(This issue of CvilleBuzz is dedicated to oysters – to Urbanna, home of the Oyster Festival; to the rivers from which they come; and to the joy and memories of eating and cooking oysters.)
For 363 days a year, Urbanna, Virginia is the arch-typical Little Town, USA. The 500 or so residents know each other well. If someone gets sick or dies, neighbors gather round. If someone new moves to town, it’s an event.
Urbanna has a drug store, a grocery store, a marine hardware store, a bank, a gas station and a couple restaurants. Urbanna, located as it is on Urbanna Creek at the mouth of the Rappahannock, also has a splendid marina. Stately sailboats maneuver through the harbor as crabbers motor back and forth checking their pots. It is a quiet, peaceful town with a rich past.
But then, on the first full weekend in November, Urbanna swells to a bustling metropolis of 60,000 to 70,000 people. They come from Florida; they come from New York and all across Virginia to attend the Oyster Festival. It’s an event that, once you come, you’ll never want to miss again.
This past weekend was my 15th Oyster Festival. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you more.