'Shellabration', A Shellfish Celebration In Greenport, Unfolds

GREENPORT, NY — A beloved Greenport tradition is set to unfold this weekend as "Shellabration" brings an array of delicious tastes to the village.

Greenport Shellabration, which takes place on Dec. 7 and 8 from noon to 4 p.m., is a restaurant walk which features the best in local shellfish, wine, and beer.

Participants can purchase wristbands and savor culinary creations by Greenport’s leading chefs; $5 small plates featuring local shellfish will be paired with $3 pours of local wine or beer, event organizers said.

Wristbands will also equal discounts and promotions at participating shops and businesses throughout Greenport.

Wristbands entitle guests to the first tasting of the day — a free glass of Greenport Harbor Ale and a Suffolk Project in Aquaculture Training, or SPAT, sponsored raw bar tasting of clams and oysters at the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, located at 234 Carpenter St., or at Little Creek Oyster Company, at 37 Front St.; at both locations, tour maps will be distributed pinpointing participating restaurants.

Proceeds from the sales of wristbands will directly support Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program's Back to the Bays Initiative and SPAT, organizers said.

The Back to the Bays Initiative aims to increase stakeholder engagement in water quality protection initiatives; habitat improvement projects; shellfish and fin fish research and restoration; and youth and community education experiences, organizers said.

Meanwhile, the SPAT program was created to encourage community members to become stewards of the environment and to restore shellfish to the bays. To augment the limited staff of the Cornell Marine Program, volunteers help produce shellfish to seed the bays, organizers of the event said.

The event, since its inception, has become a way to celebrate the season.

"Shellabration" was born due to the efforts of Southold resident John Kramer, who would throw a party every January at his house overlooking Jockey Creek at Harpers Point, calling the bash "Clamabration" to celebrate how much fun he had clamming just outside his doorstep during the winter.

Looking back, Kramer said, in a 2012 interview with Patch, that he saw the summer closure to shellfishing on Jockey Creek mandated by the Department of Environmental Conservation as a blessing in disguise.

"We had just moved into this beautiful place and the DEC came down with the closure," he said. "But to be honest, I love winter clamming so much better than summer clamming. It's brisk and refreshing and the clams are just better."

Kramer's inspired house parties, which grew so big he eventually had to move them to the Wharf House at Founders Landing, were the inspiration for "Shellabration," a Greenport restaurant walk/fundraiser that took time for the first time in 2012 and which has become a beloved tradition.

Wristbands cost $30 for the weekend and $20 for Sunday only. To purchase wristbands, click here.