Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Sept. 1, 1994, edition 1 / Page 54
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At Dixon Chapel It's Great Food, No Frills BY MARJORIE MEGIVERN Don't cxpcct the area's top dance band or a group of doggers or even back ground music at the Di^on Chapel oyster roast. This is one event that has attract ed hungry crowds every year since the 1950s with only one induce ment ? roasted oysters. Come to the Dixon Chapel Methodist church in Varnamtown any time between noon and 6 p.m. on November 5 and you'll enter oyster heaven. Marlene v/^rnarp coordinator, said entertainment had once been considered. We talked about get ting musicians in. but there's just not enough space." she said. More valuable use for that space around the church is to accom modate the big barrels where oys ters are roasted over oak wood and long tables where oyster eaters stand to shuck these delicacies. There are also picnic tables for those who must sit to enjoy their meal. Another frill dispensed with is any side dishes other than the re quired hush puppies and cold bev erages, confined to soft drinks and iced tea. "Our church women make This tabloid is printed on recycled paper! THE BRUNSWICK6BEAC0N When you finish reading it, try to recycle it! the hush puppies, the men roast the osyters and the young people do the serving." Varnam explained. Despite the lack of enter tainment, arts and crafts and end less varieties of food, the crowds descend on this feast every year. According to Varnam. between 500 and 700 were fed at last year's roast. An effective fund-raiser for the church, with plates priced at S 1 2 for adults and S-i for children, the roast began a> a social tune of tel t?~\r nv?r*?K-i*v rt?-a ???>? -?"-2 gation. -\I .?> ^ -J ??"??????? ?? ? -? ?*??? "V j >UXl VC*U tkXi-LX w.*W v for a roast even, year to visit with friends and family." Varnam relat ed. "Then, people outside the church said if the\ 'd known about it they'd like to come, too, so we fi nally opened it up to the communi ty. Now it's our only fundraiser. We usually make S2.500 to S3.(KK) on it and that's been used for a building fund or a parsonage fund or some other need." This annual oyster-eating frenzy has remained a social time for visit ing:. as well as enjoying the favorite bi-vahe. Yamam said that among the \ olunteers who do the work are many outside the congregation. ""There's one o!e fellow who's al u *? v ?.j rrT-\i-r S jlicKun fn ^?>ln J ^ ??? ,,vt and he just got married, so he's going to mo>e to the county now," Yaniam >aid That bnngs another volunteer into the ranks of those \*ho ran one of the county 's oldest and most delicious traditions. Brochure Describes State Oyster Population Status A new six-page brochure pub lished by N.C. Sea Grant describes North Carolina's plummeting oys ter harvest and the issues under scrutiny "The withering oyster industry in North Carolina is a complex prob lem without easy remedies," said Sea Grant spokesman Carla Burgess. "From 2 million bushels a year at the turn of the century to a feeble 50,00() annually over the past three years, the state's lagging production begs attention." The paper outlines the results and recommendations of the N.C. Oyster Summit, coordinated by N.C. Sea Grant and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. As a result of the summit, the governor appointed a blue-ribbon committee to map out a plan for boosting the state's oyster production. Among other issues, the commit tee will address oyster restoration and rehabilitation; leasing and wa ter column access; oyster seed availability; disease research; aqua culture research, improved manage ment; and public image and mar keting. For a free copy of the brochure, write N.C. Sea Grant, Box 8605, NCSU, Raleigh NC 27695. Ask for publication number UNC-SG-94 06: "The North Carolina Oyster Summit; Summary and Recom mendations. ? ? ? ^ Keep Your Vacation Rolling ... With Quality Tires From Starfire OHTSU MICHELIN^^: Road Service Available S3 FALL SERVICE SPECIALS Oil, Lube & Filter $-1 Q95 Front Brake Service $OQ95 5 Qt. Max. Citgo 10W30 Oil I O Most Cars Computer Thrust Monroe Gas Alignment *2995 Charge Shocks _ $2295 Jnstal|ation_Extra RSTTsf :>i ms. BLACK'S TIRE 3 A FULL SERVICE TIRE STORE SINCE 1954 ' ' Hwy. 17 N., Shallotte ? 754-7231 Hwy^17^N^N^Myrtle^Beach,SCM-803-272l3875 , , I FILE PHOTO THEY COME FROM near and far to down the roasted oysters at Dixon Chapel's big oyster roast. Ken Spencer of Lumberton, left, joins Phil Cheers of Shallotte in savoring the feast at last year's event. Six- Pack Rings Pose Serious Health Risk To Aquatic Wildlife Since its beginning in 1987, the First Citizens Big Sweep has been warning the public that six-pack rings can be hazardous to the health of wildlife. Entanglement in one of the con fining loops of a ring can mean a slow death for a duck, beaver or any other aquatic animal. "We ask people not to throw the rings overboard while boating or fishing or leave them behind after parties or picnics along our inland or ocean shorelines," says Big Sweep Executive Director Susan Bartholomew. "The problem is not the six-pack ring itself. It's the peo pie who carelessly litter with it." The First Citizens Bank Big Sweep, the nation's largest water way litter cleanup, is held the third Saturday every September. (See Calendar of Events for local con tacts.) Last year's cleanup attracted 12,000 volunteers who bagged 2^2 tons of debris. As always, six-pack rings were among the items collect ed. "The good news is we're collect ing fewer rings every year," Bartholomew says. "We feel like people are getting the message that the rings can be harmful to wildlife."
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Sept. 1, 1994, edition 1
54
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