Love shellfish? Foodies’ dream event invites you to SLURP up your favorites
After a pandemic-induced hiatus that lasted four years, the Shellfish Lovers Ultimate Rejuvenation Party, better known as SLURP, is making its return to Olympia.
The 21-and-older event will take place Sunday, April 21, at the Port of Olympia, 1422 Marine Drive NE. People can expect lots of shellfish plus wine and beer tastings from a number of vendors, including Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar, Potlatch Brewing Co., Talking Cedar Brewing and Distillery, Chicory, Elliott’s Oyster House and more.
The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m., and tickets are $100. They can be purchased online on the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association website. The event raises money for the association.
Chelsea Farms owner and farm director Shina Wysocki said the 2020 SLURP was supposed to be the 20th anniversary. A few years may have gone by, but she said this year’s party will still be treated as the 20th anniversary. Her parents started Chelsea Farms in 1987 and her mother was a founding member of SLURP.
Wysocki said the event was created by local shellfish farmers to promote shellfish farming in Puget Sound. She said they want to be more a part of the community and teach people about what they do.
“We thought ‘There’s no better way to do that than to throw a party,’” Wysocki said.
The money that’s raised from ticket sales and auctions that have been part of festivities in the past is used to fund beach cleanups. Wysocki said Chelsea Farms uses its own boats and crews to patrol beaches, then they use SLURP funds to dispose of trash and tires, as well as feed their crews lunch.
“We feel like it’s really a win-win for the community because people get to come and eat oysters and other great shellfish that restaurants are creating fun dishes for,” she said. “And they get to drink wine and beer that’s locally made and celebrate what an awesome place we live in, kind of celebrating the idea of a working waterfront.”
So far, Chelsea Farms’ cleanup efforts have resulted in 180 dump trucks of trash and more than 500 tires being removed from Olympia area beaches, she said.
Wysocki said SLURP helps educate the community on how shellfish have been a staple food for every community and culture that has lived in the Pacific Northwest. She said shellfish have long been important to tribal communities, and access to this fresh food is what brought her family to Washington during the Great Depression.
“They settled on Hood Canal because it was popular since you could eat oysters and it was free food you could just gather on the beach,” she said.
Wysocki said Washington state is the largest shellfish producer in the country, and she doesn’t think enough people know that.
“It’s an important part of our culture and our history and where we are,” she said.
But shellfish farming is reliant on clean water, she said. That’s why Chelsea Farms fights so hard to keep Puget Sound clean.
Bringing SLURP back this year came together a bit at the last minute. Wysocki said a number of businesses were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are still feeling the effects of inflation. But a lot of shellfish farmers have missed the festivities, she said. This year’s event will be rain or shine.
Wysocki said this year’s event will be a good combination of new and old by shining a light on the shellfish farmers’ sustainability efforts while honoring the fun they’ve had and traditions they’ve made along the way.
SLURP
What: This fundraiser for the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association promotes shellfish farming in Puget Sound. Vendors and restaurants provide a variety of shellfish dishes to go with local beers and wines.
Where: Port of Olympia, 1422 Marine Drive NE, Olympia
When: 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21
Admission: $100, which includes tastings from every restaurant at the event.
More information: https://www.ticketsignup.io/TicketEvent/SLURP2024
