For Immediate Release, December 2009

2010 Lowcountry Oyster Festival

The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association will be hosting the 27th annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival on Sunday, January 31, 2010. Located on the 700+ acre grounds of historic Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, the Lowcountry Oyster Festival is the world’s largest oyster festival and has been named one of the “top 20 events in the southeast” by the Southeastern Tourism Society.

More than 10,000 guests and 65,000 pounds of oysters are expected throughout the day on the back lawn of the plantation. Other highlights include the legendary “Oyster Shucking” and “Oyster Eating” Contests, live music on the main stage, a selection of domestic and imported beers and a Kids Corner complete with pony rides and jump castles. This year, the high energy rivalry of the “Oyster Recipe Contest” will take place on the main stage during the event on Sunday. With oysters as the star ingredient, the contest pits some of Charleston’s finest chefs head-to-head in a culinary battle.

This fund-raising event is orchestrated by a volunteer staff with proceeds benefiting the Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center and the Charleston Science Materials Resource Center. This year, as part of an oyster shell recycling initiative, the Department of Natural Resources, Fisher Recycling, and the Nature Conservancy will partner together to ensure that oyster shells from the festival are recycled back into the local public oyster beds following the event.

The Lowcountry Oyster festival will take place on Sunday, January 31st from 10:30am – 5pm. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 the day of the event, with no fee for children under 10. In an effort to improve the flow of traffic around the event site, all are encouraged to do their part and carpool. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com/oyster_festival.php or visit any of the five area Kickin Chicken restaurants.

The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association (GCRA) represents the largest private sector employer in the tri-county area. The association serves as the voice of the Charleston Area food service industry on government and public relations issues. Annual fund raising events like Taste of Charleston and Lowcountry Oyster Festival, both sponsored by the GCRA, enable them to give back to the community, and are completely run by local volunteers. To date, the GCRA has donated more than $1,000,000 to the Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center, and Charleston County Schools Science Materials Resource Center. For more information about the GCRA, visit www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com.