Annual Oyster Eat a labor of love

In the name of a good cause, Georgetown Fire Company’s Oyster Eat chair Michael Briggs has enjoyed spending a Friday night in February cleaning up the remnants of oyster shells and cigar butts for exactly half his life.

Briggs, 36, said in the days leading up to the event he gets excited and wants things to get going, but, he continued, about midway through the big event he wants things to start wrapping up.

“About 10:30, 10:45, that’s when I’m ready for the thing to be over,” he said laughing at the thought of sweeping up the oyster juice filled saw dust on the fire company’s 100 S. Bedford St. location.

The Oyster Eat is celebrating its 78th year and is taking place from 8 p.m. to midnight, Friday, February 27. Tickets for the event are $27 in advance or $30 at the door.

Briggs said fire company is prepared to go through 120 bushels of oysters, 50 gallons of raw oysters, 2,500 hot dogs, 220 dozen eggs and 60 pounds of popcorn at this year's event.

“That’s a lot for four hours,” he said.

Briggs, who has chaired the event for nearly a decade, said he can remember being antsy in anticipation in the days leading up to the first time he helped at the event after he joined the fire company as a fresh-faced 18-year-old. It was fun to be involved, but firemen under the age of 21 aren’t allowed on the floor, Briggs said.

“We got the crappy jobs,” he said, again laughing.

An example of a nonfloor job, he explained, would be cleaning the oysters before they were shucked. He said when he first started, the oysters would be delivered to the fire company in net bags and then put in bushel baskets before being washed.

“Every oyster would have to be washed,” he said. “That was a lot of work.”

The oysters used for the event now, come cleaned and are stored in a refrigerated truck, said Briggs.

Despite any of the drawbacks of working the event, Briggs, a Georgetown native who was born and raised on the Route 9 farm that is now Sports At the Beach location, is clearly proud to be associated with it.

The Oyster Eat, Briggs said, gives old friends a chance to catch up and gives others a reason to come to Georgetown.

Tickets for the Oyster Eat can be purchased on the Georgetown Fire Company’s website at georgetown77.com, through any member of the fire company, and at the following businesses: Schagrin Gas on Route 1 in Lewes, Baker’s True Value Hardware on U.S. 113 in Millsboro, 16 Mile Brewing Company on South Bedford Street in Georgetown and First State Chevrolet on U.S. 113 in Georgetown.

For more information call the Georgetown Fire Company at 302-856-7700.