Frances McCrary has attended all 15 St. Simons Land Trust Oyster Roasts. But she has distinct, and rather amusing memories of the first one in 2000.
“Catherine Main, my daughter, was executive director of the Land Trust at the time. She said we needed to have some type of party – not a fancy party because she didn’t think that fit with the idea of the Land Trust – but something outside that everybody on the island could attend. She came up with the idea of the Oyster Roast,” McCrary says.
Tim Brown Photography
Catherine Main and Frances McCrary
“From the very beginning, we didn’t know what to expect. The Crab Trap gave us the oysters, and we sent out the invitations. I think we had about 70 people at Village Creek Landing. Late in the afternoon, we were looking at the [supply of] oysters and said ‘hopefully not everybody will like oysters!’ At the last minute, we ran up to Winn Dixie and picked up some hot dogs, buns and potato chips. We quickly ran out of hot dogs and had to send people back to the store for more.”
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
The next year, about 120 attended. The organizers decided to ask local restaurants to donate an item to supplement the oysters. “We all had to run around at the last minute picking up food,” McCrary says. “We looked in horror as people came down the food line. A few of the early ones came and piled their plates high. Others came and there was no food left.” Despite the glitches of the early days, everyone had fun, she said.
From its small beginnings, the roast evolved into what one young woman told McCrary was “the best party on the island.” The attendance quickly grew into the hundreds, and the party moved to a bigger space at Fort Frederica and finally three years ago to its current venue at Gascoigne Bluff.
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
Today, the food preparation and presentation has definitely gone professional. For the past seven years, former resort hospitality executive Joe Wills has headed up the “buffet team.” And what a team it is! The crew consists of culinary professionals Wills has known for 20 years and worked with for 10 years – mostly at the Sea Island Company.
“It’s a real team effort,” Wills says. “Richie Williamson is the forager.”
Williamson, who has been the roast’s restaurant coordinator for 10 years, recruits food donations from about 40 restaurants two months in advance. On the afternoon of the roast, he sends out six teams of two to pick up the food for the 5:00 p.m. Oyster Roast. “The teams have all been doing this for 10 or more years, except for one that has been doing it for six,” Williamson says.
Once the food is delivered to the buffet team, Wills says it’s their job to “keep cold things cold, hot things hot. We set up the buffet, organize and serve the food that’s been donated.”
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
“Things work smoothly now,” he says. “We’re lucky to get great donations from island restaurants. Every restaurant on the island makes a contribution, including their island specialties.”
Mounting the Land Trust Oyster Roast each year takes more than 100 volunteers, many of whom return year after year to contribute their time and expertise. What motivates them?
“We all believe in the Land Trust,” Wills says. “We’ve all spent most of our lives here. We love hospitality, love service, and believe in the Land Trust. It’s a lot of fun.”
Adding to the fun all 16 years has been live music. This year’s entertainer is Owen Plant, a favorite St. Simons Island folk singer/songwriter and acoustic guitarist.
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
“Gascoigne Bluff is the perfect venue, because we’re under a canopy of live oaks and Spanish moss, overlooking the Frederica River,” says the Land Trust’s Sarah Harris, event chairman. “We’re surrounded by the beauty and uniqueness of St. Simons, and that’s what we’re all here to protect.”
McCrary, chairman of the Land Trust Advisory Council, calls the roast “what a Land Trust party should be. It attracts such a cross-section of the island.” From its inception, “everybody there wanted the same thing – to save the island. That’s what brought everyone together. That’s what the Land Trust is all about – loving the island and wanting to preserve it.
Benjamin Galland, h2o creative group
The 16th Annual St. Simons Land Trust Oyster Roast:
Saturday, January 16, 2016, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., Gascoigne Park, St. Simons Island
Oysters - Low Country Boil - BBQ - other Southern fare - Beer - Wine - Live Music
Tickets: $75. Land Trust members get a special discounted rate of $50 before January 8. Order online at sslt.org.
