South Bend's Oyster Stampede

Believe it or not, the modern-day Oyster Stampede in South Bend, Pacific County, is a watered-down version from the oyster-fest it used to be.

In the 1930s and '40s, South Bend townspeople used to gather for a scene typical of pop-up storybooks. They would build a huge — event chairman Loretta Hodgson repeats, "Huge!" — kettle that would take up nearly a city block and require "days and days" to build. They would cook countless oysters in the mutant vat and eat them as an annual town-gathering celebration.

"This was before you got into the legalities and technicalities of serving food," Hodgson said.

Today's Oyster Stampede isn't quite so extravagant, but the four-day festival — May 23-26 — still lives up to South Bend's self-declared reputation as the "Oyster Capital of the World."

In various parts of the town, oyster eating and shucking contests are expected to draw large crowds this year. People are always fascinated to watch other people gulping down a dozen raw oysters, Hodgson said.

And though competitive oyster shucking, where you open the shell and remove the oyster without breaking it, has its risks (the knife is really sharp), organizers always find plenty of amateur shuckers wanting to join in on the "rhythm" of shucking in a line.

The grand prize, by the way, is $300.

"And a good oyster shucker does not get cut," Hodgson said.

The non-oyster-fanatic can also participate in festivities such as slow-pitch softball tournaments, art exhibits and other typical fair attractions.

Young Chang, 206-748-5815 or ychang@seattletimes.com