It’s clambake time.

The Benjamin D. Cushing VFW Post held its annual clambake for nearly 400 guests hungry for a taste of seafood, fun and fellowship Sunday afternoon. Chairman Rodney Hunt believed around $6,500 was raised to help the VFW Post and its numerous community events. An array of clams, corn, bread, fish and a stocked bar treated those who gave a $30 donation and dined under a few spotty rain clouds.

Post member Demi Barros was “Bake Master” of the event and had been for several years. He said the clambake was the Post’s biggest moneymaker of the year and also one of the most rewarding for the group.

“The comradery with the veterans and the people is big,” he said. “Everybody comes together to help. It’s a lot of work. And it takes more than a month of planning, gathering wood, rocks, seaweed and getting the people together. It takes a lot.”

That hard work pays off. Many volunteers, who are required to be sons and daughters, grandkids or any relative of a veteran, served tables or ran crates of food from the steam racks. The racks were actually a long trailer heated by burnt wood, warmed rocks and seaweed used to create steam. Prior to the feast, the food sat over this combination of materials and was covered by several tarps to trap the heat.

Once the crowd amassed and gathered at the tables a crew of volunteers peeled off the layers releasing a billowing crowd of steam.

One of those volunteers was Mike Reed, who also carried crates of food from the runner’s table, which was placed by another member straight off the trailer, onto the serving table.

“We got 26 people to a table, two servers and one runner,” Reed said. “I’ve been helping with this since I was 8 or 10. My father’s a veteran, so that’s how I got involved.”

Speed and efficiency was the key to the clambake. Oh, and the clams.

“They’re excellent,” said Marion resident Paul Forand. “The weather, the people, the clams. All perfect.” This was the first time Forand and his wife, Doris, attended the event. “[Doris] loved the sweet potatoes,” he added. “But you’ve go to a clambake for the clams!”

Rodney Hunt thought the event was a success despite a lower profit. He explained that bushel prices for clams were $15 more this year.

“Last year we brought a profit in of $7,200,” Hunt said. “But costs went up. It went up on everything.”

A drop in participation also put added some stress for the Post.

“We have to go through a lot of non-veterans because our numbers are dwindling,” Barros said. “We have a lot of card-carriers but not many people participate. I think all organizations are dwindling. We’re having trouble getting younger people to join. I don’t know how longer this will go our how much longer this post will be here. It’s something to look into.”

Hunt, however, was optimistic about the Post’s impact on the community and the help they receive.

“We do all kinds of events,” he said. “We’ll have this, chicken bakes, a ham and bean supper. It helps keep the Post going. It’s one of those things that without volunteer help, we could never do it.”