From staff reports
Tides to Tables Restaurant Week culminates this weekend with the fourth annual Beaufort Oyster Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 20-21 at the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.
Organizers hope to at least match last year’s turnout, when the crowd ate more than 250 bushels of fresh oysters, not counting the oysters incorporated into the different oyster-based dishes sold by various food vendors present.
Food vendors this year include Black Marlin Bayside Grill & Hurricane Bar, SERG Restaurant Group, Sutton Construction, Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ LLC, Lady’s Island Oyster, Locals Raw Bar, Tout Sweet Macarons, Almost Heaven Cheesecake and Sea Eagle Market.
Vendor menus and prices (in tickets) are available on the Beaufort Oyster Festival’s Facebook page at https://bit.ly/3HiZ98O. Tickets are $1 each. Oyster lovers can skip the line and go to https://bit.ly/3SlPGDU to buy tickets ahead of the event.
The Beaufort Area Hospitality Association, who organizes the event, has designated Shellring Aleworks as the exclusive beer provider for the Oyster Festival.
The festival kicks off Saturday morning, Jan. 20 with the Oyster Boogie 5K at 8 a.m. For details and sign-up information, visit https://bit.ly/47tVvmX.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, Coastal Excursions will be hosting an Oyster Ecotour, leaving from its base camp on St. Helena Island. The 1½ hour tour will explore the expansive oyster reefs between the barrier islands and St. Helena to talk about their importance to our ecosystems and culture here in the Lowcountry. Visit https://bit.ly/424orkk to book a spot.
The Oyster Festival itself runs from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday. Live music will be provided by 12th Street (10 a.m. to noon), Southbound 17 (noon to 2 p.m.), Boondockers (2 to 4 p.m.) and Shan Tan & the Oyster Reefers (4 to 6 p.m.)
On Sunday, Jan. 21, the Oyster Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Live music will be provided by Campfire Tyler (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and The Fabulous Clams (1 to 4 p.m.).
There is a cornhole tournament at 1 p.m. Sunday. Entry fee for the double-elimination tournament is $60 per team. Proceeds go to Riverview Charter School.
Assuming the minimum of 20 teams is met, cash prizes are $400 for first place, $200 for second place and $100 for third place. Sign ups are at noon. Bags fly at 1 p.m.
Teams may bring their own bags or some will be provided. All skill levels are welcome.
Interested participants can sign up at https://bit.ly/4aOV21K.
