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Pickin’ and livin’ on the waterfront
DWOW throws well-received party for well-traveled folks
By GREG KATSKI
Staff Writer
The atmosphere was anything but crabby at the third-annual Pickin’ on the Pamlico Saturday evening.
Around 550 people showed up to mash, mallet and pick their share of locally caught blue crabs, according to Downtown Washington on the Waterfront President Ross Hamory.
The event, organized by DWOW, was a near sellout, Hamory said.
“I know that if it didn’t completely sell out, we came close,” he said.
The Pickin’ had an allotment of 600 tickets, at $40 a head. All proceeds from ticket, as well as beverage sales went to DWOW, whose mission is to revitalize Washington’s downtown business district.
Once all the proceeds are calculated, Hamory expects this year’s event to rake in well over $10,000 for DWOW.
Even more important is the Pickin’s tourism impact on Washington, Hamory said.
“A lot of people come from out of town and time their trip to make it,” he said. “And that’s the purpose of the event. To expose people to our beautiful waterfront.”
The heavy influx of tourists to the event and area for the weekend was apparent to Washington Tourism Development Authority Director Lynn Lewis.
Lewis said she met people from New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina and the Piedmont region of North Carolina while mingling and pickin’. Many of them she met at her pickin’ station.
“I am a native, and I was sitting around my table going, I don’t know a quarter of the people here,” she said with a laugh. “From a tourism perspective, that says a lot.”
What it says to Hamory is that the DWOW Committee did many things right in organizing the event. He attributes this to the committee’s desire to improve on the first two Pickin’s.
“The (DWOW) Committee did a really good job of figuring out things to improve on,” he said.
Among the improvements made was a higher quantity of food, which included buffet spreads of hush puppies, corn on the cob, coleslaw, peel-and-eat shrimp and more than a fair share of blue crabs.
This was of great concern to the committee following last year’s event.
“It is my understanding that we ran out of food last year,” Hamory said.
DWOW also made an effort to work closer with Keyzer’s Catering, which provided the assortment of Down East food.
“They got it out quick,” Hamory said.
Samantha “Lou Lou” Woolard, a cook with Keyzer’s, was impressed with the event’s turnout. Woolard, who has worked the event since its inception three years ago, said, “It has grown a lot since the first year.”
Hamory has seen the positive growth and expansion of the event, too.
“It is one event that seems to get better and grow every year,” he said.
Hamory attributes some of the success of this year’s event to the popularity of the 360 Degrees Band, which played until 10:30 at night, and the exceptional weather on the waterfront.
“The band was great,” Hamory said. “It was a beautiful evening. The weather was perfect.”
Lewis thinks the event has continued to grow through good word-of-mouth.
“(It) is just unbelievable; bigger every year,” she said. “The reputation of the event has spread.”
Its reputation has reached as far as Haddonfield, N.J.
Jason Walker and his daughter, Aubrey, drove down from New Jersey to enjoy the Pickin’ and visit his parents, Bill and Bev Walker, who live in Washington. Jason just happened to visit his parents last summer on the same weekend as the Pickin’ and enjoyed it so much he came back for seconds.
“This is our second year in a row,” he said. “It’s a new family tradition.”
Sarah Farrar and her husband, Robert, of Greenville, were joined by their friends Matthew and Angela Bostick of Greenville, S.C. for the event.
“They drove all the way across the state of North Carolina for Pickin’ on the Pamlico,” Sarah said.
And, of course, the Bosticks said the drive was worth it.
By GREG KATSKI
Staff Writer
The atmosphere was anything but crabby at the third-annual Pickin’ on the Pamlico Saturday evening.
Around 550 people showed up to mash, mallet and pick their share of locally caught blue crabs, according to Downtown Washington on the Waterfront President Ross Hamory.
The event, organized by DWOW, was a near sellout, Hamory said.
“I know that if it didn’t completely sell out, we came close,” he said.
The Pickin’ had an allotment of 600 tickets, at $40 a head. All proceeds from ticket, as well as beverage sales went to DWOW, whose mission is to revitalize Washington’s downtown business district.
Once all the proceeds are calculated, Hamory expects this year’s event to rake in well over $10,000 for DWOW.
Even more important is the Pickin’s tourism impact on Washington, Hamory said.
“A lot of people come from out of town and time their trip to make it,” he said. “And that’s the purpose of the event. To expose people to our beautiful waterfront.”
The heavy influx of tourists to the event and area for the weekend was apparent to Washington Tourism Development Authority Director Lynn Lewis.
Lewis said she met people from New Jersey, Virginia, South Carolina and the Piedmont region of North Carolina while mingling and pickin’. Many of them she met at her pickin’ station.
“I am a native, and I was sitting around my table going, I don’t know a quarter of the people here,” she said with a laugh. “From a tourism perspective, that says a lot.”
What it says to Hamory is that the DWOW Committee did many things right in organizing the event. He attributes this to the committee’s desire to improve on the first two Pickin’s.
“The (DWOW) Committee did a really good job of figuring out things to improve on,” he said.
Among the improvements made was a higher quantity of food, which included buffet spreads of hush puppies, corn on the cob, coleslaw, peel-and-eat shrimp and more than a fair share of blue crabs.
This was of great concern to the committee following last year’s event.
“It is my understanding that we ran out of food last year,” Hamory said.
DWOW also made an effort to work closer with Keyzer’s Catering, which provided the assortment of Down East food.
“They got it out quick,” Hamory said.
Samantha “Lou Lou” Woolard, a cook with Keyzer’s, was impressed with the event’s turnout. Woolard, who has worked the event since its inception three years ago, said, “It has grown a lot since the first year.”
Hamory has seen the positive growth and expansion of the event, too.
“It is one event that seems to get better and grow every year,” he said.
Hamory attributes some of the success of this year’s event to the popularity of the 360 Degrees Band, which played until 10:30 at night, and the exceptional weather on the waterfront.
“The band was great,” Hamory said. “It was a beautiful evening. The weather was perfect.”
Lewis thinks the event has continued to grow through good word-of-mouth.
“(It) is just unbelievable; bigger every year,” she said. “The reputation of the event has spread.”
Its reputation has reached as far as Haddonfield, N.J.
Jason Walker and his daughter, Aubrey, drove down from New Jersey to enjoy the Pickin’ and visit his parents, Bill and Bev Walker, who live in Washington. Jason just happened to visit his parents last summer on the same weekend as the Pickin’ and enjoyed it so much he came back for seconds.
“This is our second year in a row,” he said. “It’s a new family tradition.”
Sarah Farrar and her husband, Robert, of Greenville, were joined by their friends Matthew and Angela Bostick of Greenville, S.C. for the event.
“They drove all the way across the state of North Carolina for Pickin’ on the Pamlico,” Sarah said.
And, of course, the Bosticks said the drive was worth it.
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