Saturday marks the 35th Annual Lowcountry Shrimp Festival

Image by Flickr user ralph and jenny

Lowcountry residents are invited to the 35th Annual Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet on Saturday, May 7th, at the Robert E. Ashley Boat Landing in McClellanville.

The party kicks off at 11 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m. with the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony at 2 p.m., during which a floral wreath will be laid upon the waters as a memorial to those who have been lost at sea.

The Lowcountry Shrimp Festival dates back to the summer of 1977 and focuses on the blessing of the village’s shrimping fleet as local shrimp boat captains and crews prepared for the upcoming shrimp season. Trawlers, festooned with colorful flags and pennants, slowly parade down Jeremy Creek to receive the prayers of the local clergy for a safe and bountiful season.

“The Lowcountry Shrimp Festival is a wonderful family event and, as one of McClellanville’s newest neighbors, we’re extremely pleased to be one of this year’s sponsors,” said John Sullivan, CEO for Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital.

The annual event benefits the Archibald Rutledge Academy, an independent school fully accredited by the South Carolina Independent School Association. The school offers advanced placement, comprehensive college preparatory, and general curricula for students in grades K4 - 12 as well as a preschool for two- and three-year-olds.