Snow Hill hosts 13th annual Oyster Roast

SNOW HILL, Md. – Nothing says the Eastern Shore more than oysters.

The town of Snow Hill hosted its 13th annual oyster roast, where people ate the day away, and businesses showed off their fan favorite seafood.

Executive director of the Snow Hill chamber of commerce, Mandy Gladden, said the small town quickly turned into a hub for seafood lovers.

“It’s a huge event for this community, it’s going to bring in close to 1,200 people and everyone is going to line the streets. It’s really great for the economy,” Gladden said.

Keeping the dollars in the community, all of the oysters at the event were locally grown.
Gladden said that’s what sets Snow Hill’s roast apart from others, because people know the product they’re consuming comes right from the bay.

“The oysters that we have now are straight out of the Chincoteague Bay,” Gladden said. “We’re glad to use local oyster farms as well, and they’re huge to the economy of the Eastern Shore. People come from all over to eat our oysters because they taste the best.”

Oyster farmer, Matt Holloway, said taking the oysters straight from the bay and getting them into the hands of consumers is what’s kept him coming back to roast for three years now.

“We’re right on the Chincoteague Bay, just a few miles from here,” Holloway said. “We’re growing bay scallops and oysters there and it’s great for the environment and great for that water body.”