1st Annual Edible Molusk Oyster Eating Contest to be held on Sanibel!

When: Saturday, April 17th 2010, 11am - 1pm.

Where: The Timbers Restaurant & Fish Market

Why: To celebrate "Oyster Love" and to raise money for the Bailey- Matthews Shell Museum Mollusk Exhibit.

Rules: Individuals have 90 seconnds to eat as many oysters as possible. Each contestant will receive a tray filled with 30 pre-shucked oysters on the half shell. Supplemental oysters will be given if needed. Each individual may have someone behind them cheering them on and each contestant will be assigned an individual judge to ensure all the oysters are swallowed. The judges will be the ones responsible for counting oyster shells to determine the number eaten. Contestants will be allowed to "flavor or dress" each oyster before the competition begins, but are not allowed to remove the oyster out of their shell prior to the start of the competition. For an oyster to be counted in the final total, it must be in the contestant's mouth at the end of the time limit.

All's Fair: Oysters can be slurped from the shell, hands-on grabbing and throwing them in the mouth or even dumping them in a pint glass and guzzling them. We don't care as song as they end up in the mouth and swallowed within the time limit!