Georgetown Fire Hall was alive with the sound of bluegrass music, and the air was smoky with the smell of cigars and oysters as more than 900 people came out to the county seat for the 76th annual Oyster Eat.
This year's crowd was comparable to last year's 75th celebration, as the nearly all-male event was packed from wall to wall, all eager to get their hands on some oysters and sandwiches and wash it down with 16 Mile's Responders Ale.
At 10 p.m., the annual auction of a commemorative Oyster Eat knife commenced with D.J. Vail of Baltimore placing the winning bid of $2,000.
"I bid every year but it always gets too expensive," said Vail, who's attended the event the last eight years. "Not this year."
This year's knife was handcrafted by Neal Greene.
A Beretta 686 Oynx Over and Under 28-Gauge Shotgun was also raffled off at the event.
The money raised during the event is used to fund Georgetown Fire Department's annual operations. The total amount of money raised this year was not available.