Hama Hama Oyster Rama: a giant tidal celebration

Each Spring Hama Hama invites ocean lovers to their beach to learn about oysters, oyster farming, and life in the Hood Canal – aquatic and other. It’s not the largest party in the world, but it might be the biggest sub-tidal one!

When the folks at Hama Hama started the Rama in 2012 they put out the call for the community to participate – local artists, food vendors, biologists, oyster farmers, friends and neighbors – all invited to a low tide celebration.

“We started the event to get people excited about oyster culture,” said Lissa James Monberg, 4th generation oyster farmer and in charge of Hama Hama’s retail and marketing, “we want people who live in this region to know how to harvest and prepare shellfish, know the history of the industry, and learn about the ecology of the inter-tidal area.”

The Rama highlights include tours with inter-tidal ecologists and oyster growers; u-pick gathering; and an engaging oyster sports competition termed “Shuckathalon.”

Add some great local food and beverage; invite some chefs who know how to showcase the local harvest; toss in kids' activities; and don’t go light on the music – you’ve got an inter-tidal party to remember. To top it off, all this family revelry is for a great cause – the Rama benefits a variety of Hood Canal charities.

The sun doesn’t have to shine for the Rama to be memorable. Previous years have chanced upon relentless rain or westerly gales that have toppled tents and watered down beer. The 2016 Rama saw sunburns, killer whales and later in the evening, a show of Northern Lights. The 2017 Rama saw rain showers, while last year featured a mix of blazing sun and cool moments – but always food, ambiance and entertainment were just right!

kids crafts are included in the festivities

Tickets are available online and are needed for everyone 16 and up. They sell out fast, so don’t miss out on this great event in the spring.!

U-Pick Oysters

Hama Hama Beach Tours

The Rama is designed to showcase the tide flats and their ecological, economic, and cultural significance: Washington Sea Grant and Hama Hama farmers will lead interpretive Tide Flat Tours.

Want to know more about the bivalves and the creatures they share their habitat with? Then don’t miss the chance to join biologists and local guides for a guided tour of the tide flats. These walks will take place on the Hama Hama farmlands as the tide falls to its lowest. The tours allow families and individuals the opportunity to flip rocks (and flip back again) and ask questions about the marine low tide interactions.

After a beach tour, visitors can learn more about the animals and organisms by checking out the marine touch tank displays. Offered by MESS (Marine Education Science Society), these mobile aquarium displays are a perfect way to see the creatures beneath the surface with the least amount of impact on their habitat. The animals are returned alive to the water after observation.

bat star in the marine touch tank

Shuckathalon

Think you’ve got what it takes to work on an oyster farm? Prove your stuff at the Rama’s Shuckathalon. Years in, and this is STILL the world’s only oyster sports competition... which pretty much makes Rama champions WORLD CHAMPIONS. Who will win this year, the Shuckleheads or Shuck Shuck Goose??

The Shuckathalon is a relay race, so you’ve got to rope your friends into joining your team. There are four heats: cluster picking, clam digging, single picking, and shucking. You’ll be judged on how quickly you get through the race as well as how good a job you do.

Teams can have from two to five members. The race starts at 1:00 PM on the day of the Rama and there is a safety briefing/ orientation at 12:30. This is a physical event – involving running over uneven surfaces, bending, digging, and lifting a bushel basket of oysters.

Teams should be sure to wear boots and bring gardening-type gloves. For details and to register visit hamahamaoysters.com.

Rama Food & Drink

Yes, the Rama has oysters from farms near and far – locally and out of state – but be warned, there are lots of other delicious food offerings and its not all from the sea.

Besides great Hama Hama oysters and clams the Rama welcomes neighboring farms to serve their specialties. Another favorite is the massive paella served by Paella Works, a pop-up paella caterer. The Paella Marisco includes Valencian rice and sofrito sauce with vegetables, rockfish, salmon, yearling oysters and scallops, as well as wild caught Washington shrimp and shellfish all served in a giant pan. Each batch of paella serves over thirty people at one time.

Love the shore but not the seafood? Don’t worry, Smoking Mo’s from Shelton offers southern dishes and Olympic Mountain will fire up the pizza oven. Every great meal deserves an amazing dessert – a scoop of Olympic Mountain Ice Cream, created in small batches in the Skokomish Valley by the Black family, is unequivocally the best crown to your Rama feast.

Kathryn from Alderbrook Resort

A perfect oyster needs a perfect pairing. Enjoy local wineries on site pouring their favorites while Northwest breweries provide the kegs to keep the beachside party-goers dancing to the local bands. Or, check out an oak and apple cider from Finnriver Farm Cidery; a non-alcoholic ginger beer from Timber City; and the locally roasted coffee from Shelton-based Urraco. Food, drink, oysters and clams are available for purchase using $5 tokens.

Timber Ginger beer

Tickets and schedule updates available for the 2021 event when they become available. We recommend you follow Hama Hama on their monthly email blast as tickets sell FAST when they become available.: hamahamaoysters.com