One of the North Shore’s best events is the Essex Clamfest. Chowder tasting is $5. The Festival starts at 11am and lasts until 4pm, but get there early because the chowder was gone by 1pm last year. The Clamfest is at Memorial Park in Essex, at the junction of Route 22 and Shepard Drive. Judges will be determined before the event starts. Don’t miss out on the clambake raffle.
So what will be at the show? –
- A raffle for a fully catered clambake by Woodman’s to benefit the local elementary school.
- Beer from Ipswich Ale
- A $5 chowder tasting ticket
- Community organizer Greg Carroll (pictured in orange)
- Arts and crafts booths from all over the North Shore
- Games and rides for children
- Non-profit and church tables/booths
- Yours truly, A&A Services Home Improvement, local remodeling contractor
Recap of 2011 Essex Clamfest
Even with all this stuff there, the thing that is most surprising to us at A&A is why there is no fried clams were available at the festival. The Meat House (Beverly, MA) was pumping out some delicious food to fill the void after the chowder was done, but you have to make the trip to Woodman’s (close by) or Farnham’s (down the road) to get the real deal. The art and crafts people had great stuff last year, and we are looking forward to this year. We also realize that to make the perfect chowder, it is probably harder to make it in big batches. That being said, the chowder still ran out an hour before expected, so again, get there early. We would like the thank Good Morning Gloucester for the picture above, even though the rights were not reserved. We hope to see you there!
