For a good part of the 20th century, Rock Hall was “king” when it came to oystering. Day after day, during the oyster season, as many as 100 boats left Rock Hall harbor and returned at the end of the day with a full catch, piled high . Tractor trailor trucks left Rock Hall for New England, New York City, and points west.
Beginning with Hurrican Agnes in 1972, things changed. The famed Rock Hall oyster beds were threatened by pollution, weather patterns, and other factors. They were gradually regaining their strength when Hurrican Irene , in 2011, forced the opening of 43 gates at Conowingo Dam, pushing millions of tons of silt, debris and mud over the oyster beds just off Rock Hall. (When those Conowingo gates opened, picture the equivalent of 6,120 olympic-sized pools of water rushing through the gates…each minute!)
But Rock Hall is a gritty, fight back, stiff upper lip kind of town. FallFest 2012 will celebrate both the tradition of Rock Hall oystering and the commitment to the return of the famed local oyster. This is the 15th year of this festival.
On Saturday, October 13 there will be the usual family events: great local food, excellent music, (we end the day in front of The Mainstay with Deanna Bogart), ponies, steel drums, and crafts…but a key focus will be on the corner of Sharp and Main, “Oyster Corner.”
Look for four or five of our best Rock Hall shuckers, opening as many as 3,000 Chesapeake Bay oysters, at “a buck a shuck”. or 6 for five. Some of our local oystermen will be there to answer your questions about the Bay too. And for kids, there will be a place to try their hand at tonging for oysters.
If you haven’t yet been to a FallFest celebration, don’t miss this one. It will be a day of fun, history, humor, and it will warm your soul.
14th Annual Rock Hall FallFest
A Celebration of Family, Community and Oysters
Saturday, October 13th, 2012
10am – 4pm, Rain or Shine!
Cover photo courtesy of Kent County Dept. of Planning & Zoning
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