This morning a old friend took me to the Urbanna Oyster Festival. Although this year marked the 49th time this charming event has be staged, it was my first time there. Originally called Urbanna Days, and built around the display of antique cars, in 1961 it was changed to the “Urbanna Oyster Festival.”After an hour’s drive from Richmond we spent about five hours in the bright crisp fall weather, walking about, seeing the sights and eating Virginia seafood. Yes, in spite of what one reads in the press, some Virginia oysters were being served.
My guide for the day, Larry Rohr (above, on the right), has been to the Oyster Festival every year for decades, so he had regular stops to make.
At the Lions Club tent (above) Larry went for the oyster fritter, as he said he always does, while I opted for a soft shell crab sandwich. At other stops, in spite of my policy of restraint, I had a bowl of oyster stew, a crabcake sandwich and some roasted oysters. All the food was good, I enjoyed the oyster stew the most.On the waterfront I ran into some friends from Richmond who live down that way now, actually in Deltaville. By the time I left, in the mid-afternoon, the little town of Urbanna was absolutely overflowing with humanity. Saturday’s crowd will easily triple today’s, I’m told. So, I’m glad I went today.
Although the aging digital camera I was using didn’t do as much as I’d like to capture the true colors, the light during this season in Virginia has a distinctive look. Today was a very November day.
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