Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
A shucking competitor raises his hands after finishing his oyster shucking at OysterFest.
Alejandro Leon won the speed shucking contest and Miriel Silva won the half-shell competition and best presentation at OysterFest on Oct. 1 and 2 at Sanderson Field.
Leon won the speed competition Oct. 1 with a time of 1 minute, 17 seconds, just one second faster than Gabriel Quintana. Silva finished third in 1:19. Leon won $500 for winning, Quintana won $250 and Silva earned $100.
In the half-shell competition Oct. 2, Silva won the competition in 2 minutes, 26 seconds and earned himself $750. Quintana finished second in 2:31 and won $500 and Alejandro Leon finished third in 2:40 and won $250.
Silva won $250 for best presentation in the half-shell competition.
The winners of the competition will not be going to the national competition in St. Mary's County, Maryland, this weekend, according to Joyce Gorny of Shelton Skookum Rotary Club.
"We have participated in the past and we observed that our shuckers were not treated in a friendly or accepting way," Gorny told the Journal in an email.
Gorny said 34 shuckers competed during the two days of competition, a smaller turnout than 2019, but she said she is optimistic the numbers will rise in future competitions.
All of the shucked oysters from the competition and practice area are usually handed out to the crowd, but were not handed out on Sunday for safety reasons due to the hot weather.
Gorny called the competition an "enormous success."
"Large crowds attended the heats and they were very enthusiastic in cheering the competitors on," Gorny said in an email. "We had two amateurs sign up, of which one had never shucked an oyster before. One was a grade-school teacher from Vancouver, Washington, and the other was a retired oyster bar owner from California. Both were so positive and energetic. Plus, they did really well! We have lots of ideas brewing for next year, many of which will include audience participation activities. Additional bleachers will be sought out to accommodate the audiences."
Gorny said it was fantastic to host the event for the first time since 2019.
"So much positive energy with the shuckers and the audience," Gorny said. "We had so much fun as volunteers. It was like a family reunion having everyone return again. Looking forward to next year!"
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