In 1905, the Jones family held an autumn oyster roast on their Airlie Gardens property. More than 100 years later, guests still gather in the scenic gardens the third Friday in October around steaming buckets of oysters.
The 2014 Airlie Gardens Oyster Roast, held Oct. 17, celebrated a centuries-old tradition while raising funds and awareness for environmental issues affecting the garden’s future.
While Airlie Gardens is known for its natural beauty, Janine Powell, Airlie Gardens director of donor relations, said the surrounding waters of Bradley Creek have been closed to shell-fishing since the 1940s due to pollution. Powell said the ultimate goal is to one day be able to dine on Bradley Creek oysters at the annual Oyster Roast.
“We’re helping to rebuild the oyster reefs,” Powell said. “It could be a long way off, but we’re always working toward that.”
Powell said the Airlie Gardens environmental education program includes a water quality curriculum for all eighth grade students in the county.
“The kids go back home and we hear the parents say, ‘Now the kids want us to wash our cars in the grass versus the driveway,’” Powell said.
The ecologically diverse 67-acre gardens provide the perfect outdoor classroom, Powell added. Because storm water filters through the Airlie Gardens lake before flowing into Bradley Creek, Powell said their mission is to educate others as well as to lead by example.
“[That’s why] we don’t allow pets here at Airlie Gardens, and we use minimal chemicals throughout the garden so we’re good stewards of the environment,” Powell said.
Proceeds from the 600 tickets sold benefitted the Airlie Gardens environmental education program.
While many of the hungry guests lined up for buckets of oysters, others, like former event chair Anne Sorhagen, mingled with friends and listened to music provided by Heartbeat of Soul.
Although Sorhagen has had many roles at Airlie Gardens over the years, from volunteer to vice president, she attended this year’s event as a guest. She said the event not only supports environmental education, but also promotes the oyster’s role in maintaining water quality.
“If you take an aquarium with the dirtiest water you’ve seen and you put two dozen oysters in there, 20 minutes later it will be crystal clear,” she said.
University of North Carolina Wilmington students collect and clean the empty oyster shells after the event, Sorhagen added. The North Carolina Coastal Federation then dumps the oyster shells into Bradley Creek where they can be inhabited by young oysters, providing the creek with natural water filters.
Sorhagen said although she doesn’t eat oysters, she attends the Airlie Oyster Roast every year.
“It’s the socializing, and the good weather, but I think more importantly it’s been going on for so long, and we’re carrying the tradition forward,” she said. “It’s an event not to miss!”
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