What a nifty idea, yesterday local Milford downtown merchants staged a pearl trail to introduce Oyster Festivl attendees to the stores and shops in Milford. Form the Connecticut Post:
Who knew cultured pearls for jewelry would be as wildly popular as oysters are for eating at the Milford Oyster Festival?
More than 2,000 people followed the Pearl Trail on Friday, snapping up a total of 10,000 genuine, freshwater cultured pearls, which they collected two or three at a time from 25 downtown merchants during “Friday Night at the Festival,” a new feature for the Milford Oyster Festival, which is usually only a one-day event.
And there were no strings attached. The pearls — valued at about $200 if people collected them from every participating vendor — were free to the public. The only charge was $3 for the optional purchase of a jewelry-stringing kit, which included string, a clasp and a needle.
…
Mackay said he and his family shopped and enjoyed the event at a leisurely pace. And that was the point, Hebert said. “Our idea was to have a good old-fashioned time and meet shopkeepers,” she said.
Joe and Louise Hebert offered a pearl-stringing demonstration and many people were fascinated by David Ethier’s pearl display. Ethier, a representative of Imperial Pearl, the Providence, R.I., company from which the Heberts purchased the pearls — with help from the Downtown Milford Business Association, showed four mollusks from around the world and then showed people examples of the pearls they produce. He had a black-lipped oyster that produces a Tahitian pearl — the only natural black pearl — a South Seas clam, an akoya oyster from Japan and a freshwater mussel from China.
“I love to know how things happen. Even more important than the pearls that come out of the shells is the miracle of life, the process. Part of valuing something is knowing how it was created,” said Celeste Falcone, of Milford.
Today the Oyster festival continues with music entertainment:
Performance Schedule on the Main Stage at Fowler Field
(times approximate) for Saturday, August 18, 2007
11:30am - 12:00pm —- Desiree Bassett
12:15pm - 1:00pm —- The Limit
1:30pm - 2:45pm —- Changes In Latitudes
3:15pm - 5:15pm —- The Smithereens
Ah, the Smithereens, great band choices Milford Oyster Festival!
Meanwhile the Milford Oyster Festival has local Oysters, including a Norwalk brand.
From their site:
|
All
of the oysters are being provided by members of the East Coast
Shellfish Growers Association, dedicated to the production of
delicious, nutritious and sustainable shellfish. |
 |
|
| Down East Oysters - Harrington Bay, ME
A
petite oyster that bites back! These beauties are the northernmost
oyster grown in Maine. Our strong ocean currents naturally give them
their clean appearance and the distinct “Taste of Maine”. Best served
on the half-shell. Available May - December.
Karrie Anderson, sales@maineshellfish.com  (207)483-2030 |
| Scorton Creak Oysters® - Massachusettes
Scott Mullin, Massachusettes Aquaculture, greatmarsh@verison.net |
| Cedar Points - Norwalk, CT
A Conecticut oyster closely related to the Bluepoint with good oyster flavor with medium salt.
Mark Errico, Norm Bloom and Sons, Norwalk, CT |
| Chincoteague Salts - Chincoteague, VA
From
waters fed daily by ocean tides, these “salts” have a highly desirable
briny flavor. Chincoteague Island oysters have been considered the
aristocrats of all American oysters.
teaquafarms@verizon.net |
| Island Creek Oysters - Duxbury, MA
Grown
in the cold rich waters of Duxbury Bay where 14 foot tides sweep the
beds twice daily the Island Creek oyster have a plump sweet buttery
meat with a distinctive briny finish.
Skip Bennett, (781) 934-0442 |
| Salt Works Oysters® - Virginia
Dick Cantwell (757) 442-7510, captoyster@gmail.net |
| Moonstone Oysters® - Narragansett, RI
A
rich, full-bodied, briny flavor makes the Moonstone Oyster the first
choice of true connoisseurs. We are fanatics about freshness, food
safety and quality - committed to bringing you the best possible
product since 1986. “Harvested Naked - Eaten Raw”
Bob Rheault, sales@MoonstoneOysters.com  (401) 783-3360 |
| Matunuck Oysters - East Matunuck, RI
A crisp, briny flavor with a clean and slightly sweet finish. Matunuck Oysters offer a true tast of Rhode Island.
Perry Raso, Perry@OceanStateAquafarm.com  (401) 932-4946 |
| Mystic Oysters - Fisher’s Island Sound, CT
Sweet, plump oysters with a deep cup and a robust shell.
Jim Markow, Noank Aquaculture Cooperative (860) 460-4558 |
| Saddlerock Oysters - Northport, Long Island, NY
In
the 1800’s, the Saddlerock was the predominant bluepoint oyster sold.
We’ve dusted off her name and allowed the Saddlerock to shine again.
Hand selected and packed to our own exacting specifications, they are
the best tasting bluepoint ever - plump and salty, with an ocean taste.
Distribluted exclusively by K&B Shellfish,  www.kandbseafood.com  (631) 261-8161 |
| York River OystersTM - Yorktown VA
Grown
in the clean, clear waters of the lower York River near its confluence
with the Chesapeake Bay, York River Oysters are both sweet and briny,
plump and picturesque - simply an unforgettable oyster. “Buy an
original”
Tommy Leggett, chessie -  shellfish@hotmail.com  (804) 642-2240 |
| Olde Salts - Butylo, Virginia
The
truest taste of the ocean, our Olde Salt Oyster brings together a bold
sea-side brinniness with a sweet, clean follow-through. It’s more than
a classic, it’s a legend.
Ryan and Travis Croxton, Rappahannock River Oyster Company, Butylo, Virginia  sales@rroysters.com |
|
source: The Connecticut Post, Pearl giveaway a jewel in Milford, by MEG BARONE, August 18, 2007
