Rite of fall in York, Pa.: ‘Feast on oysters – fried, stewed or nude’
Five-year-old Sarah Eline gets ready to feel her first raw oyster slither down her throat at the 2008 Oyster Festival in York, Pa.. The York County Heritage Trust’s 35th Annual Oyster Festival runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, in York. “Oysters aren’t afraid of water, and neither is the York County Heritage Trust,” a news release stated. So the festival has been moved this year to the trust’s Agricultural & Industrial Museum, 217 W. Princess St. because of inclement weather forecasts. Also of interest: Mix ‘You know you’re a Yorker, if’ with oysters. You get… and ‘The oysters have been very, very popular’ and Oysters: ‘Economical … not bones or waste …’.
How many oysters does it take to fill hundreds of stomachs at York County Heritage Trust’s annual oyster festival?
That question was asked and answered by some folks at the trust:
At the annual oyster feast, oyster lovers crowd The Golden Plough Tavern in downtown York.
2,500 Oysters – breaded for sandwiches (2 oysters per sandwich)
Oyster rolls from Brown’s Orchards
37 Cases of Oysters (100 count)
200 lbs of Shrimp
16 gallons of oysters for stew
Of course, the oyster festival includes more than eating, entertainment and such.
But let’s be real. It’s really about eating, as a Heritage Trust release explains:
Feast on oysters- fried, stewed or nude plus pork barbeque, shrimp, apple fritters, French fries and more coupled with apple cider or thirst-quenching spirits. Participate in the day’s activities, including a flag-raising, period music and story-telling, tours of the Colonial Complex, Colonial games and crafts, a savory Colonial chocolate-making discussion and demonstration … .
Here’s a suggestion, albeit getting way ahead of things, for next year.
Offer Bury’s Famous Hamburgers to the mix.
If hog maw goes with oysters – as one Dover-area church serves up – why not Bury’s, ‘secret’ recipe and all?
To join a community conversation on all things oysters, visit The Exchange topic: Hog Maw and Oysters: Recipes for both or comment on this blog post.
To read more about the place of oysters in York County history, visit June Lloyds’ Universal York post: York County’s love affair with oysters.
