Beautiful weather and delicious local oysters led to a stellar turnout for the Sixth Annual Murrells Inlet Oyster Roast Saturday at Spuds Restaurant on the waterfront.

Jennifer Averette, executive director of Murrells Inlet 2020, the group who organized the event, estimated that hundreds of people attended the event and it  raised about $18,000 for the community group.

“This is one of the best, if not the best,  turnout we’ve had for this annual event,” Averette said.

Al Hitchcock, a Murrells Inlet 2020 board member and one of the owners of Drunken Jack’s Restaurant, said there were 105 bushels of locally-grown oysters available for attendees this year.

105 bushels of oysters

And this year, they had just enough.

“We’re about to run out, which is a good thing,” Hitchcock said at around 2 p.m., a half hour before the tables closed.

That is compared to the 100 bushels they had last year, of which they had some left, Hitchcock said.

Everyone at the event seemed to be having a great time, eating not only oysters, provided by Drunken Jack’s Restaurant, but many other foods from local businesses.

There were crab cakes from Beaver Bar, wings from Dead Dog Saloon, chowder from Divine's, shrimp cocktail from Bovine's, seafood chowder from Creek Ratz/Dockside, burgers from River City, clams from Bulls Bay Seafood in McClellanville and more.

Wedding vows

It was an extra special day for Steve and Tracy Holcomb of Murrells Inlet.

They were celebrating their wedding anniversary as they bellied up to the tables Saturday.

“We even renewed our vows,” Tracy Holcomb said.