DAMARISCOTTA — On a warm, 70-degree Fahrenheit day, hundreds of people gathered for the 2013 Pemaquid Oyster Festival Sept. 29, held outdoors on Schooner Landing’s riverside deck right on the banks of the Damariscotta River.

“We brought up 15,200 oysters for today,” said Jeff “Smokey” McKeen, a.k.a Oyster Czar. “We’ll probably go through all of them on such a nice day.”

Along with their lineup of musical entertainment, exhibits, the annual oyster shucking contest and oyster poetry contest, this year the festival also offered an old, re-built Navy boat, renamed River Tripper, which holds 49 passengers.

This festival always brings out a fun-loving crowd. It was made for people who just cannot get enough oysters. Most people opted for a dozen on cardboard trays with their favorite toppings—such as horseradish, hot pepper sauce or a variety of homemade mignonettes (freshly made combinations like Champagne/Tarragon or Blueberry/Lemon made by Kayli McKeen, who runs Waldo Stone Farm) or just plain and raw with lemon.

And as always, fresh Pemaquid Ale was on tap and Bloody Oyster Marys (bloody mix with oyster liquor added to give it extra tang) sold out within the opening hour.

Steve Peters, one of the die-hard volunteers who has been working at the Festival for nine years, was busy shucking oysters throughout the entire day.

“You just keep going, it’s a lot of fun, supporting a good cause,” he said. Smiling, he handed a freshly opened oyster to one of the patrons in line. “Here’s another nice one!”

Photos by Kay Stephens. She can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com