Are you ready for the Wellfleet Oyster Festival

While Labor Day is not here yet, I can feel fall in the air-  the sun sets much earlier, the air feels crisper and some of our leaves are starting to turn. I love all four seasons equally for different reasons. For me, fall is filled with thoughts of pumpkins, raking leaves, apples and OYSTERS!

On Cape Cod we are fortunate to enjoy fresh local oysters year round. We also look forward to celebrating the fisher men and woman that make that happen through the support of  the Wellfleet Oyster Fest that is celebrated every October. This wonderful event is organized by SPAT- Shellfish Promoting and Tasting, Inc.  which is devoted to sustaining Wellfleet’s shellfishing and aquaculture industries. The name is clever in that SPAT is also the name for the newly attached baby oyster.

This year’s festival is on October 14-15, 2017. The festival is very popular and every year our inn is full with happy guests attending the two day event, which includes lots of opportunity to have fun and to eat tons of Wellfleet Oysters which are heralded for their distinctive balance of creamy sweetness and brine. The Fest admission is $10 with parking available off site and convenient busing into town. The town center is filled with many events that are noted below:

• Throughout the weekend, local shellfishermen and women come in off the flats to offer their briny, luscious oysters and clams. Alongside the rawbars, restaurants serve up chowders, stuffed clams, and other traditional New England fare.  Culinary programs and cooking demonstrations featuring local chefs cooking with local ingredients, of course including the Wellfleet oyster, are offered throughout the weekend..
• Cape Cod has a great local music scene, and that includes the OysterFest! Enjoy local musicians playing everything from bluegrass and rock, and other family-fun music and performances, happening all day throughout the ‘Fest.
• Enjoy New England beers and ales – considered classic accompaniments to oysters. Locally made wine is offered too!
•  Over 70 carefully selected artisans and artists show off a stunning range of arts and crafts including handmade jewelry, pottery, ceramics, clothing, paintings, photography, furniture, and more.

• The Oyster Shuck-Off is the OysterFest’s most popular attraction! Round one on Saturday afternoon and the final shuck-off on Sunday. Amateurs compete for the fun of it, and some of Wellfleet’s home-town shuckers have been fast enough to go on to compete nationally. Cash prizes for the top three winners. Check out their web site for more detailed information. http://wellfleetspat.org/wellfleet-oysterfest-homepage/

If you can’t get away for the Oyster Fest know that many of our favorite restaurants offer oysters on their menu year round. You will not be disappointed!

The Naked Oyster in Hyannis includes a wonderful raw bar where you can enjoy their Oyster Russian Roulette which includes 6 oyster on the half shell, pickled cucumber, caviar, one spiked with hot sauce and a Russian vodka shot.…. oh my! Great restaurant with a comfortable bar and fresh seafood

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The Oyster Company in Dennisport always has oysters- as their name implies. Get there before 6:30 and enjoy their Quivet Neck oysters for only $1.25 each. The oyster shucker is always in plain view and fun to watch.

The Brewster Fish House is just a short walk from the inn and most always has fresh oyster on their menu. We love to sit in their bar and join in with the locals to enjoy fresh, creatively prepared seafood.

 

 

 

 

Fin in Dennis is also a great choice when you are looking for fresh oysters. They call the appetizer “Fin Grown”  Chilled Oyster as they have their own oyster farm. Check out this video to get a glimpse of Oyster Farming on Cape Cod.

 

Our Cape Cod Bay at low tide is the perfect place to see an oyster farmer up close as shown below in Dennis.  This particular farm can be reached by walking through Crow’s Pasture Conservation Trail.

 

Consider a trip to Cape Cod and call the Captain Freeman Inn home while you enjoy the many eateries and festivals that serve our wonderful Cape Cod oysters. If you are a scallop lover, you may want to attend the 48th annual Cape Cod Scallop Festival in the fairgrounds in East Falmouth. It’s three days of old fashion fun with plenty of fresh scallops to feast on. This festival runs on September 22nd, 23rd and 24th.

Here’s to happily eating fresh seafood on Cape Cod!