Wellfleet OysterFest, with All Star Shuck Off, reinvented online
Posted Oct 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM
“The Shuck Must Go On” – that’s the galvanizing slogan for the 20th annual Wellfleet OysterFest, which will be centered this year on a virtual party and anniversary “Shuck Off.”
“The Shuck Must Go On” – that’s the galvanizing slogan for the 20th annual Wellfleet OysterFest, which will be centered this year on a virtual party and anniversary “Shuck Off.”
The online event, created as a festival re-do to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions, is shaping up to be “more special than ever,” according to Michele Insley, executive director of SPAT, or Shellfish Promotion and Tasting Inc., which has sponsored and run the live event since 2001.
The main event will be streamed for free at 5 p.m. Saturday on YouTube, originating from Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, which has donated its premises for the production.
According to Insley, in her 10th year as festival organizer, the approximately 90-minute streamed event will follow the format of late-night television programming. There will be talk segments, interviews, entertainment and the signature Shuck Off contest to crown the fastest shucker. Creating the video is “like piecing together a quilt,” she says.
For this anniversary shuck off, 10 “legendary shuckers” – all winners or finalists in previous contests – will compete for the title of all-time master shucker. Following social distancing protocols, two shuckers at a time will compete, with judging over a total of five rounds. The top three will go oyster-to-oyster to determine the trophy winners, and be honored by SPAT board member and contest host Jodi Birchall.
An advantage of the virtual format, Insley says, is that cameras can zero in for a unique, up-close view of contestants’ technique and speed — which you’d be “unable to see on the stage” in a live program.
Other virtual options are also part of the OysterFest weekend. The wellfleetspat.org website includes access to a “Learn to Shuck” program with classes in Wellfleet Oysters 101 and Oyster Appreciation. The virtual two-part oyster workshop takes place from 4 to 5 p.m., then 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., on Sunday. Teaching will be Toronto-based restaurateur Patrick McMurray (aka Shucker Paddy), the World Oyster Opening Champion in Galway, Ireland. The website also offers links to where to buy local oysters.
And there’s the virtual version of the annual fundraiser auction, with online bidding continuing through Oct. 23. Art and craft exhibitors from previous live fests have stepped up to offer items and gift certificates in the online auction, Insley says, as have many local businesses, galleries, shops and restaurants that have participated over the years. The auction, she says, is “a chance to visit Wellfleet virtually,” browse and maybe “even do some holiday shopping,” using links provided on the website to all the merchants who have previously taken part.
Auction proceeds help SPAT fulfill its mission of supporting Wellfleet’s fishing families. In fact, says Insley, the non-profit this year has given more than $92,000 to help shellfishing families during the pandemic, including $50,000 funneled to the Lower Cape Outreach Council’s many programs.
Because of the “technically more challenging” issues surrounding the virtual format, SPAT has called on a professional team of local talent to oversee production, scripting, videography, music and technical processing. They include director/editor Justin Lynch, graphic designer Andrew Jacob, executive producer Liz Shook and creative director Edward Boches.
The format changes because of the pandemic have both narrowed and expanded the OysterFest concept. Live crowds may be absent, says Insley, but the virtual format is going to better “help us get out the message” that the event is produced by a non-profit with a mission to “preserve, protect and promote the shellfishing and aquaculture industries.”
The online event has potential to reach a wider audience, she says, where “we can more carefully craft our message … and help people understand what goes into the 400-year-old legacy of (these industries) in Wellfleet.” Saturday’s program includes a short film that depicts what Insley calls the “beauty and legacy of Wellfleet’s growing region” as well as “the community’s bonds with its shellfish farmers and wild harvesters.”
Even though many restaurants are closed, she adds, people can help keep the shellfish industry alive and well by purchasing shellfish to take home and prepare themselves. “Enjoy your own oyster repast at home” while tuning in to the festival, she suggests. That will “help to keep shellfish moving through their growth cycle,” thus preparing for a new season of growth and harvest for the delicious bivalves.