Casco Bay Seafood Festival is entering its second year as Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and The Lemont Hall team up to bring local waterfront businesses under one roof. Courtesy of Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association

The Casco Bay Seafood Festival is gearing up for hours of drinks, oysters and seafood samplings this Saturday, marking its second year raising funds for Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.

The MCFA and The Lemont Hall are teaming up to bring the “Best of Casco Bay” under one roof. Last year, the festival sold out and raised $2,500 for the organization, according to Susan Olcott, director of operations for MCFA. She said that while there is no set fundraising goal this year, the proceeds will help support operations at the Brunswick-based organization.

“It’s a fundraiser, yes, but it’s also a community event to pull people together who might not have known about our work,” Olcott said.

The event sheds light on local businesses in the Midcoast, giving attendees a close-up introduction to fisheries, aquaculturists and food providers, many of whom are located in their hometowns, Olcott said.

One of the featured businesses, Freeport Oyster Bar, will be participating as a vendor for a second year. Owner Ken Sparta said last year’s event helped introduce the community to the restaurant while also helping the fishermen’s association, an organization important to his business.

“We like to do everything we can to support [MCFA],” Sparta said. This year, the restaurant will show its support by offering oysters, a kelp and noodle salad, and some other dishes at the festival.

Other featured businesses, including Dunstan Smokehouse and Maine Street Bistro, will showcase products using various sustainable species. One such species — pollock, which is often used as bait in the fishing industry — can be found in Dunstan Smokehouse’s mouth-watering smoked Maine pollock dip.

MCFA will also sample its monkfish stew, which is one of two food products to receive the first qualifications from Maine Local Foods Fund, overseen by the Maine Department of Education. The stew, which is a joint venture between MCFA and Hurricane’s Premium Soups and Chowders, is now cleared to be served in school lunches across Maine.

How to attend

Tickets to the event grant guests access to free samples from local restaurants and farms and, if you have a VIP ticket, a free drink. Guests who splurge on the Wine & Brine Shucking Class tickets get six oysters, drinks and a lesson on oyster shucking lead by The Briny Babe.

The festival begins at noon Saturday, June 15, for VIP and oyster-shucking ticket holders, which are $25 and $35 respectively. General entry for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. costs $15 online and $20 at the door.

Tickets and event detail can be found at lemontblock.com.