Scallops lure locals and visitors to festival
Published Friday July 10th, 2009
Fresh seafood, entertainment staples of Richibucto festival on the wharf
RICHIBUCTO - There are plenty of attractions to enjoy at Richibucto's annual Scallop Festival, but the most enduring, and the most obvious, are the scallops themselves.
Organizers work hard to feature a variety of local entertainment and activities on the wharf for people of all ages and interests, but the mighty mollusk cuts across all demographics and trends to provide a delicious common denominator.
The fresh and lightly-battered scallops are cooked up and sold from a small wooden shack on the Richibucto wharf that becomes party headquarters throughout the week.
If the bright yellow structure's paint job and its neon letters don't attract enough attention, the smell of the scallops frying is sure to hook passersby.
In fact, on an average year, up to 1,300 pounds of fresh scallops can make their ways into the shack's two deep fryers and onto festivalgoers' plates during the week-long festival.
"Sometimes there are 50 people waiting in line at a time," said local businessman Johnny Cormier who runs the scallop operation as a fundraiser for the Richibucto Rum Runners senior men's hockey team.
While local residents and visitors alike are blessed with uninhibited access to just about any seafood snack they can wish for in this seaside town, these particular scallops keep them coming back.
"It's a secret recipe," explains Cormier.
"It's not a thick batter like in restaurants, and you really taste the scallops."
Cormier says many faces become familiar throughout the festival, as most people can't make do with just one feed of scallops.
"Some people will come for scallop dinner (with fries), and come back just for the scallops for dessert," said Johnny.
"Sunday I can see us doing at least 1,000 plates."
Johnny understands the temptation well, as he admits to feasting on about 30 scallops each night himself.
Robert Mazerolle, of Mazerolle's fish market in Richibucto, has the responsibility of supplying the scallops.
He has been the supplier for the past four years, and says he is proud to provide the festival with its namesake attraction.
Yesterday, he was on the road driving back from Petit-Rocher, where scallops are in season, with another load to satisfy festivalgoers.
He makes the trip every two days, and knows he will have to bring back extras for the weekend's festivities.
He said the first couple of days started slow in terms of scallop sales because of cloudy weather, but he expects the weekend's forecast to amplify the traditionally stronger demand.
"It is better on the weekends," he says.
Robert notices that scallop sales at his fish shop tends to jump during the festival as well, although he said most people still prefer to taste the secret recipe on the wharf.
And even though he supplies the fresh scallops, Robert says he hasn't been granted the secret recipe either.
"I don't know the recipe."
The president of the Scallop Festival's organizing committee, Mike Gallant, said the festival has gone off without a hitch this year.
"So far so good," he says, noting the opening day parade, which is in its second year, was more popular than the inaugural year and he expects next year's edition to bring in more participants.
He said a few hundred people attended the musical performance by Rendez-Vous on Wednesday night under the tent on the wharf, and he said tonight's performance by Réveil from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. should draw a large crowd. Gallant said the addition of theme days has made it easier to market the festival and hook visitors and local residents.
Following Ghost Day on Monday, Lucky Day on Tuesday which featured the opportunity to win a $30,000 car, Prohibition Night on Wednesday, and Comedy Day yesterday, today is the day of Rum Runners and tomorrow is Chicago Day, which will feature an illuminated boat parade as well as performances by the group Tradition and Art Richard. Sunday is the Day of Magic featuring magician Rémi Boudreau and a fireworks finale.
"It gives us a story to try to promote. When it is just the Scallop Festival how do you make a story about scallops?"
It appears, however, that seafood lovers don't need much of a story at all to keep them coming back for the fresh scallops.
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