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It is a fundraiser, but the kind that's fun for everyone.
For three days in July, strawberry shortcake is acceptable for breakfast.
There's no place to park.
The town hosts 100,000 strangers and old friends.
The smell of fried clams clings to your clothing.
You spend $50 so your kid can win a $2 stuffed snake.
There's a giant clam named Steamer on the prowl.
It's the Yarmouth Clam Festival! And we love it.
Every year, hundreds of Yarmouth volunteers donate their time to the Festival to raise money for local non-profit organizations. Athletic teams, music groups, churches and schools make most of their annual budget at the event. It's definitely a team effort.
Of course the food is the biggest draw.
Clams fried in crumbs, clams fried in batter, clam cakes, steamed clams, clam chowder - it's all here.
The Yarmouth Ski Team (state champs!) has the lock on crumb-battered fried clams. These are the most popular kind, with a crunchier coating over the sweet and briny whole clam.
The kids bread the clams by hand (it's a rite of passage for members of the the team)...
while parents make up the fry team.
We serve them up, hot and fresh, to long lines of visitors and locals.
Tired of clams?
The beverage of choice is the lime rickey, delightfully thirst-quenching.
When you're done eating (for now), there's a parade on Friday night.
Don't miss the neighborhood lawn mower brigade,
the XXLLL Bean boot,
and Shriners in lobster boats.
There's also a road race, a tennis tournament and a professional bike race.
For those less athletically-inclined, there's an art show and crafts fair.
Take a look at this website for more cute stuff.Mark your calendars for next year.
Yarmouth Clam Festival is always the third Friday in July.
I wouldn't miss it for anything.
