Plantation off Long Point Road hosts the event, but the Charleston Restaurant Association organizes the annual fest. Flash back to January 1984. A News & Courier article
A BY AMY KEHM
promoted the inaugural event, held Jan. 14. Interestingly, the day proved to be quite similar to the present-day festival – with
contests for oyster shucking, oyster eating and recipes. Tere was live music by the Charleston Bluegrass Society and oyster meals served up by local restaurateurs. Orga- nizers expected 2,500 visitors. Now, 28 years later, the festival draws an estimated 12,000 guests on the back lawn of Boone Hall Plantation, there to enjoy the tasty creatures of the sea. Early on Jan. 29, well before the guests
show up, the oysters will arrive. Two trac- tor trailers will pull onto the plantation, carrying about 65,000 pounds of oysters. “Tey’re absolutely amazed by the amount of oysters,” explained Steve Kish, a partner at 82 Queen in Charleston and chairman of the board of the Charleston Restaurant Association. Lowcountry waters simply can’t handle the demand.
According to Kish, Apalachicola oysters must be im- ported from Florida to feed the crowd. Crews will immediately go to work steaming those tens
The Eyelash Boutique
Say hello to longer, thicker lashes, and goodbye to messy mascara with our relaxing, eyelash extension procedure. Charleston’s most experienced lash stylists!
$150 OFF LASH SETS
S THE WEATHER CHILLS, excitement builds. A favorite winter-season event approaches. Te Lowcountry Oyster Festival, believed to be the world’s largest oyster roast, marks its 29th year on Jan. 29, 2012. Boone Hall
of thousands of pounds of mollusks, a collaboration of restaurants and caterers from across the Lowcountry. “Tere are probably at least 40 guys back there cooking
oysters,” Kish said. “It’s a big undertaking, but they love it. Tey live for it. Just to watch the cooking that goes on is an amazing feat. It’s never done on that grand of a scale.” When people arrive at the festival, they line up to
purchase oysters by the bucket, as they will do continu- ally throughout the day. Since the event always takes place between late January and early February, Mother Nature can play tricks. “Sometimes it’s raining. Sometimes it’s cold. People still come out,” said Kish. “Tey dress up with their boots and their heavy coats. Tey come out no matter what the weather is.” Year after year, the big draws remain the oyster-shuck- ing and oyster-eating contests. Tousands will poise themselves over the oysters, armed with shucking knives, and go to work prying open shell after shell and savoring the meaty morsel inside. Almost as important, about 10 restaurants serve up a variety of foods – seafood and beyond. Tere is also a beer garden, a wine vendor and entertainment. Te oyster recipe competition is held
at Trident Technical College’s Culinary Institute Palmer campus in downtown Charleston. Kish actually won the first contest in 1984. Besides paying for your food and drinks, there is an admission charge, which, at press
time, organizers said would be between $12 and $15 for 2012. Tat money goes well beyond paying for the festival. Te Lowcountry Oyster Festival raises funds for local charities, including the Hollings Cancer Center, the
Permanent Makeup
Wake Up Made Up! Simplify and beautify your life with smear proof, sweat-proof makeup for: Eyeliner, Lips, Scar Re-pigmentation and Areola Restoration.
AesthetiSpa Cosmetic Skin & Laser Center
710 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. • Ste. 315 • Mount Pleasant (843) 478-8586 •
www.AesthetiSpa.com
10% OFF PERMANENT MAKEUP
www.MountPleasantMagazine.com |
www.iLoveMountPleasant.com |
www.MountPleasantNeighborhoods.com 27
Photos provided by Boone Hall Plantation
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86