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Wellfleet Oyster Festival - Saturday, October 16th and Sunday, October 17th


NECWA and staff from Captain John Whale Watching and Fishing Tours sponsored a tent at the local Wellfleet Oyster Festival. This festival is an annual event that just keeps getting bigger and bigger in terms of attendance each year.



People who attended the festival could enjoy fresh Wellfleet Oysters or other types of local cuisine served up by many different restaurants from around the area. Live bands played non-stop on the main stage that was situated by the food tent. And there was plenty to see as vendors from around the United States set-up tents all along the road and in the parking lots.


At the NECWA/Captain John Boats tent, families stopped by to "ohh and ahh" over the variety of whale and shark artifacts that were on display. This collection included: mako shark jaws; teeth from whales and sharks including a huge fossilized tooth of a megladon (an ancient shark); baleen from a humpback whale and a minke whale; preserved samples of copepods and sand lance; and as well as an assortment of whale bones. People stopping by our tent could also pick up a variety of educational literature on NECWA, Captain John Boats and on marine wildlife in our area.


The most popular activity at our tent was "make a fossil shark tooth necklace." Kids of all ages and sizes enjoyed picking out their fossil shark tooth and choosing beads for a "one-of-a-kind" creation. It was great fun to see all the interesting and beautiful combinations of colors and shapes as the kids chose the beads that would complement their shark tooth.


Festivals are a wonderful way for NECWA and Captain John Boats to interact and stay connected with the public. We got a chance to catch up with old friends and to make lots of new friends. Protecting our oceans and becoming involved in our community is important for it connects us with people who share our interests and concerns. We strive for clean oceans, a healthy planet and a vibrant world for both humans and the organisms that share it with us!


We think about the children that stopped by our tent and how fascinated they were with all the neat whale and shark artifacts that were on display. We are working hard to ensure that these future generations will also be able to enjoy the beautiful and truly amazing whales, dolphins, sharks and the other coastal marine wildlife that live and feed off our New England shores.

We hope everyone had a great time at the NECWA/Captain John Boats tent and we hope to see you again next October for the 2011 Wellfleet Oyster Festival.

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