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| Wed, Nov. 25 - - Mobile - RSS | |
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IT'S TIME TO SHUCK AND JIVE, URBANNA STYLE IT'S WORTH THE DRIVE TO CHECK OUT THE 50TH ANNUAL URBANNA OYSTER FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND
Urbanna set to host its 50th Oyster Festival
Date published: 11/1/2007
BY TIERNEY McAFEE The people of Urbanna who helped start the town's famous Oyster Festival would have said 10,000 people was a big turnout. According to the festival's Web site, a dozen local merchants and "town fathers" started the tradition in 1957. Originally called Urbanna Days, the festival was a relatively small gathering of local folks highlighted by a parade of antique cars. Fast-forward to the event's 50th anniversary this weekend, and you will see that a head count of 10,000 is small oysters compared with the two-day festival's anticipated 80,000-person crowd. There will be more than 125 food and craft booths to meet the needs of the many oyster lovers, and the Oyster Festival Parade will feature more than 80 units, including numerous marching bands, antique cars and floats. Bob Henkel, co-chairman of the event, says he hopes it will be better than ever this year. "We're trying to have nicer activities and more entertainment than usual because we're expecting the crowd and we want to do it up right," Henkel said. "We just want to make sure that the people who come will enjoy this year." The event is run entirely by volunteers, who put on a pearl of a festival brimming with live music, vendors, children's rides, parades, dances, and beauty and oyster-shucking contests. Henkel says the event has stood the test of time thanks to the efforts of the volunteers. "We make sure that we treat the people right when they come, and have something that appeals to everybody, from the very young to the very old," he said. Pam Simon, an administrative assistant for the event, says people from all over the state attend the festival, as well as people from D.C., North Carolina and even the West Coast. "We appreciate the town's citizens opening up their town to share this event with those who come," Simon said. Henkel says the event was originally established to promote the town and its economy. According to a College of William & Mary study, the plan worked--the festival has an economic impact of more than $7 million annually.
Date published: 11/1/2007
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