Come on down and jump into our shucking contest! Winner goes home with $500!

More coming!

Additional thanks to Performance Food Group, Eastern Traders, Bangs Island Mussel Co., Pemaquid Mussel Farms, & Browne Trading Co. (more coming)

The Pre-festival Oyster & Wine Extravaganza will be held on Saturday Night. The Menu will be created by Chef Ralph Smith and will surely be memorable. His innovative approach to local seafood and particularly oysters is second to none. Last years 6 course menu included, of course, Pemaquid Oysters, both raw and baked, Lobster Bisque Crepe with butter poached lobster, lobster hash, hollandaise sauce topped with crunchy lobster, Dry rubbed and 18 hour smoked beef brisket with BBQ sauce, southern style potato salad and corn bread, Tenderloin of beef, mashed potatoes, veggies and a peppercorn Demi-glacé, Ending with Strawberries & Chocolate with a Red Zinfandel Sauce.  Let’s just say, no one left hungry! This year is sure to be one for the books.

The Wines will be chosen & provided by Jim Elston, a French wine importer known as Chemin des Vin who lives in our own South Bristol. His extensive knowledge of the wines he imports is vast. He has personal relationships with many of the wine makers and has a keen sense of the nuances necessary for pairing with food. He has an ability to speak in terms that make it easy to learn while you taste and we are incredibly fortunate to be able to bring his expertise to our event. Jim is a huge oyster lover so this will be a particularly lively addition to our pairings.

Bring on the INDUSTRY! Last year we invited some key growers to have a seat at the table among guests, which brought oyster conversation to the forefront and guests enjoyed the access to and insights from local Oyster Farmers. We will expand that this year and are expecting an exciting pre-festival evening!

While it won’t be exactly like last year - here is an idea of what we had last year! We understand some festival goers don’t eat oysters but want to come along with their oyster loving friends and family.

Jalapeno poppers, cheese curds & marinara, hand-cut truffle fries, wings, oyster chowder, baked oysters, mussels, lobster roll, chicken quesadilla, fish & chips, oyster po-boy, chicken sandwich, flame grilled burger, Maine crab roll, fried oysters, oyster flatbread.

Dave Gagne
-Stage manager extraordinaire at Mine Oyster, he has been filling Boothbay Harbor with music since 1976. Dave plays piano, guitar, french horn, drums and sings and offers a dynamic range of 20th century music for dancing and listening pleasure.

The Hadacol Bouncers
-Play the music of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, Louie Armstrong and more. The music is a fun hybrid of New Orleans Jazz, Chicago-style Jazz, novelty songs and other classics from the great American Songbook. Hadacol has a traditional lineup of banjo/tenor guitar, piano, tuba, drums, trombone, soprano sax/clarinet and trumpet/cornet. They can be heard regularly in the great Portland Maine area and rocked the house last year as a real crowd favorite.

Erica Brown and The Bluegrass Connection
-Is a five-piece band featuring some of the finest musicians in New England. The band features award winning fiddler and singer, Erica Brown, Matt Shipman on Mandolin, Lincoln Meyers on guitar, Eli Gilbert on Banjo and Kris Day on bass. This is the third year Erica and Matt have joined the festival with a different mix of musicians and we are excited to hear their foot tapping music again this year.

The Old Blues Kats
-Have been making their way through swampy blues fo the better part of four decades. Starting to play music together when they were young and full of vim & vigor, they are still at it and still have the same gusto, even though their hair has started to lighten. It gives them more authenticity, More grit, and that’s what the blues is all about. The dirty realism that life is hard but if you can sign about it you feel better.

The Oystermen
-The old-time trio of Carter Newell on fiddle, Skeeter Rolfson on bass, mandolin and harmonica and Smokey McKeen on guitar, banjo and squeezebox, specialize in the traditional maritime music of Maine and surrounding states and provinces. For the past 40 years they have been making music and growing oysters on the Damariscotta River.

A perennial favorite at the Pemaquid Oyster Festival is the exhibit tent, located on Pier 1 out in front of Mine Oyster Restaurant. The tent features many local non-profit organizations who work in the areas of marine conservation and education and aquaculture. It offers festival goers a chance to learn more about these organizations and the work they do. The exhibit tent also includes some vendors who offer oyster artwork - decorative shells, paintings, prints, ceramics and woodcraft for display and sale. Be sure to visit the exhibit tent while enjoying the festival and all that it has to offer. There is no fee for the exhibit tent and there are oysters for sale and shucking lessons available. No alcohol is available in the tent or anywhere outside of Mine Oyster.

WHO INSPIRED US?

Ed Myers was a pioneer in Aquaculture in Maine. In 1975, Myers obtained Maine aquaculture lease No. 1 to raise mussels at Abandoned Farm in South Bristol. He went on to devote his life to sustainable aquaculture and became a mentor to many of those still working on the Damariscotta River today. He gave The Pemaquid Oyster Company guidance as they grew, what have become, award winning oysters. The foundation is a way of giving back to others as he did so well.

In 1959, Edward Myers bought and started to restore the so-called Cottrell’s Wharf in Damariscotta as a yacht landing and restaurant under the name of Saltwater Pier. Myers rebuilt the wharf and some of the buildings, operating the restaurant and wharf operation until 1964.

While operating the restaurant and wharf, Myers bought a two-masted schooner, The Lois Candace, that was built in 1880 and tied it along the side of his wharf on the river side to advertise his restaurant. After a number of years, the schooner began to leak and fill with water. Myers filled the cargo hole of the schooner with empty gallon-size Clorox plastic jugs to keep it afloat. Finally, he had to have the schooner towed to the parking lot side of his wharf, called Misery Gulch, where it finally fell to pieces.

WHAT WE DO WITH THE FUNDS WE RAISE:

Having raised over $200,000 to date, the proceeds from this Festival will continue to be donated to the Edward A. Myers Marine Conservation Fund, established in 2003. Money from the fund is used to sponsor marine education and conservation projects throughout the Midcoast area.

A partial list of past grant recipients:

The Boothbay Sea & Science Center
The Carpenter’s Boat Shop
Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust
The Darling Marine Center
Lincoln Academy
Oceans Wide
Great Salt Bay School
Medomak Valley High School
South Bristol School
Fish Ladder Project
Portside Foundation
Lincoln County Firefighters
Watershed School
Town of Damariscotta
Richard Tonry Memorial Fund
Newcastle Fire Co.
Massasoit Engine Co.
Maine Aquaculture Association

REGISTER HERE TO BECOME A PRIZED FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER!

Can I bring my dog?
While we love dogs, the festival is a busy atmosphere that is not a good fit for dogs, so we ask that only service dogs attend.

Where can I park?
Boothbay Harbor has a multitude of parking areas. You can contact the Chamber of Commerce for guidance, but we have found that people have had no issue finding suitable parking nearby.

Is there a bar?
Yes, There are 2 large, full service bars.

How many oysters does one ticket get me?
One ticket is good for 3 oysters from one farm. So a dozen oysters would be 4 tickets allowing you to taste oysters from 4 farms, 3 oysters at each.

What if it rains?
While it is lovely when the sun is out and we can spend time on the many decks, the venue is equally suited to a rainy day with large expanses of windows all around. A stormy day can actually be lovely there. The educational Tent is fine on a rainy day as well.

What time is the music?
The music is all day long with each of the bands playing two sets between 2 stages.

Do I need to pay to go to the Educational tent and/or the shucking contest?
No, these areas are free to access and there will be oysters for purchase out there. There is NO ALCOHOL allowed in the tented area. All alcohol needs to remain inside the doors of Mine Oyster.

Is this a handicapped accessible venue? The first floor is fully accessible and if you need any assistance, please contact us prior to the event so we can best assist you.