on the food, the contests, and the quality entertainment, all included in the price of admission.   In addition, you will find carnival games and rides are featured, as well as pony rides and a magic show.

There's always something for the curious shoppers in the crowd as well.  Three buildings are dedicated to displaying and selling local arts and crafts, in conjunction with the Unique Boutique, Craft Guild of St. Mary's County and the St. Mary's County Art Association.  Always a crowd pleaser, exhibitors are restricted to local arts and crafts  to preserve the local flavor.  No commercial spaces are for rent.

Continuous live entertainment is provided at three locations on the festival grounds. Featured are Jazz, Pop and Country bands.  Add a couple of  Barbershop style singing groups and you have constant entertainment, with performers presenting  music styles that will appeal to fans of bluegrass, folk, jazz and country music.

Entertaining and educational exhibits sponsored by county, state, and private community organizations are also displayed on the grounds.  Of particular interest is a building 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.

The Festival has come a long way since 1967 when the stalwart bunch worked night and day to stage the first festival.  Of the visitors attending each year a cross section survey shows that about 80% are from out of the area.  Each year the office gets inquires from all over the country, many repeaters.  In an election year the festival sometimes has as many politicians as oyster eaters, all taking advantage of a captive audience.

On a typical year, as the visitors depart, the sun goes down and the lights come on, clean up begins and organizers take time to reflect, it seems that it has been a year of “more than”…..

… more than 15,000 visitors

… more than $100,000 in business.

… more than $40,000 for charities.

… more than 150,000 oysters and 60 kegs of beer consumed.

But  ……. “more than” all of this is “People," “People helping people.

The Rotary creed of “Service Above Self” is put into action  annually at this event– not only by Rotarians but by every individual of the more than 15 participating organizations. 

For more information go to www.usoysterfest.com