oysterfest 2015 preview magazine

1 2015 OYSTERFEST

Oyst e r f e stOctober 3 & 4, 2015 • Shelton, WA

2015 OYSTERFEST 2

CMYK

CMYK

3 2015 OYSTERFEST

Why do seafood lovers flock to the base of the Olympicrange each October? Is it the shellfish from the cleanest waters;the opportunity to see eighteen Washington wineries in onebeautiful Northwest setting, the fast-paced shucking or the greatlive bands? Perhaps all of these reasons –and more– are why20,000 make the pilgrimage to the Washington Seafood Festival.

Since 1982, OysterFest has beena premier event and economicforce in Shelton, WA. Thoughfood is paramount there is muchto see and do. Entertainment,kids’ hands on activities andmarine displays as well as theregional shucking competition.

While shuckers compete for thefastest time in the official WestCoast Oyster Shucking Champi-onship, the Seafood Cookoffinvites professional and amateurchefs to compete in an excitingseafood battle.

It’s not all great food (local non-profits offering a vast variety of delicious food and drink - sea-food and non), great Washington winesand music – exhibits also demonstrate how important clean water is and live touch tanks allow visitors to get “up close and personal” with sea cucumbers and limpets. All this has made the Washington Seafood Festival a much anticipated family event – especially essential for seafood lovers.

Thank you for making OysterFestpossible, we couldn’t have donewithout you – vendors, exhibitors,customers!

Sharpen your shucking skills.

October 3 & 4 Shelton, Washington

WELCOME from theGrand Old Oyster – 5

Oysters that create OPPORTUNITIES – 6

West Coast Oyster SHUCKING Competition – 7

ysterFest SEAFOOD COOKOFF – 11

Washington State WINE TASTING – 16

ENTERTAINMENT Schedule – 20

KNOW YOUR OYSTERS: a primer for the rest of us – 18

CELEBRATE OYSTERSA primer for the rest of us – 24

COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Local 4th Graders enjoy Kids’ Day –28

BIVALVES FOR CLEAN WATER – 34

Getting to OysterFest –38Visit our Towns –39

RV camping –46Parking & Shuttles –45

OysterFest 2015info on the

details on the

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A note from the GOOWelcome to the 2015 Washington

Seafood Festival – OysterFest

Greetings,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you – family, neighbors – old

and new friends to the 2015 OysterFest in Shelton, WA.

This event is made possible by the tireless efforts of hundreds of

volunteers – not just the dedicated members the Skookum Rotary

Club and their families –but also the wonderful volunteers of local

non-profits who cheerfully donate their weekend (and many days

and evenings preceding) supporting this event.

Why do they do that? Well, the small communities of Mason Coun-

ty have one GIANT thing in common – heart. That generous spirit

shines forth at the Boy Scout’s giant oyster barbecue and makes the

Little Skookum Community Hall pressed cider that much sweet-

er! It feels good to know that every bite represents a healthier and

stronger future.

As you visit the exhibits and chat with our locals, I hope you sense

our pride in this wonderful event and our joy at sharing these

amazing resources with you and your family. It won’t take you

long to realize that as the calm clean waters

of Hood Canal meet the ice cold run off

of the Olympics, it’s not just our seafood

that is inviting & full-flavored.

Enjoy the event!

Steve Andrewski

Grand Old Oyster (GOO)

OysterFest.org

2015 GOO (Grand Old Oyster)Steve Andrewski

4

Address correspondence to:

OYSTERFESTPO Box 849Shelton, WA, 98584

OYSTERFEST.ORG

This publication is produced by IMAGE IN ACTION DESIGN in coordination with the Shelton Skookum Rotary Club. For contribution guidelines and advertising call (360) 427-5599 | Image in Action Design, PO Box 622, Shelton, WA 98584

Copy Righted Material 2015

5 2015 OYSTERFEST

Welcome to the 2015 Washington Seafood Festival – OysterFest

Our oysters create opportunitiesOysterFest owes it’s beginnings to the vision of a Shelton Rotarian – Dick

Oltman. In 1979, retired from a military career, Oltman was in the midst of a

second career as a travel agent when he came across a graduate program in

tourism at George Washington University. It required a thesis. Oltman framed

his thesis on a comprehensive plan to enhance public awareness of the local

shellfish industry and thereby increase tourism in Mason County.

The plan centered on the creation of the West Coast Oyster Shuck-ing Championship and Washington State Seafood Festival. His plan was for an event that would be important to the entire communi-ty – economically and socially – OysterFest.

“OysterFest was con-ceived as a family event, and it still runs that way,” said Oltman in an early interview. Family rates, day-time hours, diverse entertainment, marine exhibits, youth activities and careful monitoring make it a safe event for all ages.

Dick approached Skookum Rotary Club with the idea. Tired of plant sales and cutting wood (and trips to the emergency room), Skookum said “yes” on March 10th, 1982. With less than seven months to get organized – they pulled it off with incredible results.

As part of that thesis Oltman created the first OysterFest “road-map.” He included a complete operating plan and all policies and procedures – many of which are still in use today. OysterFest would take place on the first Saturday & Sunday weekend of October. The event would serve as a fundraiser for the Skookum Rotary Club and other not-for profit type local organizations wanting to participate. Private and public organizations were asked to pro-vide hands-on exhibits.

Oltman’s vision was to create an event that would bring visitors after the sum-mer high season, extending the eco-nomic benefits of tourism for the entire community to a time of year that was typically very slow for area restaurants and lodging establishments.

He planned the event to showcase Mason County’s treasured aquaculture industry, highlighting the fact that the shellfish and timber industries can and do co-exist successfully!

The Skookum Rotary Club utilizes Oys-terFest profits on the community: edu-cation projects including scholarships, recognition of academic achievement among students, a science fair, water quality education programs; and other local service work that ranges from food banks and homeless shelters to Music in the Park and saving the school pool.

Along with the original conception of OysterFest was the idea that it would be a revenue source for nonprofits. Even now, three decades later, OysterFest’s vendors are all local groups. Many of the area’s service organizations make their yearly budget at the event.

The hidden pearls of OysterFest are the volunteers who run every single aspect of the event – caring for Oltman’s vision and celebrating one of our community’s most treasured resources – aquaculture.

Dick Oltman

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Focus on speed, precision and presentationSkill, speed, excitement – only a couple reasons the shucking competition has been the centerpiece of OysterFest since its inception. To win the West Coast Speed and Half Shell Oyster Shucking Competition you need to know how to open an oyster – cleanly – and quickly. This is no simple task.

Over the course of two days of compe-tition, usually 12PM – 4PM on both days of OysterFest, contestants vie for the title of the fastest oyster shucker or the best half-shell oyster shucker – or as the case may be – both titles.

The championship in Shelton is a preliminary event to the U.S. shuck-off at the St. Mary’s County Oyster Festi-val in late October held in Maryland. The National Oyster Shucking Cham-pionship Contest® features the fastest men and women shuckers representing ten states and the fastest shuckers competing for cash prizes totaling $1,800.

Winners from previous years have competed in the International Oyster Festival in Galway, Ireland. In 1984, Diz Schimke, the winner of the West Coast Shucking Championship went on to win at the national level and then received title for the best presentation laurels in Ireland. In 1985 he shared the national title in Maryland with his wife, Vicki.

The competition goes through more than 500 dozen oysters, generously do-nated by Taylor Shellfish. Each shucker draws a tray of two dozen oysters by lottery and arranges them in prepara-tion for the contest.

An appeal may be made to the judges if the contestant feels an oyster is of inferior shape or quality. Participants may supply their own gloves, towels and knives.

As the contest begins, the shuckers hold their knives at head height to indi-cate readiness. At the signal from the chief judge, the timekeepers start their watches and the contestants begin. The shuckers rapidly open and place each oyster, completely severed from the shell, on its unbroken half-shell on the tray. The trays are coded and the judges sequestered so that the competition is completely impartial.

West Coast OYSTER SHUCKING CompetitionOctober 3-4 | Shelton, WA

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2014 WEST COAST OYSTER SHUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

SPEED SHUCKING – SATURDAY 1 ALEJANDRO LEON 01:16:19 2 GUADALUPE LEON 01:17:75 3 MIRIEL SILVA 01:21:59 4 JOSE LEON 01:31:19 5 MARIO LEON 01:33:78 6 MARCOS MENDOZA 01:56:20

BEST AMATEUR: BRANDON COLE

Speed is the primary factor on Saturday – with the fastest times usually coming in under two minutes!

On Sunday, speed is still a factor, but even more so is presentation in what are called the Half -Shell trials. Each contestant must not only shuck 24 oysters, but place each on its back in the half shell.

An appetizing arrangement of a tray of shucked oysters is rewarded over a sloppy or butchered offering where speed has been favored. Any cuts in the oyster itself, or pieces of shell in the finished half-shell, will cause points to be deducted from that shucker’s overall score – which means the person who shucks fastest may not necessarily end up the winner.

Prizes are awarded each day of Oys-terFest at 5:30PM. On Saturday the prize for first place for Speed Shucking

HALF SHELL SHUCKING – SUNDAY1 ALEJANDRO LEON 02:31:282 MARIO LEON 02:41:003 MIRIEL SILVA 02:41:30 4 DAVID LECK 02:45:095 FILIBERTO VILLEDA 03:22:406 TYLER NIPPER 04:44:20 BEST AMATEUR: ANDY CONKLIN

BEST PRESENTATION: MIRIEL SILVA

is $400. On Sunday, the winner gets $600 for presentation at the Half-Shell competition. Prizes are given through the 6th place each day. There are also cash prizes for the fastest amateur shucker each day.

Oyster ShuckingPRELIMINARY SCHEDULESATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 201512 - 4PM – on the hour oyster–shucking5PM – shucking finals | 5:30 – awardsSUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 201512 - 4PM – on the hour oyster–shucking5PM – shucking finals | 5:30 – awards

www. goosepoint.com(360) 875-6629 | 1-888-875-6629

FRESH FROM WILLAPA BAY

Welcome to OysterFest! FLY BY OUR RETAIL STORE

If you live for oysters like we do you will love our fresh and innovative products – from live shellstock in various sizes; the freshest hand-shucked Goose Points; to specialty products like party-ready shooters complete in a re-useable shot glass with a Northwest Pacific oyster in our zesty sauce (customize our oyster shooters for your business or family events); or one seal oysters, high pressure banded and pre-shucked, ready to eat.

Goose Point Retail is open seven days a week, 9AM to 5PM. Can’t make it to the farm? Our online store is open 24 hours a day and we are happy ship anywhere in the US.

Nisbet Oyster Co., Inc.7081 Niawaukum St, Hwy 101 Bay Center, WA 98527 [email protected]

goosepoint.indd 1 8/27/15 4:34 PM

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OysterFest 2015SEAFOOD COOK OFFCompetitionOctober 3-4 | Shelton, WA

Who doesn’t love watching hours of reruns as amateurs take on Bobby Flay or professional chefs manage to create amazing desserts out of salvaged sandwich bread on Chopped? Here’s your opportunity to see it live at OysterFest’s popular Seafood Cookoff.

Original recipes created by Northwest gourmet amateur and professional chefs, will be dexterously prepared to bring appetizing aromas and tastes, guaranteed to satisfy even the most de-manding palate. This year’s 34th Year’s OysterFest anniversary will feature eighteen chefs (nine each day) com-peting for prize monies totaling $1300 and the prestige of being

Appetizing aromas and tastes in fast paced seafood cookoffOysterFest cookoff champion. The 2014 overall champion was Emily Romnes. Her recipe for “Oysters Hol-landaise with Bacon and Orange Hollan-daise Sauce” can be found on page 10. Competition at the OysterFest cookoff will take place over the two days of OysterFest, starting at10AM with nine different chefs daily cooking for one

9 2015 OYSTERFEST

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hour staggered at 30 minutes intervals. The three menu categories include appetizers, soups and stews and main course. In each of the categories a gold, silver or bronze medal will be given re-spectively to the top three contestants. All contestants will compete for title of the prestige of being crowned the grand champion. The winner will be selected based on their point count of all entries in all categories.

Judging will be by an esteemed panel of professional chefs headed by Chris Ple-mmons, CEC, Culinary Arts Instructor at Olympic College; professional chef Jack Campbell of Clackamass,OR; Darrel Harris, owner of Boccata Deli, Chehalis, WA; and Walter Bronowitz , CCC, CCE, AAC, executive chef and dietary manager at Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle. Walter was recently honored by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the nation’s largest organization of professional chefs. He

received the 2012 Western Region Hermann G. Rusch Chef ’s Achieve-ment Award during the ACF Western Regional Conference held at Sparks, Nevada.

In addition, Kern Dolby of Kern’s Gourmet Streetfood and Catering and Damien Poon of Alderbrook Golf and Country Club will meet in preliminary rounds of the Iron Chef Competition on Saturday, October 3 at 3:45PM to prepare a main dish and appetizer in a

timed competition using secret ingredients revealed at the beginning of the contest. They will compete for the challenge of defeating last year’s Overall Winner, Emily Romnes, on Sunday,October 4 at 4:00PM. The judging panel will choose the winner. Deb McHargue, John Hinck and Denis Leverich are cookoff chairpeople. Any questions pertaining to competition please call 360-490-5981 or [email protected].

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Oysters Benedict with Bacon and Orange Hollandaise EMILY ROMNES, 2014 COOK OFF WINNER Yield: 6 servings | Portion: 2 oysters

12 live cleaned oysters 1 cup all-purpose flour ½ cup egg wash

1 cup dried English muffin crumbs 6 slices bacon, chopped 6 quail eggs Shuck oysters, set aside liqueur and shells. Bread the shucked oysters using the flour, egg wash and English muffin crumbs. Fry the bacon and keep warm, reserve drippings. Pan-fry the oysters in the bacon drippings until golden brown, but still tender. Poach the quail eggs and keep warm. Steam the mussels until they open. For plating: Lay two oysters side by side on each plate. Top each oyster with a poached quail egg and the Orange Hollandaise.

8 green onions, cut on bias 3 mussels, small

¼ cup cider vinegar ½ cup dry-cooking sherry ½ cup orange juice

3 tbsp. lemon juice oyster liqueur and shells2 eggs, large

1 ¼ cup clarified butter 3 tbsp. orange zest

Reduced the vinegar, sherry, orange juice and lemon juice with the oyster liqueur and shells until about one table-spoon remains. Separate egg and add the yolk to the reduction. Whisk until foamy. Slowly add clarified butter until sauce thickens.

Orange Hollandaise

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MORE THAN JUST OYSTERS AT OYSTERFEST – over 40 non-profit organizations serve a variety of seafoods and non-seafood dishes. The above dishes were prepared by renowned local chef, Xinh Dwelley. Stop by Xinh’s on Railroad in downtown Shelton for some epicurean delights.xinhsrestaurant.com

Xinh Dwelley —Celebrated Chef with connections to OysterFest

Like seafood? Swear nothing’s better than a raw naked oyster? Then you haven’t tried Xinh’s shrimp and mussel curry. Or her geoduck wontons. Don’t get back on Hwy 101 until you see what you are missing.

Xinh Dwelley was raised on a rice farm in Vietnam. Her first job was dish-washing, subsequently transitioning to cooking in an American mess hall. By her 15th birthday she was gaining recognition for her fried chicken and hamburgers. “The officers club loved my cooking,” she says. Along with the sense of flavors learned at her mother’s side – like learning to walk or breathe – Xinh just understood food.

Xinh married an American soldier and – fortunately for us – he brought her to Olympia. She took a job shucking for Ellison Oyster, now Taylor Shellfish. She was good. And each year was bet-ter. In 1989 her first place speed at the West Coast Shucking Championship was 3:08 – taking her on to win the National Championship. In 1992, with five first place wins – each faster than the previous year–she decided to retire from competing.

Rachel Hansen, South Sound Mariculture

When her employers at Taylor’s asked her to prepare an authentic Vietnam-ese meal, she accepted the challenge. It wasn’t the typical mess food she was used to and she wasn’t a trained chef –but Xinh has a good memory. “I make curry sauces from memory,” she says, “Our rice farm was in a tidal swamp; we had a lot of fish. That’s what my mother cooked.”

Xinh’s memory was good. Her curries and sauces are intuitive combinations that make you taste every ingredient – but never get distracted from the dish.

Recently I had the honor of Xinh Dwelley cooking in my kitchen for an event hosted at our shellfish farm. Locally we all know and love Xinh and an evening at Xinh’s is revered as a treat for birthdays or anniversaries. Was my kitchen going to past muster? I needn’t have worried. Cooking alongside Xinh is like watching a talented confident artist at work. My children, 9 and 13, took to her instantly and were enlisted as her sous chefs, scurrying around the hum of the kitchen like well mannered bees basking in her lively warm person-ality.

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2 lbs large mussels in shell Juice of 1 lemon (3 tbsp)½ cup oil 2 tbsp Tahini (roasted sesame butter) 1 tbsp sesame oil ½ tsp salt

Xinh’s Marinated Mussels½ tsp black pepper1 tsp honey or brown sugar 1 package dry Italian dressing mix 1 tbsp basil, chopped1 tsp minced garlic 2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheeseRinse and debeard mussels by pulling off the byssal threads. Place mussels in 2-3 inches of water in a covered pot. Steam over high heat until mussels have opened. Once the mussels have opened, drain and remove meat from the shells. Save the shells because these will be used for plating. Chill the mussel meat in the refrigerator until the marinade is ready. Carefully split the mussel shells so that they are single. You will have twice as many half shells as meat, so no worries if some shells break during the process. Mix together all of the marinade ingredients in a blender. Blend until fully incorporated. Coat the chilled mussel meats in the marinade and return to the refrigerator until ready to serve. You might have excess marinade, if you do this is a fabulous salad dressing.Place mussels back into shells and garnish with more shredded Parmasan cheese and chopped basil. Enjoy!

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Xinh gently taught Luke how to fold wontons and patiently brushed off crooked pinches. When my fridge lacked an essential dressing she just shrugged, “we’ll make do.” Despite my fears, her grace and kindness not only made it enjoyable – we also had the most fantastic feast!

Don’t take my word for it. Look at her restaurant walls with ribbons and plaques of the many honors her dish-es earned. See the images of her with famous people: Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain and Dirty Job’s Mike Rowe. You, too, could get a picture with Xinh.

Like the principles of Rotary, Xinh is constantly giving herself – donating countless time and skills to charities and fundraisers. Yet despite all this fame and accolades she remains humble and gen-uine – enjoying a hot dog with ketchup when she isn’t making divine seafood fusions for her adoring fans.

Back on the farm, Luke has beeninspired to be a chef when he grows up. Until then we’ll relish the birthday dinners at Xinh’s and cherish the time a famous chef used our serving dishes.

Recipe reproduced with permission of Xinh Dwelley, Xinh’s Clam and Oyster House, Shelton, WA– Open Thurs – Sat, 5PM – 9PM.

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Visitors enjoy the wide variety of“guiltless” delights at OysterFestFrom a delicate herbed seafood ceviche to corn on the cob – and, of course, dozens upon dozens of fresh, beautiful Northwest oysters prepared in every way imaginable – you can be sure there’s something for every palate.

Why is it “guiltless,” you ask? Every single one of the food vendors – with no exception – is volunteering their time to create gastronomical delights (both seafood and non) in support of a local organization. ALL vendors and exhib-itors must be non-profit organizations with proceeds benefiting Mason Coun-ty based organizations. That means that every bite of deep fried oyster or Squaxin fry bread gives you a burst of karma! So go crazy. Try everything and be a giver! Thank you!

So where should you start? Be sure to pick up the colorful map, schedule and exhibitor directory with your tickets.

This will be the first year for the event at its location on the Shelton airport (previously hosted on the adjacent fair-grounds) so orientation will be new.

While the over 21 members of our group head to the ID check-in to receive their bracelets, the rest of our family rushes to the coconut shrimp line. This booth, hosted by the Senior Services for South Sound is generally sold out by mid-day each day. The suc-culent shrimp and the crunchy sweet coconut are an amazing combination and a great way to start your adventure. The folks at Senior Services for South Sound raises funds to help seniors

remain healthy and independent in their homes. The group also supports seniors through the provision of Meals On Wheels, health services and social support. Might as well get two orders of coconut shrimp!

Another popular food spot is the Squaxin Elders salmon & fry bread. Grilled to perfection, moist and fresh, the slab of seasoned salmon perfect complements the crispy hot fried bread. All the proceeds go to assisting elder members of the Squaxin Island Tribe.

Local Boy Scouts troop volunteers shuck oysters for the grill (top). Salmon and Fry Bread and Coconut Shrimp, two not to be missed delicacies. (below) Photo courtesy of Chris Veblen/Vickie Meadows.

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Looking for oysters? Well, that’s no problem either. If you can imagine it, the folks at OysterFest have probably made it happen –grilled oysters bathed in melted garlic butter; Oysters Rockefeller, with a delicate wash of seasonings; deep fried oyster fritters with a tangy ice cold dip; forti-fying hearty – burn your tongue– oys-ter chowder; skewered oysters wrapped in rashes of thick bacon – well, you get the idea.

Prefer the purist approach to your oysters? That’s covered too. After all, Mason County is home to some of the best oysters in – um, the world! Sweet and petite yearling Pacifics with their signature cucumber finish and briny liquor; or perhaps you prefer the milky

(continued from previous page)white firm texture of a two-season cupped tumbled oyster. Stop by the raw oyster bar hosted by the Marine Education Science Society (MESS) for some of Hammersley Inlet and Hood Canal’s finest examples. These prized shooters need no dressing – but if you like, splash on a little mignonette—a piquant sauce made with vinegar and shallots, or a squeeze of lemon – both are a perfect balance to the briny, some-what creamy oysters. Again, go crazy – not only is it good for you (unless your doctor gave you reason to not eat raw seafood) it is all for a good cause.

Where ever your taste buds wander through the food tents this year at OysterFest it will surely to be a fun and tasty experience.

See you in the coconut shrimp line!

12 reasons to skip breakfast before OysterFest:

1 Clam Chowder prepared by the Shelton Lions Club –Their mission is to assist those with sight and hearing problems by providing exams and glasses for those in financial need.

2 Crab & Shrimp grilled by the Hood Canal Kiwanis – their purpose is helping children locally and all over the world.

3 Firehouse Chili & SnoCones hosted by the Mason 5 Firefight-er’s Association – a group of Fire and EMS that promotes the health, and well being of firefighters and the community.

4 Chocolate Covered Strawber-ries on the Half Shell dipped by Youth For Christ – an international non-profit working with youth in six Shel-ton schools, the juvenile detention center and with teen parents.

5 Oysters grilled by Boy Scouts Troop #110 –preparing the youth to be responsible, participating citizens and lead-ers following the scout law and oath.

6 Geoduck Fritters & Corndogs hand-dipped by the Wildcatz Cheer and Fitness– a non-profit group with volunteer staff that provides after school tumbling and cheer practice for area kids.

7 Fudge on the half shell from the Mason County Optimist Club – they bring you this amazing treat to “bring out the best in kids,” through recreational, educational and athletic activities.

8 Corn on the Cob served by Shelton High School Band Boosters –funds helps pay for buses, competitions, uniforms and other band expenses.

9 Oyster Fritters and Curry Mussels with Rice prepared by the Shelton Rotary. a non-profit group that raises money for Rotary.

10 Linguini with Clam Sauce presented by Canal Ct. #79 Order of the Amaranth – a fraternal orga-nization donating to Diabetes research, youth scholarships, Turning Point domes-tic violence center and food baskets.

11 Oyster Stew prepared by the Girl Scouts - local Western Washing-ton Mason County chapter serving girls aged 5-18.

12 Oyster Rockefeller assembled by the Mason County Association of Realtors – a group raising money for student scholarships.

Check out the exhibitor list at oysterfest.org/vendors for more great reasons to come hungry!

Yearling oyster – with thinner shell and

a more delicate cucumber flavor.

15 2015 OYSTERFEST

Microbrews at OysterFestEvery year at OysterFest, microbrews share the spotlight with great food. Featuring its own live music stage, the microbrew area is always a popular spot. No one under the age of 21 is permitted in the designated Microbrew Area and all patrons will be asked to show ID at the entrances to receive an “OVER 21” bracelet that can gain access to the area.

Preliminary 2015 List of MicrobrewsAlaskan BreweryAmerican BreweryBlue MoonDeschutes BreweryElysianFirestone BreweryFull Sail BreweryGoose Island BreweryKona BreweryLangunitas BreweryLost CoastMack & Jack Brewery

Narrows BreweryNew Belgium BreweryNinkasi BreweryRed Hook BrewerySamuel Adams BrewerySeattle CiderShock TopSquare MileStellaTen Barrel BreweryWidmer BreweryWorthy

OysterFest 2015MICROBREWS AREA

Ages 21 and overOctober 3-4 | Shelton, WA

There is plenty to see and do at OysterFest for the whole family.

With lots of sitting areas to enjoy the great food and constant entertainment

on multiple stages ––your entire family will enjoy the event.

Proudly supporting OysterFest 2015

What goes well with oysters?

WE ESPECIALLY SUGGEST R GIN,slightly smokey, dry gin, which is best when enjoyed with oysters. The barley is cold-smoked in the Hama Hama Oyster Co.

oyster smoker in Lilliwaup. R GIN is named for the lively, old wives’ tale that oysters are best in months

24210 North Highway 101, Hoodsport, Washington 98548 | 206-300-0877 www.hardwaredistillery.com

STOP BY OUR TASTING ROOM IN HOODSPORT. Winter Hours: Friday & Saturday, 11AM – 6PM; Sunday 11AM-5PM. Private tours are available, contact us for details, 206-300-0877.

with the letter “R.”

2015 OYSTERFEST 16

Pepsi goes with hamburgers; light microbrew with a hot dog –what wine goes with a poached dill salmon, geoduck fillet or a steaming bowl of clam chowder? At OysterFest we believe the answer is a Washington State wine. To help make a perfect pairing, the teamat OysterFest annually organizes a wine-tasting hall featuring Washington wines exclusively.

In 2015 eighteen wineries will showcase over 70 of their best wines that have garnered accolades and medals throughout the Northwest. Whether you prefer a robust red, a subtle white, or like some sweeter options, you will find it in the winery booths at the 2015 OysterFest.

Friends gather to spend hours visiting and sampling wines. We invite you to enjoy live entertainment on stage and meet some of our local vintners and enjoy their wines. Purchase a souvenir glass for $5 and tasting tickets for just $1 each. Tickets may be redeemed at any of the winery tables for a sample pouring.

Washington wines featured at event

2015 WineriesCONVERGENCE ZONE CELLARS is a micro-winery located in Woodinville, Washington. Winemaker and owner, Scott Greenberg, specializes in bold red wines and fruity white wines. In addition to the OysterFest label wines, Drizzle and Storm Front, they will be sampling Sunbreak (Chenin Blanc), Squall Line (Cabernet Sauvignon) and Black Cloud (Malbec).czcellars.com

GINKGO FOREST WINERY makes award winning wine with estate grown grapes from the Wahluke Slope. Their vineyard, winery, and tasting room are located near Mattawa and the Colum-bia River, just south of Vantage. Ginko Forest has a second tasting room in the Old Town neighborhood of Tacoma, located at 2221 N 30th St. Tacoma. At OysterFest 2015 the winery will be featuring a dry Sauvignon Blanc, a port style late harvest Syrah, dry red Malbec and a dry red Pinot Noir. ginkgowin-ery.com

The Skookum Rotary Club is pleased to announce that Convergence Zone Cel-lars has been chosen to carry the 2015 labels. “We were honored to selected to be the official OysterFest label,” said vintner and owner, Scott Greenberg.

Two wines were selected: Drizzle & Storm Front. Drizzle, a Pinot Gris with a hint of sweetness, is a great match for oysters, other shellfish and Asian food. Storm Front, a blend of Merlot, Caber-net Franc and Malbec, pairs well with roasted chicken and potatoes, rainy evenings and movie nights.

The selected wines will be exclusively available at OysterFest with the com-memorative label design featuring the winning artwork of local artist, Linda Cortesi.

Cortesi’s pastel over watercolor wash was selected from the entries received for the 2015 OysterFest design contest. Entitled “The Old Shucker,” Cortesi’s work captures the authentic coastal welcome of her home in Brinnon on Hood Canal.

16

17 2015 OYSTERFEST

Washington wines featured at event HOODSPORT WINERY, established in 1978, is one of the earliest wineries in Washington. Located in Mason County near the town of Hoodsport, the winery is known for its premium fruit, berry and grape wines. Hood-sport has received over 500 awards for their wines. The highest award was for their 1994 Cabernet at Vin Expo in France in 1996. The Governor’s award was given to their Raspberry wine. The tasting room and store is open daily. hoodsport.com

HORIZONS EDGE WINERY was established in Zillah, Washington, 1983 on eighteen acres of outstanding vineyards. It is a small family owned winery producing about 1,000 cases a year. Visitors are welcome to tour the winery and see the wine being worked from the stainless steel tanks or oak barrels and possibly catch the bottling line in production. Horizon’s tasting room sits upstairs in a loft, which allows spectacular views of Mt Adams, Mt Rainier and vineyards while sampling quality wine in an intimate setting. Tasting room hours are Thurs-day through Monday, 12 – 5PM.horizonsedgewinery.com

HYATT VINEYARDS was established by Leland and Lynda Hyatt of Zillah, Washington. The winery site was plant-ed in 1983 and has a full crush and production facility. The tasting room opened in 1983, showcasing all Hyatt wines and a wide selection of gift items. Hyatt has grown to three vineyards, growing a wide array of grape variet-ies including Riesling, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Malbec and three varieties of Muscat. At OysterFest 2015 the winery will be featuring a Pinot Gris, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a blush Black Muscat and a Syrah.hyattvineyards.net

MADSEN FAMILY CELLARS is a boutique winery located just north of Olympia, exit 111 off I-5 (follow the tourist activity signs.) The winery features Bordeaux red varietals, several blends, along with selec-tions of both dry and sweet white wines. Tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday. madsenfamilycellars.com

MAISON DE PADGETT WINERY features fun and delicious award-win-ning, handcrafted wines. Approachable Reds, Whites, Roses, Ports and Sweet Wines – the winery specializes in limited production Chardonnay, Muscat, Gewürz-traminer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sweet wines and ports. Owned and operated by David and Lisa Padgett, they invite you to experience their grounds and winery. maisondepadgettwinery.com

MARCHETTI WINES is a boutique winery that specializes in unsulfited red wines. Award winning winemaker, Rich LaRosa, is one of Washington’s oldest wine makers. Marchetti Wines sources its grapes from Eastern Washington while processing and bottling them in Olympia, Washington. The winery was founded in 2001 and is the second oldest winery in Thurston County marchettiwines.com

MOSQUITO FLEET WINERY is a small, family owned and operated boutique winery that takes pride in producing outstanding red wines. With several 90+ point wines on record, Mosquito Fleet is becoming known for their award-winning reds. At OysterFest 2015 the winery will be featuring their 2012 Cabernet Sauvi-gnon. Their production facility and tasting room is located locally in Belfair. Private events and barrel tastings available. mosquitofleetwinery.com

NORTHWEST MOUNTAIN WINERY is a family owned and operated, award winning winery making small amounts wine from Washington grapes, fruits and honey. (continued next page)

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2015 OYSTERFEST 18

At OysterFest the winery will be fea-turing their ALCV Reserve Merlot, a Peach Wine, a Blackberry Wine, and a 2012 Barbera Port, Dark MoonRising. nwmountainwine.com

OLYMPIC CELLARS WINERY values the legacy that has been entrusted to them: a 100+ year-old historic barn, a 100+ year old hand-crafted tasting bar, farm land that they’ve preserved with a small vineyard and an equally old bell that rings in the harvest – all nestled in the foothills of the Olympic Moun-tains. One of the original 15 wineries in Washington State, Olympic Cellars celebrates award-winning, hand-crafted wines. olympiccellars.com

SCATTER CREEK WINERY is a family owned winery located in historic downtown Tenino. Established in 2005, the winery specializes in sixteen

varieties of handcrafted wines, from subtle whites, bold reds and sweet dessert wines using Eastern Washington grapes. Scatter Creek has won multiple wine awards as well as second place in the 2014 Best Winery (Evening Maga-zine). scattercreekwinery.com

STOTTLE WINERY, located in Lacey and Hoodsport, produces hand-crafted, award-winning wines from the oldest vineyards in Washington. Wine En-thusiast Magazine wrote about Stottle’s wines, “Nothing to say but bravo.” Stottle Winery will be bringing the following wines to OysterFest: a 2013 Viognier, a smooth aromatic white wine that is perfect with oysters; 2013 Lucille Late Harvest Viognier, a slightly sweet dessert wine, perfect with sweet or spicy foods; 2012 Sangiovese, a light red that goes with seafood for those people who prefer red wine but love seafood; and 2012 Big Eddie, a Bor-deaux style blend. stottlewinery.com

STINA’S CELLAR is a family owned and operated boutique winery located in Lakewood, Washington with a focus on making small lots of premium wine. Tasting room hours Thur-Sat 12-6pm stinascellars.com

TANJULI WINERY is dedicated to pro-ducing amazing wines from the Rat-tlesnake Hills estate vineyard. Vintner, Tom Campbell has been producing international award-winning wines in Washington for over 30 years. At the event they will feature a Viognier, Picpoul Blanc, Pinot Noir, Carmenere, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Orange Muscat, and Black Muscat wine. tanjuli.com

(continued from previous page)

(425) 233-5638#5b, 18800 142nd Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98072

czcellars.com

STORM FRONT a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec that pairs well with roasted chicken & potatoes, rainy evenings and nights in.

Our family-owned and operated winery, located in the Puget Sound Convergence Zone, vints and blends Washington grapes into award-winning, small production, premium wines. We invite you to our tasting room in Woodinville’s Warehouse Winery District, open Saturdays, 12 – 5 PM.

Chosen for the 2015 OysterFest wine labels!

19 2015 OYSTERFEST

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WALTER DACON WINERY, located in Shelton, Washington is dedicated to Rhone and Mediterranean style wines and sources grapes from select vineyard sites in Yakima and Columbia valleys. Hand crafted through the unique art of blending and aged in French and American oak Barrels, Walter Dacon wines reveal the underlying fruit blend-ed with gentle, precision use of oak. Tasting room open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 – 6PM. walterdaconwines.com

WESTPORT WINERY’S award-winning wines are exclusively available at the resort – and OysterFest. At OysterFest 2015 the winery will be featuring their: Duckleberry Grunt Blueberry Gewürz-traminer; Bella Syrah 50%/Merlot 45%/Petite Syrah 5%,Captain Gray Gewürztraminer Red Willow Vineyard with hints of lychee and cloves; and the tangy Bog Berry Blush Cranberry Gewürztraminer.

The tasting room, gift shop, produce market, plant nursery, bakery and gar-dens, are open daily. The restaurant is open for lunch daily and for dinner on Friday and Saturday. westportwinery.com.

VOILÀ WINERY is located just 10 min-utes from Leavenworth in Cashmere, Washington. The winery is located in

an agricultural rural area, bordered by grape vines, apple, pear and cherry orchards. The vineyard lays out like a carpet on the valley floor with gorgeous mountains on all sides. This will be the first year for Voilà Winery at OysterFest and we are proud to welcome to the wine event! Voilà tasting room is open Thursdays and Fridays 12-5PM, Saturdays 12-6:30PM and Sundays 12-5PM. voilavineyards.com

2015 OYSTERFEST 20

The 2015 OysterFest entertainment schedule is all set and features some great new acts as well as a few annual favorites! With the variety of music styles and the exciting Shucking Competition (see page 6) and entertaining Seafood Cookoff (page 8) - there is plenty to see and do!

Toe tapping stages all weekend —from blues and big band to rock’n’ roll

TAMMY FROST TRIO is a blend of country, blues, bluegrass, soul, and Americana. Frost’s father was a “guitar picken sailor” from Tennessee who was stationed in Bremerton and crossed paths with her “singing mom” from Port Orchard. She is the product of “old school Honkytonk Teenagers “and all that it implies.

Frost spent half of her childhood in Georgia and was heavily influenced by the music. She loves the way music makes her feel and feels most comfort-able on the stage. Frost is accompanied by band members, Al Alto and Pete Jungshafer.

The PSYCHEDELIC SHADOW SHOW takes the stage at 1:30PM. The band has had an active and popular presence in the Olympia/Tacoma area since 2012. This band treats fans to an unfor-gettable and authentic experience in the music of Jefferson Airplane, Cream, Janis Joplin, Buffalo Springfield, Straw-berry Alarm Clock, Shocking Blue, and many more popular but less heard fa-vorites performed as it was done by the original artists. Music lovers from ages 19 to 75 have expressed their delight at both revisiting classic psychedelia and, in the case of the younger ones, discovering music that they will cher-ish for a lifetime. Along with first-rate

(Above) TAMMY FROST Saturday, 12:30 - 2PM on

Wine Stage. PHOTO TAMMY FROST

(Below) PSYCHEDELIC SHADOW SHOW

Eagles Grand Ballroom for Arts Walk 4/25/15.

PHOTO BY HOWARD BORDEN

An annual favorite – THE VARMINTS – will follow the KNUCKLEHEADS on the Microbrew stage Saturday. Starting the 11:30AM this popular rock and roll five piece band will be sure to energize your afternoon.

Varmints rock the crowd at our the Skookum Rotary 2015 Music in the Park Event

21 2015 OYSTERFEST 21

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Preliminary OysterFest 2015 Entertainment Schedule

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3Microbrew Stage Wine Stage

10:00 AM Knuckleheads10:00AM – 11:00 AM 10:30 AM

Half Hitched10:30AM - 12:00PM

11:00 AM

11:30 AMThe Varmints

11:30AM – 1:00PM12:00 PM

12:30 PM Tammy Frost Trio12:30PM – 2:00PM1:00 PM

1:30 PMPsychedelic Shadow Show

1:30PM – 3:00PM2:00 PM

2:30 PMBackLash

2:30PM – 4:00PM3:00 PM

3:30 PM

Hurts Like Hell3:30PM – 6:00PM

4:00 PM

4:30 PM

Leather Soul4:30PM - 6:00PM

5:00 PM

5:30 PM

6:00 PM

Updated schedule available at oysterfest.org

music comes our amazing, tripped-out light show, courtesy of Psychedelic Shadow and Light –lasers, oil lamps, and gorgeous ambient glowing auras compliment an already mind-blowing experience. The Psychedelic Shadow Show’s motto is “Be the Trip You Wish to See in the World”...and we take you on a trip that you will never forget, at each and every show!

Have you ever noticed how a song can take you back to a special time and place? That’s the theory behind BACK-LASH, a four piece classic rock & roll band based out of Olympia, Washing-ton. Their selection of songs covers a wide variety of music with one thing in common they are all memorable classic hits! Some of the artists include Santa-na, Elvis, Rolling Stones, Beatles, BB King, Johnny Cash, INXS, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, etc.

HURTS LIKE HELL received a lot of attention in August when they per-formed at a packed outdoor concert in Shelton sponsored by Skookum Rotary. The Olympia band formed in 2011, when drummer, Ben Hawkes, dreamed of putting his favorite local players in a blues band together. Throughout 2012 and 2013, the band wrote and toured locally and was voted Weekly Volcano’s Best Blues Band in Olympia in consec-utive years. In November 2013, they released their debut album, Leave ‘Em To The Crows. The four member band brings their blistering brand of blues rock to bars, venues and clubs all over the Great Northwest.

Hurts Like Hell at the final Skookum Rotary 2015 Music in the Park Event

2015 OYSTERFEST 22

Sunday’s starter, CHROME BETTY BAND has its roots in the Olympia garage band scene of the 1960’s. Four of its members quit their formal musical education at Jefferson Junior High to pursue rock and blues music.

Decades later: reunion in the Chrome Betty Band. CBB primarily performs covers of rock and blues tunes: Clapton, Stones, Petty, Bramhall, Dylan, Hendrix, Muddy Waters, Cray, Butterfield, Sonics, Jimmy Hanna and the Dynamics, Wail-ers, Van Morrison, SRV, Allman Brothers, many others, and a few original tunes.

At 1:30PM on Sunday, head over to the Microbrew stage to catch, U2 tribute band - U253. Based in the South Sound area of the Pacific Northwest (area code 253), U253 takes pride in providing an authentic, high energy musical experience through strong musicianship from the four members of the band that work hard to authentically perform U2’s songs.

Preliminary OysterFest 2015 Entertainment Schedule

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4Microbrew Stage Wine Stage

11:30 AMChrome Betty Band11:30AM – 1:00PM

Pine Top Pickers 11:30AM – 1:00PM

12:00 PM

12:30 PM

1:00 PM

1:30 PMU253

1:30PM – 3:00PMSwing Fever

1:30 – 3:00PM2:00 PM

2:30 PM

3:00 PM

3:30 PM

Strike Nine3:30PM – 5:00PM

The Fabulous Roof Shakers3:30PM – 5:00PM

4:00 PM

4:30 PM

5:00 PM

5:30 PM

6:00 PM

CHROME BETTY rocks the Microbrew Stage from 11:30 AM- 1:00 PM, Sunday.

Updated schedule available at oysterfest.org

Strike Nine rattling the leaves off the trees at the Lakefair festival in Olympia in July U2 tribute band - U253

23 2015 OYSTERFEST

For something totally different, and in-spiring, join the crowd getting ready for a great performnce at the Wine Stage.

SWING FEVER, a Belfair, Washington based swing band has been playing together since 1997. Swing Fever dance band performs music from the big band era and other types of music to dance to or tap your feet. The 20-piece big band, complete with 5 vocalists regularly performs in the Shelton Mason County area.

STRIKE NINE will help you finish you day with some real classic heavy metal rock. This band plays cover songs for bands from Alice in Chains to Bad Company and Cream. As they term it “drama free rock.”

If Jimi Hendrix is not how you want to close your Sunday entertainment, THE FABULOUS ROOF SHAKERS (FRS) is a roof-shaking band composed of vet-eran rock, classic rock and rhythm & blues entertainers and musicians from Seattle, Queens, Detroit, East LA, and San Francisco. FRS has been playing to enthusiastic crowds in and around the Puget Sound area, and beyond since 2004, with a solid rhythm section, gritty vocals, wailing blues harp, and soulful horn section.

These bands and more will be perform-ing at the 2015 OysterFest in Shelton, WA, October 3-4. Visit the website oysterfest.org for stage changes or roving entertainment information.

Enjoy the Show!

THE FABULOUS ROOF SHAKERS rocks the Wine Stage from 3:30 - 5:00 PM, Sunday.

2015 OYSTERFEST 24

The Oysters of Washington—Olympia, Virginica, Pacific and Kumamoto

Olympia oyster The native oyster to Washing-ton State, the Olympia oyster is a half dollar sized delicacy with a metallic finish. The Olympia oyster fishery rush ran from the mid-1800s until about 1915 to supply Califor-nia’s demand for oysters. The oysters were harvested from the protected shallow bays of southern Puget Sound and Willapa Bay until pollution and overharvesting caused a collapse of the wild fishery.

Virginica oysterThe decline of the delicate Olympia oyster opened the door for the import of the larger Virginica oyster from the east coast into Wash-ington in the early 1900s. Although they grew, the eastern oysters did not adapt well to Washington waters and experienced large die offs when transplanted. Currently there are beds of Virginica oysters raised by Washington shellfish farmers supplying succulent, shell-filling meats to Virginica oyster lovers around the United States.

Pacific oyster With the unsuccessful introduction of the Ameri-can oyster, farmers began experimenting with the Pacific oyster around 1904. The trials were success-ful yielding market sized oysters in 2 years. Soon there after, Washington was importing seed from Japan in commercial quantities in the 1930s. This practice of importing seed from the Matsushima Bay lasted for over 45 years. Seed shipments were a partnership between Washington State Depart-ment of Fisheries and the Pacific Coast Oyster Growers Association who sent inspectors to Japan to ensure the seed was free of pests and predators. The shipments took place between January and February when the seed shipment mortality was low. The Pacific oyster is now the most important commercial species on the West Coast yielding large cup shaped oysters. In Dabob and Quilcene Bays on Hood Canal and in Willapa Bay, Pacific oysters began spawning thus helping to supply additional pacific oyster seed into the system. Beginning in the 1950s researchers began to try and understand the reproduction of the Pacific oyster to reduce the dependence on Jap-anese seed imports. Since the early 1970s Wash-ington shellfish growers have relied on shellfish hatcheries for the production of Pacific oyster seed to meet the growing demand for oysters.

The not so secret secret to good oysters – is safe handling. From the moment your product is placed in bag your grower must insure that it is kept cold and fresh. Keep your oysters on ice or in the the refrigerator. Cover with a damp cloth in the fridge to keep them moist. Fresh oysters must be alive just before consumption or cooking. Tap on the shell– a live oyster will close up and is safe to eat. Discard dead oysters.

25 2015 OYSTERFEST

The Oysters of Washington—Olympia, Virginica, Pacific and Kumamoto

Kumamoto oysterJapan also hosted another species of oyster known as the Kumamoto oyster that has a small deep cup and a sweet meat that is prized by raw oyster consumers. Brought to Washington from Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture, they do not reproduce in the cold Washington waters so shellfish growers rely exclusively on hatchery stock.

The prized small deep cup of the Ku-mamoto oyster and its limited supply has Pacific oyster growers altering their shellfish growing practices to create a small deep cupped Pacific oyster to meet half shell market demands. The growers use flip bags or tumble bags to constant-ly chip the rapidly growing shell of the Pacific oyster to force it into growing a deeper cup. The result is highly prized specialty oysters marketed with names such as Kusshi, Shigoku, Sea Cow, Blue Pools, Chelsea Gems, Baywater Sweets, etc.

How to Shuck OystersWashington Department of Fish & Wildlife Recreational Shellfish wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish

ON PUBLIC TIDELANDS you are required to shuck oysters on the beach. All oysters taken by sport harvesters on public tidelands must be shucked on the beach, and the shells left on the same tide height where they were taken. You will need a recreational shellfish and seaweed license , an oyster knife and a pair of gloves. You'll also need a container with a cover to hold the oyster meats and liquor. Each harvester must have his or her own separate container. WDFW does not recommend that young children shuck oysters but adults with a valid Shellfish License may shuck a child's daily limit of oysters, so long as the child participates in some way in the gathering of his or her limit. For illustrated details on two popular shucking methods, visit wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish.

1. Insert the blade, of the shucking knife at the hinge between the two valves. Twist the blade until there is a slight pop.

2. Slide the blade upward to cut the adductor muscle which holds the shell closed. Apply a firm hand but not to much force.

3. Open and carefully slip blade along inside of bottom shell to cut the other side of the adductor muscle to release meat from shell.

If the oyster has a particularly soft shell, the knife can be inserted instead in the ‘sidedoor’, about halfway along one side where the oyster lips widen with a slight indentation.

Hinge

Adductor muscle

Shell

Mantle

Adductor muscle

The inside story

For more information about oyster species visit wsg.washington.edu. Thank you to Teri King, Washington Sea Grant for detaills and guidance.

Shigoku

Beach grown Pacific

2015 OYSTERFEST 26

Play with your food —Educational exhibits draw thousandsOysterFest features a number of exhibits that showcase the beauty and delicacy of the Puget Sound ecosystem. Attendees especially enjoy hands-on opportunities to learn about the tidal zones and how they can help to protect and enjoy our local waters. The Washington Sea Grant touch tanks especially are a perennial favorite. With creatures carefully gathered by divers in Hood Canal and South Puget Sound exclusively for these exhibits, the eco-system in the touch tanks is as close to mother nature as you can get without actually being there. The environment in the tank provides healthy living con-ditions for crabs, oysters, sea cucum-bers, sea stars, sand dollars, periwinkles,

mussels, hermit crabs, moon snail and other species that dwell in the shallow waters of our coastal waters. Event attendees are able to observe how the animals interact in their native habi-tat. Washington Sea Grant biologists and volunteer guides are on hand all weekend to answer question and offer tidbits of interesting information about the animals. Based at the University of Washington, Washington Sea Grant

provides statewide marine research, outreach, and education services. The National Sea Grant College Program is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

In addition to the marine touch tanks there are exhibits on aquaculture prac-tices, education, water quality, natural resources and public safety.

The Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers As-sociation works on behalf of its mem-ber to illustrate a broad spectrum of issues in their booth including environ-mental protection, shellfish safety, regu-lations and provide public information materials and answer questions.

The Mason County Noxious Weed exhibit educates the public on de-grading impact of noxious weeds and offers advice on which native plants

27 2015 OYSTERFEST

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can help home owners protect their waterways. While the Mason Con-servation District provides a display to assist residents by providing a link between landowners, industry, and government agencies. They also provide technical and financial assis-tance to residents willing to imple-ment conservation best management practices.

Also providing information is the Washington State Department of Health Shellfish Program. Their mission is to prevent illness in people who eat Washington-grown mollus-can shellfish. If you have any ques-tions about when and where oysters or clams are safe to eat; how you should handle them; or what seafood eaters with special health conditions should be aware of – the DOH will have your answers.

The Mason County Public Utility District # 3 also provides an edu-cational display at OysterFest. Stop by their booth for helpful hints to reduce energy use and be safe around electricity.

This is just a snapshot of some of the organizations offering hands-on information displays at the 2015 OysterFest. Be sure to check out the complete exhibitor list and their locations in the fold-out map and schedule available at the ticket and information booths or view the list online at oysterfest.org.

2015 OYSTERFEST 28

OysterFest KIDS DAY

Fourth GradeOctober 2 | Shelton, WA

Kids’ Day at OysterFest—Over 11,000 students served and counting

On the Friday before the festival opens to the public bus loads of local fourth grade students arrive at the OysterFest grounds to get the opportunity to get a little wet while learning how to take care of our natural resources.

Kids’ Day was added to the OysterFest line up of activities in 1993 to provide students a unique, fun opportunity to learn about the world they live in and how to protect and care for the envi-ronment and themselves. The program was the brainchild of Jim Freed, Skoo-kum Rotarian, and Teri King of Wash-ington Sea Grant (now also Skookum Rotarian). The two conceptualized the program in 1992 shortly after King took her Mason County position with the University of Washington.

She received a $500 CoastWeeks grant from the Washington State Depart-ment of Ecology to supplement in-kind funding from Washington Sea Grant and Skookum Rotary. Teri has chaired the event ever since.

The first year was hectic, with students in the third, fourth and fifth grades traveling all over the festival site for their fast paced sessions. An air horn moved the students from station to station and still does to this day.

The instructors had never taught lessons so quickly, but after the first few rotations in the morning, they had adapted their lesson plans. At the end of the day all of the volunteers were exhausted and exhilarated but there was no turning back as the event was a resounding hit!

The program was forced to turn down many schools the first year and it became obvious that the participation needed to be narrowed down to the fourth grade.

Over the years the event has been fine-tuned with intense program scheduling, incredible volunteers, and dedicated instructors. Kids’ Day has hosted many environmental educators from around Washington State and has been a model for a few of their events. Some of 1993 students have returned to teach as pro-fessionals in the environmental field.

Stations have evolved as well. The popular, Germ City, was developed by staff at the WA State Extension Office in Mason County. The hand washing lesson consisted of a tarp blacking out a corner of a building to allow the

29 2015 OYSTERFEST

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students hands to glow under the black light in 1993, to a series of card board boxes designated ‘10,000 Germs Under the Sea’ in 1994 to a sophisticated pro-fessionally constructed portable booth with glowing germs inside in 2015 that is now used nationwide.

Organizations that have been partici-pating since 1993 include: Washington State Department of Health, Wash-ington State Department of Ecology, Mason Conservation District, Wash-ington State University, Hood Canal Aquanuts, Mason County Medic One, Mason County Public Utility District #3 and Washington Sea Grant. Orga-nizations joining them in 2015 include the North Mason Kiwanis, City of Shelton, and the Skokomish Tribe. Teachers utilize Kids’ Day to jump start environmental lessons for their students and expand upon them in their class-room with the aid of the lesson plans provided. Kids’ Day offers sessions on water quality, pollution prevention, marine animals, ecosystems, electrical safety, conservation of natural resourc-es, boating safety and more—teaching our children important lessons and providing them with useful tools for the future.

You know the event is a big success when you see students thriving, teach-ers engaged and the original GOO and

Kids’ Day volunteer, Dick Oltman exclaim that “Kids’ Day is one of the best things we ever added to Oyster-Fest. Now some 23 years and 11,000 students later the event is still going strong, funded completely by the Skookum Rotary Club Foundation and Washington Sea Grant with incredible support from agencies, organizations and community volunteers that partici-pate in the event.

KIDS’ DAY PAYS HOMAGE to the nearly 100 community members that volunteer each year at Kids’ Day. (left)Thank you to Howard Leggett for annual Kids’ Day designs, the preliminary 2015 logo features early oyster farmers (above).

2015 OYSTERFEST 30

You will our oysters.

All aboard the shellfish trail—Sea all there is to SEA

Over the next few months we are working with folks that grow, cook, and display shellfish to create a fun trail that you can follow to explore all that is shellfish throughout the state of Washington.

Similar to the wine trails of Eastern Washington, the trail will bring you from the Columbia River north to the Canadian border and explore not only Washington’s famous oysters, but also our clams, geoducks, and mussels. Visit farms, gather your own shellfish off public beaches and attend events that embrace this resouce, like OysterFest. The Washington Shellfish Trail will guide you on your year-round journey.

Understanding the role of shellfish in our communities is essential to the long term health of our shellfish resources. The trail will emphasize the intercon-nectedness of aquaculture within our rural communities and the value of shellfish to our well being. The Shellfish Trail was recently awarded funding from the National Sea Grant Program and is being developed by the partner-ship of Imagine In Action Design and Washington Sea Grant.

You will be able to select a mini geo-graphical tour or focus on one specific type of shellfish. The options are end-less and build upon the other Washing-ton State trail systems such as the Strait

of Juan de Fuca Scenic Byway (www.highway112.org/). All of the stops will have clearly marked specific points of interest and learning opportunities that will enhance your adventure.

Did you know that the the North Bay WDFW property boasts the largest population of Olympia oysters in Puget Sound? This and more will be high-lighted features on the Trail.

We will also have an oversized picture frame for you to take commemorative photos of your adventure at key stops. Check in on the Washington Sea Grant website at wsg.washington.edu to sign up to receive notifications of the trail’s availability this spring.

The shellfish trail will be complimentary to existing Washington state trail systems, such as the Strait of Juan de Fuca Scenic Byway (highway112.org) and builds upon other shellfish trails around the world such as Coromandel aquaculture

and seafood trail in New Zealand(coromandelaquaculture.co.nz).

If you are interested in your shellfish company or site becoming part of the the trail please contact Washington Sea Grant at [email protected]. We are recruiting key locations to highlight on the map and receive special signage and consideration on the map design.

Events such as OysterFest will be featured on the Shellfish Trail and will host the

mobile shellfish picture frame.

31 2015 OYSTERFEST

You will our oysters.

We sure do. Family owned & operated South Sound Mariculture prides itself on producing premier Northwest oysters & clams. Riding the currents of Hammersley Inlet, our unique tumble bags roll with the tides, cre-ating perfect oysters that are firm & full-flavored.

Through a unique partnership, our shellfish are available exclusively through Hama Hama Oyster Co. and are featured in restaurants all over the world.

We are pleased to support the Marine Education Science Society at the 2015 OysterFest by supplying oysters to their raw bar. Taste the freshness and join us in sponsoring marine education at events and in our local classrooms.

We’re proud to be a small farm in Mason County.

Hammersley

Inl

et

SOUTH SO

UND

MARICULTURE

866-922-7469 PO BOX 622, SHELTON WA 98584

2015 OYSTERFEST 32

How does your oyster grow?Wonder how the same species of oyster, Pacific for example, can have such varied flavors or textures from oyster to oyster? Well, like different wines – the growing area and method makes all the difference!

Not all bays in Washington are the same; some are muddy, some sandy and some rocky. Each type of shellfish growing ground has opportunities and limitations for success. Oysters grown on top of muddy ground often sink into the mud suffocating them for they aren’t able to circulate water and food into their bodies. As such, muddy bays have led to culture techniques that suspend the oysters above the mud such as long lines, stakes, suspended-nets, and racks and bags. Firm sandy and rocky bays allow for oysters to be grown on the bottom as well as using the off bottom technqiues described for muddy areas.

In addition to substrate type, location of the oysters on the beach will de-termine how long the oyster will take to achieve a marketable size. Oysters grown in the intertidal area are exposed to daily tidal inundation will have well developed adductor muscles and thicker shells thus being heartier for shipment.

Oysters suspended in the water column for growing will have the benefit of a constant food source and thus grow quickly with delicate shells.

Often times suspended oysters are placed in the high energy intertidal environment for a few weeks prior to market to harden the shells for ship-ment and condition the oysters to hold their shells shut.

Farming methods and locations can greatly effect

the taste & shape of the oyster on your plate.

Do you prefer a frilly shape? A deep cup?

A clean briney finish? A metalic sweet tang?

33 2015 OYSTERFEST

The method of growth can greatly-change the shape of the oyster. A Pacific allowed to grow naturally on the beach will have a sturdy irregular shell with a great deal of frills. The regular exposure to low tide exposure also strengthens the shell – protecting the meat from heat as well as predators like sea stars and crabs. In Europe, where there is very limited tidal change, some farmers pull the oysters from the water for peri-

ods of time to mimic the tidal action.The tumble bag creates an altered but a marketable shape for cultured oysters. Oysters are placed in the bag as small seed and the tide does the rest.

The tidal flip and roll chip off the frag-ile off the fragile shell lips and force the oyster to curve. The result is a deep cup in its lower shell.

Each bay has its own selection of phytoplankton yielding oysters with different meat colors and flavors. Pacific oysters grown in Willapa Bay have a different flavor from those grown in Samish Bay. Hood Canal oysters are claimed to be vastly different from those grown in Hammersley Inlet or South Puget Sound waterways.

Oyster connoisseurs are able to detect the subtleties of each bay by tasting the meat and observing the shell. Can you taste the difference?

YEARS

Thinking About Tomorrow in a Million Ways

This year is a milestone in our commitment to sustainable forestry, as we plant our 100 millionth tree in 125 years of doing business.

KeyBank SheltonBranch, ATM410 W Railroad AveShelton, WA 98584Phone (360) 432-3380Fax (360) 426-8235

Proud to support the

2015 OysterFest

key.com

2015 OYSTERFEST 34

Canaries in the coal mine, grazers of the seaBy Teri King and Janis McNeal | Publication reproduced with permission of Washington Sea Grant

Shellfish are a keystone species, studied by water quality investigators to determine the health of a water body. Clams, oysters, mussels and other bivalves filter seawater and, in the process, can accumulate environmental contaminants in their tissues.

Polluted shellfish beds are often an early warning to a larger problem, upland in the watershed, that needs immediate attention. Marine water quality standards are more stringent for shellfish harvesting than for wading and swimming. Since shell-fish are a food, the threshold for contamination is much lower than for external con-tact with marine waters.

Bivalve shellfish also play an important role in the food web. These grazers of the sea filter copious amounts of phytoplankton rich water, converting it into a delec-

Bivalve Shellfish —

table dish — just as cows grazing in a pasture convert grass into steak. The role of shellfish in this transfor-mative position within the marine ecosystem is essentialin the cycling of nutrients in our marine waters. By converting phytoplankton into tissue and shell, the shellfish are able to improve light penetration in the wa-ter column, reducing overall turbidity and benefiting larger aquatic plants such as eelgrass. Bivalve shellfish can help control the overabundance of phytoplankton in parts

of Hood Canal and South Puget Sound, where nitrogen from terrestrial sources has led to over-fertilization of marine waters. The best op-tion for marine waters is to greatly reduce or eliminatethe flow of nitrogen from land to sea.

Failing that, bivalve shell-fish introduced into ni-trogen-rich marine waters can be an effective part of a remediation plan. The animals consume and retain nitrogen. When they are harvested, the nitrogen they consumed is removed from the system.

It’s the WaterShellfish harvested in clean water are safe to eat; shellfishharvested in dirty water are not. Clams and oysters filter the water, picking out phytoplankton, bacteria and viruses to feed themselves. Shed by all warm-blooded animals, fecal coliformbacteria are food for bivalve shellfish and can cause illness in humans who eat shellfish tainted by the bacteria.Information about water quality at or near your beach is available from the Wash-ington State Department of Health’s Office of Shellfish

BIVALVES FOR CLEAN WATER

35 2015 OYSTERFEST

and Water Protection or local county health jurisdic-tions. Those agencies also provide water quality infor-mation about commercial and public recreation areas in watersheds. The state and counties generally do not assess private tideland water quality. Shoreline property owners may be able to infer the water quality of their tidelands based on state assessments of a nearby com-mercial operation or public beach. Another approach would be to sample your beach’s shellfish and submit them to a lab for analysis.

One test, however, will only be a snapshot of the water quality conditions on your beach on that day. The state and counties perform sam-pling over time and review a full set of data to make an assessment. Contamination levels can change withproperty use, weather and season. Do not harvest and eat shellfish if there are any doubts about their safety.

Septic SystemsStanding on your beach looking up at the land, what do you see? A house, a dog, a nicely manicured lawn — and a bright green algae trail coming from a bulkhead weep?

Does your house have a septic system? If so, do you know where it is located? If it’s exposed to tidal waters at certain times of the day, it could be easily flushed out onto your beach and shellfish.

Inspections are really important to make sure that all of the compo-nents of your system are working properly and the septic tank doesn’t need to be pumped. Routine septic system inspections will help catch problems before they give you a stomachache. Washington Sea Grant offers a host of publications, workshops and videos about septic system operation and maintenance. Visit the Sea Grant website for details.

Animal Waste How you handle pet poop in your yard is important. Dogs, cats, chickens, birds, horses and other livestock all can contribute to fecal coliform pollution. Letting the rain wash away the poop in your yard isan easy way to make it disappear, but where does it go? Does it flow, with the water, down onto your shellfish?

Remember, shellfish will be filtering those particles of poop as they pass by. When animals are allowed to make deposits on the beach, the feces liquefy and become shellfish and fish food. Yuck! Pick up your dog and cat waste, bag it, and put it into the trash, not into the septic system. For horses or other livestock, contact your local conservation district for manure management assistance.

Horses for Clean Water also has an extensive Web site that can help you select the right kind of manure man-agement system for yoursituation.

If you have a dock or a float that seals and birds like to visit, it is important to sweep the feces into a bag, not the water, and put the bag in the garbage. Even dry feces can contain active pathogens.

2015 OYSTERFEST 3636

Yard and Garden TreatmentsWhat products do you use on the lawn or in your garden to keep it growing and free of weeds and pests? Arethose products being picked up by the rain or the water from your sprinkler and running off onto your beach? If they are, the shellfish are filtering it and perhaps concentrating those compounds in their bodies. You can use slower-release fertilizers that bind better to the soil and vegetation, slowly releasing nutrients needed by the plants throughout the growing season. If you use fertilizers, use only the recommend-ed amount. You may even decide that you don’t need a bright green lawn and the fertilizer applications that go with it. A simple way to see how far your fertilizer is running is to dye it with a food-grade dye — a blue dry drink mix will work.

Fertilize with the dye-covered gran-ules as usual, then water. If the dye is running into the water, you know the fertilizer is right there with it. Keeping fertilizer applications farther from the shoreline may help. Remember: fertil-izers make sea plants, as well as land plants, grow.

Washington Sea Grant offers a host of publications and workshops about aspects of Clean Water – visit wsg.washington.edu for details.

Help Your Land Filter Your RunoffThere are some simple things you can do to filter the water running off of your property and onto your shellfish. Plant and maintain shoreline vegeta-tion. Trees, shrubs and small plants can all work together as a biological filter, taking up excess nutrients and water that would otherwise run onto the beach. The fibrous roots of trees and shrubs can also help to hold the soil

on the bank and keep it from being washed down on top of your oysters or clams. Pacific oysters have an abil-ity to clap their valves and uncover themselves — up to a point — but the smaller Olympia oysters can suffocate if buried under too much silt. Too much sediment running onto the beach can also bury clams deeper, smothering them if they cannot climb higher to expose their siphons to the water. Trees suitable for marine shoreline plantings include: Big Leaf Maple, Douglas Fir, Pacific Madrone, Pacific Yew, Scoul-er’s Willow, Shore Pine, Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedar and Western White Pine.

You can have your tree and a view, too! Interlimbing, windowing and skirting are techniques used by arborists to maintain the health of the tree and its positive impact on the ecosystem and also allow for a beautiful view out onto the bay. These marine shoreline shrubs work in companion with trees to help bind the soil and capture rainwater: Bald Hip, Nootka and Clustered roses; Beaked Hazelnut; Ocean Spray; Pacific Ninebark; Red Twig Dogwood; Red Flowering Currant; Mock Orange; Serviceberry; Snowberry; and Vine Maple. These plants create thickets, can be pruned for more openness and are less likely to block views. Don’t forget groundcovers that filter nutrients and water: Bunchberry, Deerfern, Kinni-kinnik, Swordfern, Trailing Blackberry

37 2015 OYSTERFEST

37

BROADBAND • CABLE TV • VOICE • IT SERVICES

Keeping our community connected

hcc.net 898.2481

and Twinflower, to name a few. Groundcovers are easy to establish, have attractive flowers, attract pollina-tors, like hummingbirds, and provide habitat for small mammals and birds.

One of the greatest joys Puget Sound has to offer is the opportunity to dig clams and shuck oysters, creating a healthy, delightful meal out of a day’s gathering. Even more special is the ability to step right outside your front door and harvest shellfish from your own tidelands. By taking care to limit the nutrients and pathogens running off of your property and into the Sound, and by maintaining a healthy population of shellfish on your beach, you will be helping to improve the water quality of Puget Sound — one bite at a time.

Aquaculture technical assistanceTeri King and Jennifer Runyan, Washing-ton Sea Grant offer technical assistance to waterfront property owners interested in enhancing their beach with shellfish for personal consumption.

The team also works with tideland owners to develop small and large scale shellfish culture operations. Since 1977 Washington Sea Grant has of-fered training to tideland owners and shellfish producers about sustainable culture methods, optimizing production, animal health, seafood safety, harvest-ing, pollution and processing. To learn more about upcoming opportunities or to schedule a site visit contact them at 360.432.3054 or [email protected] or check out the Washington Sea Grant website for informational bulletins–wsg.washington.edu.

2015 OYSTERFEST 38

Adventure in our backyard

No matter whether you are wanting adventure, family fun – or a quiet day relaxing – in Mason County you are 15 minutes from creating the next amazing life experience – year round!

Just south of Shelton is the home Taylor Shellfish Farms. Shipping their Mason County product worldwide, this business offers a retail store as well as tours of the operation on request.

Hood Canal’s clear deep waters pro-vide world-class shrimp and salmon fishing, scuba diving, and miles of pristine shoreline for boaters, kay-akers, beachcombers and lovers of shellfish. From luxurious & unique lodging and dining ––to the simple pleasures of sightseeing or a walk on the beach at low tide gathering dinner, this is a spectacular pristine place to experience it all.

The southern portion of Hood Canal provides recreation opportunities with easy access to mountain trails and alpine views. Stop by for visit at the Hama Hama Store and farm along the way. Family owned and operated, the Hama Hama Company has been har-vesting oysters and clams on the Canal for four generations – all grown and available on site daily.

Want to try your hand at gathering shellfish? All of our marine state parks have shellfish resources for the public to harvest. Arm yourself with a shellfish license (available locally at community retail stores) and head to the beach at low tide. Check the WDFW and the State Shellfish hotline for updates on locations, seasons and closures. See page 28 for details.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our backyard!

Chart thecourseThe 2015 OYSTERFEST is at a new location on the Port of Shelton. Located on Sanderson Field, 1/2 mile north of Shelton, off US Hwy 101. Many pilots fly in for the event, park their planes and walk or ride to the event. The physical address is: 21W Sanderson Way, Shelton

GETTING HERE: U.S. Hwy 101 runs along

Hood Canal from Potlatch to Quilcene, before diverting through the forest and continuing around the Olympic Peninsula. North 101 accesses Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend. Hwy 101 leads to Olympia and the outer coast.

From the I-5 corridor, take exit 104 in Olympia onto Hwy 101 toward Shelton. From the coast and SW WA, take Hwy 12 eastbound, continuing on as it turns into SR 8. Exit in McCleary.

SR 106 follows the shore of Hood Canal – from Union to Belfair, where it meets up with Hwy 3 towards Bremerton and Kitsap. The Southworth Ferry makes a nice trip from downtown Seattle.

SR 300 begins in Belfair and parallels Hood Canal to Tahuya, and traverses inland toward Dewatto Bay.

HOW FAR? OYSTERFEST:from Olympia 23 milesfrom Tacoma: 53 milesfrom Seattle: 82 milesfrom Portland: 134 miles

Mason County isn’t just trees and oysters. Or is it? Cradled by 1000’s

of acres of evergreen forests, in the shadow of the Olympic range the area

is wrapped with hundreds of lakes and streams and a myriad of saltwater

coves and inlets abundant with shellfish resources. Come for the oysters,

but stay and enjoy all the other great things the area has to offer!

Here to help: Hoodsport Visitor Information Center150 N Lake Cushman Road / Highway 101Hoodsport WA | 360.877.2021

Shelton Visitor Information CenterIn The Red Caboose at 221 West Railroad Downtown Shelton, WA | 360.426.2021

Official Event Website: oysterfest.org

Kamilche Visitor Information CenterSquaxin Nation, Little Creek CasinoState Route 108/Hwy 101 | 360.432.0921

Ride FREE in Mason CountyFrom ferry dock in Seattle to trailheads near Hood Canal – and OysterFest, Mason County Transit is offers green, easy & inexpensive bus connections. masontransit.org

Plan your journey—

39 2015 OYSTERFEST

Ferr

y

Sol DucElwha

HohRain

Forest

QuinaultRain Forest

101

3

101 101

101

16

90

HO

OD

CA

NA

L

Sea-TacAirport

Tacoma

Seattle

PortTownsend

Sequim

OlympiaAberdeen

Hoodsport

Forks

0

0 10 Miles

10 Kilometers

North

Belfair

OlympicNational Park

5

Shelton5

Allyn

Bremerton

Gig Harbor

Port Orchard

Kamiliche

Kalaloch

Port Angeles

Matlock

Lilliwaup

Arcadia

OYSTERFEST

Pa

cific

Oc

ean

Juan de Fuca Straits

SHELTON, home city to OysterFest, is the westernmost city on Puget Sound. Shelton was once served by a fleet of steamboats. Traveling down Hammersley inlet on the tidal currents, these ships de-livered supplies. Tugboats still ride these tides to deliver throughout Puget Sound.Didn’t eat enough at OysterFest? There is no shortage of dining in Shelton. From the famous shellfish dishes provided at Xinh’s to milkshakes made the REAL way at Nita’s Cafe – and everything in between: a steak at the Strip; BBQ at Mo’s; or sushi at Osaka’s. All are located on Railroad.

ALLYN, located in the protected waters of the South Sound, famous for delicious burgers at Big Bubba’s and the newly renovated Allyn Waterfront Park favored by

kayakers and boaters. Check out art at the Kenny’s School of Chainsaw Carving.

BELFAIR, a busy close-knit community, is nestled in the tip of Hood Canal. Visitors will find all the modern conveniences with easy access to parks and waterways. Belfair has local and chain restaurants along with two major grocery stores and many small local shops. Several lodging facilities are nearby. Be warned – many of the “locals” were once just visitors!

UNION, on Hood Canal’s south shore is renowned as a artists haven. With a range of lodging– from quaint waterfront cottages to resorts with boat rentals, the town was recognized as a “Prettiest Town in America.” Favorite local dining spots include the

Union Cafe serving deli sandwiches and the waterfront Mexican hangout, Three Margar-itas. Stop by the newly opened Union City Market for local produce and gifts including oysters and clams to take home.

HOODSPORT, perched on Hood Canal’s west shore, is renowned among SCUBA divers as an area of spectacular underwater life. There is plenty of quaint waterfront lodging with dining options available in the town center. The whole family will enjoy exploring the treasures in Hoodsport. Olympic Mountain’s locally made ice creams at Hoodsport Coffee are well worth the stop and the calories while the The Hardware Distillery, opened in the former hardware store downtown, offers daily tours and tasting of their spirits Friday through Sunday.

Take the time to visit our local communities

2015 OYSTERFEST 40

Water, water – everywhere Since long before the first European explorers sailed among the islands and

bays of the Salish Sea, the native tribes fished, hunted and lived off the abun-

dant wild plants, animals and bounty of the sea.

Today, the cold, clear waters of South Puget Sound still provide a harvest of salmon and shellfish. The great depths of Hood Canal – more than 600 feet deep – produce an annual shrimp catch that has become a late-spring ritual going back many generations.

Commercial shellfish harvesting is big business in Mason County. Taylor Shell-fish Farms, the world’s largest exporter of manila clams, as well as many medi-um and small oyster, geoduck and clam farms can be found up and down the waterways of Hood Canal and South Puget Sound.

Oysters can be found on most beaches of Hood Canal and South Puget Sound, and those blessed or lucky enough to own a waterfront home often gather, eat or farm their own shellfish. Several state and county parks allow public shellfish gathering – see page 42.

There are many public boat launches and fuel at several marinas. Boating and sailing are treasured to such a high degree that three of the county’s state parks, Stretch Point, Hope Island and McMicken Island, offer boat access only.South Puget Sound and Hood Canal are growing increasingly more popular as water playgrounds for kayak enthusiasts.

Generally calm water and a growing number of public kayak beaching and take-out points make it possible to paddle for days along the ever-changing shore.

Launches & Marinas

SOUTH PUGET SOUND Allyn Waterfront Dock & Park(360) 275-2430 | portofallyn.com, Allyn, WAMarina features launch ramps, moorage and pump-out. Park includes gazebo and play area.

BoatingOptions for boating in Mason County are varied and unlimited. There are numerous fresh water lakes and salt water ramps accessing the southern portion of Puget Sound.

The jewel of the county is Hood Canal. This 62 mile inland fjord is relatively unused by boaters. Fuel is limited, but launching ramps and pump out stations are conveniently located. Cruising the canal offers striking views of the Olympic Mountains, access to state shellfish beaches, and seasonal fishing, crabbing and shrimping.

Boat rentals and charters are available throughout the area.

Fair Harbor Marina (360) 426-4028 | fairharbormarina.comGrapeview, WAServices include fuel dock, moorage, store, espresso, showers and restrooms.

Latimer’s Landing on Pickering Passage Harstine Island, WALocated adjacent to the Harstine Island bridge. By car take Pickering Rd. off State Route 3.

Jarrell Cove(800) 362-8823 or (360) 426-8823Harstine Island, WAOvernight and permanent moorage, pump-out, RV sites, laundry and shower facilities, picnic area, propane, fuel dock, store, and beach.

Jarrell Cove State ParkHarstine Island, WAparks.wa.govMoorage dock and buoys, pump-out station, tent sites, toilets, showers, picnic and group facilities.

MARINEwaterways

Mason County, WA

41 2015 OYSTERFEST

Shelton Marina & Yacht Club(360) 426-9476, Shelton, WALocated in Oakland Bay, marina features perma-nent and visitor moorage and emergency haul-outs. Public launch ramp, gas dock and berthing for Shelton-based watercraft up to 50 feet.

During Oysterfest there is a FREE shuttle from the Marina to the event.

Arcadia Point Arcadia, WA ( near Shelton, WA)The Squaxin Island Tribe owns this launching site, which is open to the public. Parking for vehicles and boat trailers.

Jarrell Cove State Park

Hope Island State Park parks.wa.govBuoys, floats and docks offer tie-ups for access to a 106-acre marine camping island park. Located SW of Squaxin Island, park can be reached only by boat. Moorage fees apply.

HOOD CANALPort of Allyn North Shore Dock & Launch(360) 372-2408 | portofallyn.comBelfair, WALaunch ramp and dock are one block apart, just 1 mile past Belfair State Park. Marine pump-out unit and float.

Twanoh State ParkBetween Belfair and Union, WAparks.wa.govDouble boat launching ramp and parking area, as well as moorages, campsites, restrooms, showers and picnic areas. Wading and swim-ming areas. Plan ahead, as this popular launch site gets very busy during the summer. Daily watercraft launching permit.

Alderbrook Resort & Spa(360) 898-2200 | alderbrookresort.com7101 E State Highway 106, Union WADock with guest moorage. Boat rentals also available.

Hood Canal Marina(360) 898-2252 | hood-canal-marina.com5101 E. Hwy 106 , Union, WAPrivately owned marina open to the public.

Rest-A-While Marina & Dive Center (360) 877-9122 | restawhile.com27001 Highway 101 N., Hoodsport, WAPrivately owned marina with sling boat launch, moorage, storage and rentals. Camping, hook-ups and supplies as well as dive shop.

Summertide Resort & Marina (360) 275-9313 | summertideresort.comTahuya, WA Located 16 miles past Belfair on North Shore Road (Hwy 300). Reservations required. Lodging, RV space, boat rentals and supplies available. Daily, monthly and seasonal moorage.

Waterfront Getawayon Case Inlet

$359,500 | Views of water from almost every room. Private beach including the tidelands, and a deep water buoy for the boat. MLS#: 768812

Hood Canal Beach Home near Hoodsport

$399,000 | 75’ of no bank frontage plus tidelands provide the setting for this two level custom home, vaulted ceilings. MLS#:784883

Pickering Passage Waterfront Cabin

$265,000 | Five parcels consist-ing of 7.8 acres and 417’ of low bank waterfront and clam filled tidelands, older cabin. MLS#: 820945

Welcome to OysterFest.Is it time to own your own oyster beach?

Our agents would love to help you find the perfect spot to build

your dreams – call now 426-2646.

Windermere Real Estate/Himlie, Inc

(360) 426-2646920 Railroad AvenueShelton, WA 98584

www.shelton.windermere.com

2015 OYSTERFEST 42

Shellfish GatheringPrepare yourself with buckets, boots, license and check the tides – to

harvest shellfish on local saltwater beaches – State Parks in Mason County

support a healthy stock of clams and oysters for license holders – free for the

taking (following regulations and limits).

SOUTH PUGET SOUNDHope Island State Park, accessible by boat is located between Steamboat and Squaxin Islands, is a great place for clams and oysters.

North Bay, between Allyn and Victor, has en-hanced oyster beds and varieties of clams.

DNR 24/Grapeview, DNR owned beach, clams and oysters open seasonally.

DNR 20/Stretch Island, DNR owned beach, clams and oysters open seasonally.

South Dougall Point, clams and oysters

McMicken Island State Park, clams and oysters

Twanoh State Park, clams and oysters open seasonally, check for current closures

West Dewatto, DNR owned beach clams and oysters open seasonally

DNR 33, 47 & 48, DNR owned beach, clams and oysters open when safe.

Cushman Park, 13 miles north of Shelton on Hwy 101, varieties of clams and oysters.

Eagle Creek, 3 miles north of Lilliwaup on Hwy 101, has excellent oyster beds. The scenery along this stretch of highway make the extra drive to this little beach well worth the effort.

Harvesters – please fill in your holesFilling in the holes you dig protects both shellfish and people. The substrate dug from the hole is usually placed in a pile on the beach near the hole. This pile can get quite large and it may not wash away or flatten out with the waves or incoming tide. The pile can cover creatures that live on the beach. These an-imals suffocate and die when they cannot take in fresh seawater. Another reason to fill in the holes is to keep people from falling or tripping. Even a small hole becomes a hazard when the tide covers it. Someone wading at the water’s edge is likely to take an unexpect-ed dip if they step into the hole or trip at its edge!

For more tips, including shellfish identification and current harvest regulations, visit wdfw.wa.gov.

Marine Toxins Hotline:

1-800-562-5632

Most beaches are open to harvest year round but are subject to seasonal and environmental closures. If you harvest clams or oysters during the summer months, make sure to keep them on ice or eat them soon after harvest. The DOH advises that all shellfish recreationally harvested during the months of June-September, should be cooked thoroughly to avoid illness due to Vibriosis. It is best practice to read

all posted warnings or call the Marine Toxins/PSP Hotline: 1-800-562-5632 for a recorded message that is updated regularily or visit the detailed map at www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/biotoxin.htm. Harvest regulations vary from beach to beach—be sure to check the rules at wdfw.wa.gov before digging. October to April is generally a good time to harvest clams and oysters on saltwater beaches.

Oakland Bay Recreation Tideland, 6 miles north of Shelton, makes for a fun but muddy day – oysters, manila clams & eastern softshell clams.

HOOD CANALBelfair State Park, 3 miles west of Belfair, is an excellent beach for oysters. Stay overnight, and grill your catch at your campsite near the water.

Potlatch State Park, clams and oysters

Lilliwaup State Park, clams and oysters

Rendsland Creek, DNR owned clams and oysters.

Public shellfish beaches in Mason County

SHELLFISH public harvesting

Mason County, WA

43 2015 OYSTERFEST

Starting November 2, 2015Starting November 2, 2015

NEW SERVICE ● NEW BUSES DESIGNED FOR COMFORT ● COMMUTER HOURS EXPRESS TRAVEL ● OLYMPIA ● SHELTON ● BELFAIR ● BREMERTON

MASON TRANSIT AUTHORITY | 360-427-5033 | MASONTRANSIT.ORG | @MASONTRANSIT

Mason Transit Authority presents:

2015 OYSTERFEST 44

OysterFest KIDS ACTIVITIESAll weekend

October 3-4 | Shelton, WA

There is so much to do and see at OysterFest – and its all about being a familty friendly event! Join us Sunday and enjoy FREE admission for kids 13 and under!

Bring the family to OysterFest

Apart from the yummy food there are lots of activities and exhibits to touch, SEA and experience. The Shelton Scale Ship Modelers will display their beau-tifully detailed model ships that cruise across a large water tank, and new this year there will be model remote control airplanes. There are also are several fun A

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activities for kids including mini golf, games, train rides and hands on fun including of course the touch tanks. New this year is the OysterFest Scavenger Hunt. Use the form below and keep your eyes peeled for the “Oyster Man” throughout the event!

OysterFest Scavenger Hunt

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Where’s the Oyster Man? He can be found in any kid friendly*

area at the event. *don’t bother looking in Microbrew or

Wine tents, that wouldn’t be fair!)

Keep your eyes peeled! When you see be sure to record his letter below. When you think you

know the answer to the puzzle, return this form to the touch tanks near the entrance to pick a prize from our sea chest! Anyone can play... and it’s okay to help each other! Good Luck!

Letters I have found

Solve the Puzzle:__ __ __ __ __ __ __ 4 __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.

Name: ____________________________________ Zip Code: __________________Additional copies of this entry are available at the Washington Sea Grant booth & touch tanks.

45 2015 OYSTERFEST

The details:RVS/PARKING

OysterFest 2015October 3-4 | Shelton, WAFree shuttle bus service will be provided

from three parking areas: • Shelton Civic Center on Cota Street• Shelton Yacht Club just out Hwy 3• Shelton High School on Shelton

Springs Rd. Shuttle will run on approximately 30 minute intervals. The route will be marked with signs.

Free ParkingAll parking is free! Handicap parking is available near the gates. Parking is available at the Port of Shelton. Exit Sand-erson Way (1 mile north) road and follow signs to OysterFest.

On Site ATMsThere will be two ATM’s conveniently locat-ed at the event. Check the Official Oyster-Fest map for details.

PetsPets ARE NOT ALLOWED at the event, by county law, with the exception of service dogs. PLEASE DO NOT BRING PETS to OysterFest, as you will not be admitted.

Hours & AdmissionOysterFest is October 3 & 421 W Sanderson Way, Shelton, WASAT: 10AM – 6PM SUN: 10AM – 5PM Admission is $5 – Sunday is Family Day with kids 13 and under free. ContactWe would love to hear from you! You can leave a message using the contact form online at oysterfest.org. Join us on Facebook at: OysterFestWA for regular updates on the event!

Free Shuttle & Parking at OysterFest

Locations:

61 West Highway 108Shelton, WA (360) 426-5254

For more information visit www.tradingpostrewards.com

Convenient Rewards!SAVE ON FUELInsert your club card at the pump and save 4¢each gallon on our everyday low prices on fuel.

EARN POINTS & DISCOUNTSEarn points and receive special membership pricing on in-store purchases!

Visit us at OysterFest

Mason County PUD 3 Has Hydroelectricity

“the best dam power!”

Clean, Renewable Energy Every Day

• Participate in the exciting electrical safety demonstration.

• Learn how to save money with energy conservation.

• Find out why Mason County has among the cleanest, greenest electricity in the nation.

• Visit the “WOW” zone, our FREE “Wi-Fi On Wheels” hotspot.

Join us for Public Power Week October 4 - 10

www.masonpud3.org • facebook.com/masonpud3

2015 OYSTERFEST 46

Bring your RVs to OysterFestCamping at OysterFest will continue to be an event in itself. The facilities will be different this year but we have

held the price the same and eliminat-

ed the extra vehicle charge.

OysterFest will be held on the north side of the Port of Shelton property, on an abandoned airport runway. The entire festival, including car parking and RV’s, will be inside a fenced area. RV’s will be parked on the east and west sides of the festival, just outside the paved runway, outside the inside fence, stretching the entire length of the festival.

All sites are $30 each night for Friday night and Saturday night including one night camping and one day admission for two people. Camping is also avail-able on Thursday night and Sunday night for $15 per night. Campers may arrive starting at 12PM on Thursday. On-site registration will be open on Thursday from 12PM until 6PM, Fri-day from 9AM until 8PM, and Satur-day from 4PM until 6PM. Outside of these times you are welcome to park in the overflow area, and come to the RV registration tent when it opens.

The ground is very level and hard packed dirt/gravel/grass. There are no hookups except free Wi-Fi provided by our local power utility, PUD 3.

Showers will be on the west side of the event, the same side as the tent camp-ing. Quiet hours will be from 11PM until 7AM. You are welcome to run your generators at all other times.

Reserved Sites & GroupsReservations will be taken for reserved sites until September 11, unless this area fills before then. There will be over 200 reserved sites. All reserved sites are adjacent to the event, and are identical.

First-come/First servedAll sites in the reserved area that are not taken by September 11 will be avail-able for first-come/first-served reserved camping. When you arrive you will be told if you are in the overflow area or reserved area, although you hopefully

Tent/Small RVs

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PARKING/ VEHICLE ENTRANCE

Road between RVs. All reserved sites are 40’ X 20.‘ Each side of the eventhosts two rows of 50 rigs. There are

a total of 200 reserved spaces.Back in/pull in – No pull through.

will be able to tell from the web site when you register. You can register on line for these sites up until the time you arrive at the registration tent.

Tent/Small RVThis area will be first-come/first served. It is admittedly not as nice as the woods camping at the old fairgrounds, but will have some trees. Sites will not be marked out, so it will be up to the campers to arrange appropriately.

Reserve OnlineWant more information or would like to make your reservations online? Visit oysterfest.org for best options or to reserve your perfect space!

Tickets & RegistrationAdmission tickets are just $5. Order your admission tickets online at oysterfest.org today and get ready for a seafood adventure. Tickets are also sold on site at the event. Family Day is Sunday, October 4 – kids 13 and under FREE.

October 3 & 4 Shelton, Washington

The details:RVS/PARKING

OysterFest 2015October 3-4 | Shelton, WA

47 2015 OYSTERFEST

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2015 OYSTERFEST 48

We Like To See You Smile!

oysterfest 2015 preview magazine

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