Clam Contest Rescheduled
The East Hampton Town Trustees’ 25th annual Largest Clam Contest, a popular event that had been scheduled for Oct. 4 but was postponed due to inclement weather, has been rescheduled for Nov. 15 at noon. It will be held at the American Legion Post 419 in Amagansett.
In the days leading up to the contest, Hurricane Joaquin intensified in the Atlantic Ocean, making it increasingly possible that shellfishing areas would be closed to would-be contestants. No clams, no contest.
The event also includes a clam chowder competition, a free raw bar, free chowder from Fred Overton’s great big vat, and presentations by officials from the East Hampton Town Shellfish Hatchery and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program. Also, the East End Classic Boat Society will display the craft it has constructed this year and sell raffle tickets for it.
Twelve winners will be selected, the grand prize going to the largest clam taken by anyone, adult or junior age 4 to 14, anywhere. Prizes will also be awarded for the biggest clam from Lake Montauk, Three Mile Harbor, Napeague Harbor, and Accabonac Harbor. The best chowders — red, white, and over all — will also win prizes.
On Tuesday, Diane McNally, the trustees’ clerk, said that before the canceled Oct. 4 contest only five clams had been submitted to the four participating seafood shops, and just one of them included the required information, including the waterway where it was harvested and the contestant’s shellfish-license number. They have been photographed, measured, and returned to the water.