WELCOME TO THE WEB SITE OF THE 'WEST COAST OYSTER SHUCKING CHAMPIONSHIP AND WASHINGTON STATE SEAFOOD FESTIVAL' (WCOSCWSSF) a.k.a. OYSTERFEST!

On October 6th and 7th, 2007 the Mason County Fairgrounds is a great place to be. This is the first October weekend and that means OYSTERFEST in Shelton. Wit

h the help of nearly 100 community organizations, Skookum Rotary stages it's annual small town, BIG event! The gates are open from 10am to 6pm each day; you are invited, and we hope to see you there!

The Pacific Rim Oyster Open Speed & Half-Shell Oyster Shucking Contests are the centerpiece of the festival. Two other Open events are the Art and Photography Competition and the Seafood Cook-Off. Free entertainment is on-going. Wine tasting is provided by several Washington State Wineries and the Microbreweries certainly know how to do their thing. Not to mention the food venders--none of whom may duplicate another's delicacy. Our advice-Come Hungry!   

The Fairground is located on Sanderson Field, 1/2 mile north of Shelton, west of US Highway 101. Many folks with private aircraft fly in for the event, park their planes and walk or ride to the Fairground. Skookum Rotary Club contracts for the Free Shuttle Service with Mason County Transportation Authority. Free parking areas and pick-up points are located at the Shelton Civic Center, Shelton Yacht Club, Olympic College, Shelton High School, the Port of Shelton property adjacent to the Olympic Air facility. We recommend the Port of Shelton satellite parking area which is reached through the Main Entrance to the Port of Shelton. (The Port entrance is about 3/4 of a mile north of the Fairground Entrance, both of which are on US Highway 101. Also, the Port Entrance has a 'left turn lane in this stretch of the highway for Northbound traffic.) Better signage will be evident this year.

The cost of admission to OysterFest is $5.00 per-person; children under 6 are free. There is no charge to park your car on or off of the fairgrounds and no charge to ride the shuttle bus.

Except for Service Dogs, Mason County does not permit dogs on the Fairgrounds.

International Service: Hosting inbound Rotary exchange students for their year-long stay; sponsoring local outbound Rotary Exchange Students; hosting Group Study Exchange Teams from various foreign countries for a few days of their six-week stay in our Rotary District; leading Rotary Club in the on-going effort to build and equip a hospital in Latvia (this project started with one Skookum Rotarian and is supported by Rotary Clubs in our district as well as Rotary International) and supporting Rotary International's Polio Plus program to eliminate polio worldwide.

Vocational Service: The club's Academic Excellence program serves over 500 Mason County students through programs including: Academic Excellence, Career Day, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Science Fair, Business Week, Scholarships and participation at the New Teacher Banquet.

Community Service: OysterFest, Water Quality education for over 1000 Mason County Students; hosting nearly 500 fourth graders for Kid's Day at OysterFest; sponsoring a team in the Mason County Literacy's Spell-e-bration; expanding our Kitchen Garden Area; providing a family pass for the Community Concert Series; fixing up a senior's home and provided the "Tug Boat" for the Kneeland Park project. We placed a new Rotary sign at the Hillcrest overlook. In addition, the following community projects were given funds: local food banks, literacy programs, dental education for low income youth, Christmas toys for kids, Grisdale Park project, Mason-Thurston Red Cross, Choice High School's Christmas Wooden Toys project, Critical Care Providers, Forest Festival , meals for homebound seniors, Mason County Homeless Shelter, and the Mason County Historical Society. Recently completed was the purchase and installation of playground equipment in a Mountain View apartment complex.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVENT OR THE SHELTON-MASON COUNTY AREA, CONTACT THE ORGANIZATIONS LISTED BELOW:

• Shelton/Mason County Chamber of Commerce:
  P: (360) 426-2021, 1-800-576-2021  F: (360) 426-8678
  www.sheltonchamber.org

• Belfair/North Mason Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau:
  P: (360) 275-5548  F: (360) 275-3857
  www.northmasonchamber.com

• Economic Development Council of Mason County:
  P: (360) 426-2276  F: (360) 426-2868
  www.hctc.com/~masonedc

• Taylor Shellfish Farms

• Little Skookum Shellfish Growers