Early each November, the town of Urbanna on Virginia's Middle Peninsula hosts a festival in celebration of everyone's favorite bivalve. The tiny town of 543 swells to in excess of 70,000 for the two day festival. Attendees enjoy arts and crafts displays, local wines, parades, barbecue, and of course, oysters, prepared every way one could imagine. A competition for the title of Oyster Festival Queen is held on the Friday of the festival, and the candidates for queen pick running mates, of sorts, in the form of first grade girls. These girls compete for the title of Little Miss Spat (a spat is a baby oyster).
The festival is equal parts excellent food, nice people, and small town charm. It harkens back to a time when things- including our food- moved a little more slowly. Look for this year's festival on November 2nd and 3rd.
The author also enjoyed some Carolina-style pulled pork