Holly Morris from Fox 5 News Promotes the Oyster Festival

This morning on Fox 5 News, Holly Morris visited the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds in Leonardtown to find out all about the St. Mary's County Oyster Festival!  She interviewed Bob Parkinson, King Oyster for 2009, and learned about oyster tonging from Captain Jack Russell, from the Chesapeake Bay Field Lab.  Then, Richard Peltz from Circle C Oyster Ranch in Ridge, gave a shucking demonstration and Dave Taylor, the event producer, talked about what's in store for the 2009 National Oyster Cook-Off.  Holly also watched as Chef Loic, the chef and owner of Cafe des Artistes in Leonardtown, prepared one of his delicious oyster recipes.  To view the video clips, click here!

Be sure to stop by the St. Mary's County Oyster Festival this Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18!  You don't want to miss the National Oyster Cook-Off or the U.S. National Oyster Shucking Championship Contest.  Take home some of the fun by purchasing an Oyster Festival Poster, designed by Samantha Gallagher, and an Oyster Festival Cookbook, both of which will be available for purchase in the Fair Stage Auditorium.  For more information on the Oyster Festival, visit the Oyster Festival website at http://www.usoysterfest.com/!

Oyster Festival Poster Contest Deadline is Approaching

The deadline for the 2009 St. Mary's County Oyster Festival & US National Oyster Shucking Championship Contest Poster Contest is only 15 days away! The winner of the contest will receive a $500 prize, free tickets to the 2009 St. Mary's County Oyster Festival, and recognition during the Oyster Festival.

If you intend to submit an entry, please remember that:

• Text limited to "2009 St. Mary's County Oyster Festival & US National Oyster Shucking Contest Championship Contest" and must include "Celebrating Maryland's 375th Birthday" logo and Rotary Club logo (Click here to go to the Enter Giveaways and Contests page to download the logos.)
• Entry must be professional quality artwork (Finished size of Poster will be 18" x 24")
• Must be on a CD, 300 dpi, and reproducible by conventional 4-color printing process
• Include a 4" x 6" index card with the entry with:
  Your name
  Your complete mailing address
  Your home and work phone numbers
• Do not place your name in any form on the face of the artwork image

For more information, please visit the Enter Giveaways and Contests page by clicking here.

All entries must be submitted to the address below by 5 p.m. on September 15.

Rebecca Deprey, Tourism Coordinator
P.O. Box 653
Leonardtown, MD 20650

If you have any questions, please call Rebecca Deprey at 301-475-4200 ext. 1404.

This Week in St. Mary's County (Jan. 13 - Jan. 19)

Between January 13 and January 19, you won't want to miss:

• Historic St. Mary's City Poster Contest
• "The Foreigner" - Presented by The Newtowne Players
• Art Show & Wine Tasting at Blue Wind Gourmet

Poster Contest - Historic St. Mary's City
Help Historic St. Mary's City celebrate Maryland's 375th birthday by creating a poster about the early years of Lord Baltimore's colony, when St. Mary's City was the capital! The contest is open to all fourth-grade students and those ages 9 and 10. Prizes will be given to the winning entry in each category! For more details, rules, and regulations, please visit http://www.stmaryscity.org/.

"The Foreigner" - Presented by The Newtowne Players
Enjoy this hilarious comedy centered around a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia. The play revolves around two guests, Charlie and Froggy. Charlie's intense shyness keeps him from being able to speak, but Froggy explains to the other guests that Charlie is just from another country and is unable to speak English. You'll laugh as you watch how the other guests then behave around Charlie. For more information, showtimes and dates, please visit http://www.newtowneplayers.org/ or call 301-737-5447.

Art Show & Wine Tasting at Blue Wind Gourmet
Take in beautiful pieces of art while sipping a variety of wines at Blue Wind Gourmet! The proceeds from this event will be used to benefit the Calvert Marine Museum. Come out and enjoy art created by local artists, gourmet hors d'ouvres, and wines from a variety of vineyards. For more information, please call 410-326-2042 ext. 16, 17, or 18.