Pictorial postmark celebrates Urbanna Oyster Festival

Postmark Pursuit by Linn’s Staff

The United States Postal Service is offering a pictorial postmark celebrating the annual Urbanna Oyster Festival in Urbanna, Va. The cancel depicts an oyster being shucked along with three other shucking knives. This year’s festival is the 68th edition of the event that began in 1957 to honor the local oyster industry that once thrived there.

The festival is the oldest oyster celebration in the country and in 1988 was designated the official oyster festival of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It has developed into one of the most successful small-town festivals in the United States, attracting more than 50,000 people annually.

Oysters are bivalve mollusks known for their unique flavor, role in filtering water, and nutritional benefits. They are rich in vitamins such as B12 and minerals, which support the immune system and brain health, and are a good source of omega-3s and antioxidants.

Urbanna was once home to one of the region’s largest oyster shucking operations, J.W. Hurley and Son Seafood.

Hurley was from Hurlock, Md., and discovered Urbanna while buying oysters for a Maryland oyster company. He established a local shucking house and seafood business with a brand of oysters he called the “king of them all, famous Rappahannock River oysters,” which became known nationwide.

At its peak, the company employed between 50 to 100 shuckers on a seasonal basis and processed between 300 and 400 bushels of oysters daily.

Today the annual festival remembers the town’s past with a variety of events, such as an oyster shucking contest; firemen and festival parades; live music; arts and crafts; antique car show; and history presentations and oyster shucking tutorials.

The festival celebrates Urbanna’s oyster heritage, showcasing expert shuckers and highlighting the importance of the local oyster industry.

To obtain the postmark, address your request to:

URBANNA OYSTER FESTIVAL Station, Postmaster, 251 Virginia St., Urbanna, VA 23175, Nov. 7-8.

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