One Crazy Mother Shucker

Last weekend, we went to the Urbanna Oysterfest, home of the Virginia State Oyster Shucking Championship. I have to admit that I am not crazy about oysters, but an adventure with my friends is always a good idea.

Byron’s company buses people to and from the festival for $35 with all you can drink beverage service. (Trust me, those mimosas made getting up at 5:30 a.m. totally worth it.) Anyway, we arrived at the festival ready to rage.

First on the agenda was the food. Byron and I decided on cinnamon rolls, Van headed for the cream of crab soup and despite it being 40 degrees outside, Jessica had a root beer float. Breakfast quickly devoured, Van and Byron decided it was time to move on to smoked turkey legs. Seriously, these things were huge and dripping with fat – the boys were thrilled. We headed back to the bus for more booze and so the boys could finish their battle with the turkey legs.

By this time, we had walked around the entire festival about five times and were ready for some entertainment. Thankfully, it was time for the oyster shucking competition.

After watching the amateurs struggle through 12 oysters, it was time for the professionals to take the stage. First up were the women, two sisters who had shucking in their blood. These two ladies tore through 24 oysters in a matter of minutes. The final times were announced. It was a tie. There was only one thing left to do – have a shuck off. The women came back to the stage and this time, Clementine was the winner.

Having decided the women’s champion, the men took their turn in an uneventful contest. It was then announced that the women’s champion would compete against the men’s champion, but this year there was a twist. The women’s champion just so happened to be the mother of the men’s champion. GASP!

The stage was set for this mother/son battle, like Van said “it was epic.” The whistle blew and they were off. It was a close race and all depended on the presentation. After what seemed like an eternity, the results were announced. Clementine won, proving that she was, indeed, one crazy mother shucker.