To replace Shellabration, a weekend to ‘Raise Shell’

After Shellabration organizers announced last week they were canceling the popular event for the first time in over a decade, Little Creek Oysters is stepping in to preserve Greenport’s oyster tradition with a new village-wide crawl — named “Raise Shell.”

The new seafood fest will feature an oyster hall at Little Creek Oysters’ Main Street studio, 216 Main St., and participation from businesses across the village. Raise Shell kicks off Friday, Dec. 5, to celebrate Little Creek’s first anniversary at its new location, followed by the main event Dec. 6 and 7 — the original Shellabration dates.

Tickets go on sale Nov. 1 on raiseshell.com, which launches Oct. 25.

“We’re really looking to hold space in the calendar and make value for people so that they can come back next year,” said Ian Wile, co-founder of Little Creek Oysters. “We’re moving into something that could be really special for this year, too.”

Mr. Wile and his wife and partner, Rosalie Rung, came up with the replacement idea and presented it to business owners on Oct. 21 after Cornell Cooperative Extension scrapped Shellabration for this year. CCE cited volunteer burnout and a need for internal restructuring as reasons, while some businesses said that they felt overwhelmed by the mass of revelers.

In an attempt to make things smoother than in past years, there will be no physical wristbands or check-in stations, which caused backups. Digital maps will guide attendees instead.

“Once you have your ticket, you can come and go,” Mr. Wile said. “Tickets will allow holders to graze to their heart’s content without reaching back into their pocket, from what we’re hoping are as many as eight growers a day.”

All village businesses are invited to participate through five proposed options:

• Traditional Shellabration-style offerings: two items for under $10 and a drink tasting for under $10.
• Larger seafood specials: a featured appetizer, multi-course option or reserved lunch/dinner.
• Educational programming: oyster farmers opening shellfish or SPAT volunteers educating the public.
• Live music: showcasing local musicians in non-food and beverage venues.
• Fundraising promotion: selling tickets directly from the oyster hall.

“We have so many wonderful musicians who live in Greenport and around the community,” Mr. Wile said. “We’re trying to make some opportunity for them to experience some face time. We’re trying to integrate a broader experience.”

Restaurants managing Shellabration-style offerings should expect a steady flow of guests during the crawl, but without physical wristbands, they can manage capacity as they see fit.

“Raise Shell” will be run by Little Creek’s nonprofit arm, The Hold Fast Fund, with proceeds supporting Cornell’s SPAT program, which encourages community members to restore shellfish to local bays. SPAT volunteers will be present during the event.

Mr. Wile announced the replacement event at the Village Board of Trustees meeting on Thursday, Oct. 23. He was met with smiles, excitement and gratitude for pulling something together for this year with such short lead time, including from Mayor Kevin Stuessi, who praised the couple.

“It was really wonderful to see the two of you step up, as you often do, on a variety of different things to help keep this tradition going and working with a lot of folks in the business community,” Mr. Stuessi said.

Mr. Wile said he’s encouraging all businesses, residents and parts of the village to participate in any way they can. 

“Some people popped in already to say, ‘What if I did this?’ The answer is, sort of, ‘Yes,’” he said. “If you are excited about something for that day, you’re going to be excited when your customer comes in. I think that’s kind of special.”