The Wellfleet OysterFest takes place annually the weekend after Columbus Day in this beautiful town on Cape Cod, Mass. The ‘Fest celebrates the town’s famous oysters, clams and shellfishing traditions in a street party, where visitors and locals spend the weekend eating their way around the town, testing their skills in oyster shucking contests, and learning what makes Wellfleet’s mollusks so special. SPAT (Shellfish Promotion and Tasting), a non-profit educational organization, sponsors the event. Proceeds from the festival support its educational mission, including an ongoing aquaculture-based scholarship in collaboration with Nauset Regional High School and a grant awards program for people pursuing careers in shellfishing or those whose creative and educational work increases awareness of Wellfleet’s shellfishery, a vital part of this community’s life.