Despite rain battering vendor tents and guests huddling under umbrellas in Besse Park, the line for oysters never dwindled at the Wareham Oyster Festival Saturday, May 24.

Sip & Stroll shell-ebrated with hundreds of attendees at the event that offered oysters, food trucks and vendors. With drinks flowing and music filling the many aisles of the festival, the park was full of joy.

Blue Stream Shellfish oyster farmer Cody Jardia has been to multiple oyster festivals and lent his hands to help shuck over 10,000 oysters this year.

Jardia said he loved the sense of community the oyster festival represented, not just for guests but for farmers. The five oyster farms that participated all shucked under one tent to keep up with the non-stop crowd.

"I like that I get to be collaborative, [oyster farmers] are very tight knit, so it's cool to see everybody out having a good time," Jardia said.

The line for the oysters was never-ending, even as dark storm showers soaked the park. 

Maria Longa said her love for oysters brought her across multiple state lines. 

"I drove all the way from Philadelphia just to have Massachusetts oysters," she said.

Longa said she thought waiting in the storm would make the lines move faster but the wet feet of patrons still shuffled slowly. Despite the weather and wait, she said the oyster festival was unlike any she had been to.

"I mean it's the vendors, I've been to a lot of festivals but this is impressive," she said.

One of the hundreds of tents at the festival was Art On The Spot, a face painting stand. One out of this world guest, 5-year-old Ava Andrews from Marlborough, had a rocket on her face.

"I got it because I love the planet Earth," she said. "I like the water the best." 

Andrews was visiting with her Aunt Cindy in Wareham and had a sleepover planned for after the festival. She said she was going to try to get her parents to purchase from some vendors.

"I'm going to get my mom to buy me a stuffed animal," Andrews said.

Organizer Lorna Brunelle was busy updating Facebook about the status of the festival and offering fist bumps to patrons. She was given the reins as organizer for 2025 after the original crew took a hiatus.

Brunelle, six days post chemo, said she was happy she was able to attend and see the turnout. 

"I got permission to be here so long as I wasn't hugging everybody," she said. "I'm isolated, which is important because of my immune system. But I'm still here and I'm in remission."

She said seeing everyone attending was great. Brunelle said she used to play in Besse Park when she was a child and that her father owns Warren's Harborview, which overlooked the festival and offered live music.

She highlighted the community aspect of the event, as her family, Wareham High School alumni and countless vendors came together on a holiday weekend.

"Seeing everything come together, it feels like a homecoming," she said.

Brunelle shouted out Wareham Redevelopment Authority, who gave support to the first responders supervising the event. With the authority's help, funds from the festival will sponsor scholarships for Burt Wood School of Performing Arts. 

"It was a huge honor to be asked to step into an event that was so beautifully run for eight years," she said.