Good Weather, Friday Schedule Aid Festival Success, Profits
HY SUSAN I'SIIKR
weather, gixnt Iihki, a now
<hctlole and plenty ol entertain
iv ill put sinile.s ?>ii lat-e-. ol visitors
and tptMi.sors al die llih annual
North Carolina Oyster Festival
Friday and Saturday at Seaside.
Kidge Ward and Rachel ol
Nakina were among the lirst-tiiners
at ?c festival Saturday. Ihey came
loi then lirsi oysters ol the season.
Ward was quick to say that the
event had been "real good so far"
As he worked to open his peck ol
roasted oysters. Ward quipped that
he would ho the slowest contestant
of all it he were to enter the state
shucking contest later that after
noon. He didn't.
The Nakina couple weren t the
only ones enjoying the festival.
"You couldn't have had two nicer
days," said artisan John Bigelow ol
Hickory. "Now. if the Braves can
only w in their game tonight."
Based on gate receipts (SI lor
adults, with children age 12 and 1111
t'er admitted free), an estimated
.'5.(XX) to <().(XX) visitors attended
i le celebration at Seaside, .ihoui the
same as last year. Allan Dameron,
festival chairman, said Monday.
Oamcron, who was nmshing up a
scco.id stint as festival ehainnan,
said u:e South Brunswick Islands
Chamber Commerce, festival
sponsor, was pleased with the
turnout lor the event and its smooth
operation. A blown transformer
Friday night shut down the Band ol
Oz and some Kn>ihs about 10 to 15
minutes early. hut the problem *as I
fixed by Saturday.
Future festivals will be held on
Fridav and Saturday, judging from
the success of this year's event. "I
think we've found our format," he
said.
Friday afternoon and evening
drew a mix of retirees, other local
residents and vacationers, some of
whom were due to return home
Saturday and were disappointed to
find roasted oysters weren't on the
menu. Instead they had a choice ol
raw oyster cocktails, shrimp cock
tails and clam v howdci.
"It's a good crowd," Annette
Odom, president ol the South
Brunswick Islands Chamber ol
Commerce, said Friday. "It alreadv
- h ' *
THE TOP OF THE EERRIS WHEEL yields a bird's eye view of the festival.
STAFF PHOTOS BY SUSAN USHfcR
heats Sundays."
li helped, she said, ihat local
schools were out for the day.
Crowds were in the mood u> not
only shop, but buy. Food vendors
and arts and trails exhibitors en
joyed good patronage
Local artist Virginia Bunny"
Lau/on hadn't exhibited at an event
such us the Oyster Festival in years
until this past weekend, but is
among those already signed up to
return next year.
"I renewed acquaintances with a
lot ol people and had a lot ol fun,"
she said. "It was great. I %old a lot
of trained prints."
Another local artist. Bryan
Vaniam. also said he was pleased
with response to his work.
ll was a good weekend also for the
chamber, which during ihe festival's
early years reali/.cd no profit. The
festival committee cleared S20.1KX)
this year after expenses that also to
taled about S2(),(XX), Dameron said,
from sources such as gate receipts,
solt drink and shirt sales.
"We're real happy," he said.
The Brunswick County Shrine
Club, purveyors of seafood lor the
two-day event, were smiling as well
by the end of the day Saturday. "II
they'll have us, we'll Ik1 back," said
Shrmer Albert Parker, whose origi
nal clam chowder sold so well
l-riday he had to make more lot
Saturday 's crowd.
Glenn Humbert, a co-chairman
for the project, said results exceed
MULTI-UIMhi\SI()i\AL FOLK AK I by Steve Clobridge dra * .* an appreciative crowd, with ant- piece
winning best of show honors in juried competition.
71
z **<
GENE WARD, Howard Slocks and M Parker Jr. empty a steaming tray oj oysters Jresh from the cook
er.
ed ihc group's expectations.
Members dished up i ,450 servings
ol various tyi?es of seafood, includ
ing 345 peck-size buckets of mostly
Gulf oysters.
' This year was a learning experi
ence lor us," he said. "'I"he club
hasn't discussed it yet. but every
btxly who was working was already
talking about what we could do next
year to improve things."
Chief ol the changes hi mind: ot -
tering roasted oysters Friday as well
as Saturday.
Several changes are also in line
lor next year's arts and crafts show,
which Chairman Jack Scarborough
will be turning over to Sally Nord.
his assistant for the past two >cars.
Scarborough said that the quality
and quantity of entries in the overall
show anil in the juried show has im
proved over the years. As a result,
more juried show categories will be
offered next year than simply arts or
crafts, he said.
This year the booth area was sold
?nit, with 112 exhibitors and ven
dors, and Scarborough said he cx
pects the area to be expanded next
year. Sponsors ol purchase awards
for the juried show were Jean and
Fred Mint/, ir. of Coastal Drugs,
and the South Brunswick Islands
( hamber of Commerce. Most of the
purchase awards will he displayed
either at the chamber office or at the
new Southeastern Welcome Center
on the U.S. 17 bypass.
Steve Clobridgc of Beaufort.
M
N.C. won best of show this year
with a multi-dimensional scene ol a
quaint fisherman and his catch.
Judges Jean Mini/.. Jimmy
Register and Penny Redwinc
awarded first place in art to Nancy
Armour of Chineoteague, Va., for
her painting of a door, while Frank
Hewett won second place with a
pointiliism print in black and white.
In crafts, first place went to silver
artisan John Bigclow for a silver
necklace with a Southwest flavor
entitled, "Apache Homeland"
Second place went to Gene Coble, a
woodworker, lor an inland bench.
Next year's festival will be hack
at the Sea Trail Plantation grounds
at Seaside, with Oct. 17 and IX as
the tentative dates.
I
I
RACHEL REdlSTER and Nidge Ward of Nakina enjoy their first oysters of the 1991 season and their
Jirst Oyster Festival.
J 11 1 Hi ES ( clockwise from left) John Williams, Terry Harbee, Eddie Sweatt, Alan Holden and Hep.
David Redwine inspect completed trays in the N.C. Oyster Shucking Contest.