Volunteers Are
Backbone Of
Oyster Festival
Baskets of steamed oysters and
other seafood delights may be what
draws thousands of people to the N.
C. Oyster Festival at Seaside each
fall.
But volunteers who work hours
in the trenches are the backbone of
the annual event
Just ask Elizabeth Dameron. The
Holden Beach resident has coordi
nated oyster festival volunteers for
the past four years and says there
would be no festival without their
r
behind-the-scenes efforts.
"All of the work that is done for
the festival is done by volunteers,"
she said in a recent interview. "We
couldn't have the festival without
them."
Because of their hard work, Mrs.
Damcron said the oyster festival
grows by leaps and bounds each
fall. For the first lime this year, a
co-chairman of the volunteers has
been added.
Fred Yarbrough of Seaside will
assist Mrs. Dameron in coordinating
the 300 volunteers she said will be
needed for the two-day festival.
"We've got to share the work this
year," she said. "The festival has
grown so much."
Mrs. Dameron pointed out that
the festival gets a boost each year
by area Boy Scout and Girl Scout
troops that volunteer. Harriet Bell
amy's DECA class from West
Brunswick High School also pitches
in annually as well as many local
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residents.
"The volunteers do everything
from selling tickets to cooking and
serving the food," said Mrs. Dam
eron.
Annette Odom, chairperson of
this year's festival, pointed out that
some of the most dedicated volun
teers are part-time residents who
own vacation homes in the South
Brunswick Islands.
Fitz and Fugi Dove of Charlotte,
who own a home at Sunset Beach,
have volunteered at the festival for
the past few years and plan to be
back again this year.
"We feel like Sunset Beach is a
second home and we feel like the
oyster festival not only helps Sunset
Beach but all of Brunswick Coun
ty," said Dove in a telephone inter
view. "We're active in the commu
nity here, and we like to be active in
the community there."
Over the years. Dove said he has
mostly helped with food and drink
service. He said he enjoys meeting
all of the people who come to the
festival.
"It's just a good way to meet oth
er people, not only from Brunswick
County, but from other places who
have homes down there," he said.
"It would be nice to just walk
around eating hot dogs, but helping
out is something I enjoy."
Dove, who is in the insurance
business in Charlotte, said he enjoys
the relaxed atmosphere at the oyster
festival. "I don't consider it working
because it's so much fun. After sit
ting behind a desk all year in a coat
and lie, it's nice just to put on a pair
of jeans and relax."
The festival's relaxed style has
also caused Harry Williamson to
volunteer each of the past two
years. Like Dove, he lives in
Charlotte and owns a vacation home
at Sunset Beach.
Williamson said he plans to bring
about a dozen of his friends to the
festival this year to pitch in as vol
unteers. "It's really a lot of fun
helping out," he said. 'There's a lot
of camaraderie."
Over the past two years, Wil
liamson said he has unloaded
steamed oysters from boiling water,
poured drinks and helped out with
the massive cleanup effort follow
ing the festival. "I know it's some
thing that benefits the whole area
down there. That's why I volun
Oyster Festival Run
Expected To Be 'Best Ever
BY JOHNNY CRAIG
With earlier planning sessions
and a larger group of working vol
unteers, chamber of commerce offi
cials and race sponsor WPGO radio
station are looking forward to the
biggest and best Oyster Festival
Run ever.
The race is scheduled for Sat
urday, Oct. 21, and will again be
held at Holden Beach starting under
the bridge at the regional beach
access parking area.
'There were already 10-15 run
ners registered as of our last festival
organizational meeting on Sept
25," said race chairman John
Zachary. "We expect to have a lot
more people registering as the race
date nears."
"We really look forward lo a
much better run than a year ago,"
added chamber executive director
Susanne Sartelle. "We have mailed
out over 1,000 entry forms to poten
tial runners and expect a super
response."
Last year's men's and women's
10-K winners were Paul Chlud
zinski of Wrightsville Beach and
Lindell Weeks of Nashville, Tenn.
Steve Moffat of White Oak and
Lori Ilughcs of Greensboro were
the overall 5-K winners, while
David Holden of Wilmington was
the men's one-mile champion.
There were no women entered in
the one-mile event.
Forty-four runners were entered
in last year's race with 25 compet
ing in the 10-K, 17 in the 5-K and
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