Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 3/10/19

PONCE CITY MARKET TEAMS UP WITH UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA AND GEORGIA AQUARIUM TO HOST FIRST ANNUAL ‘PCM OYSTER SOCIAL’ ON THURSDAY, MARCH 28

Located on The Roof at PCM, Event Will Feature Oyster Tastings from Local Restaurants, Live Music, Specially Crafted Cocktails, Live Painting, a Short Film Screening & More

Benefitting UGA’s Marine Extension & Georgia Sea Grant

Ponce City Market is teaming up with the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and Georgia Aquarium to host the first annual PCM Oyster Social on Thursday, March 28 in support of Georgia’s oyster industry. Held on The Roof at Ponce City Market from 6-9pm, the event will feature oyster tastings from local restaurants including The Optimist, W.H. Stiles Fish Camp, Brezza Cucina and Root Baking Co., live music from Sweet Auburn String Band, specially crafted cocktails, beer from Georgia Aquarium’s collaboration with Atlanta Brewing Company, live painting by local artists and more.

Shifting Baselines, a short film by Cathy J. Sakas and Mehmet Caglayan, will give guests a deeper glimpse into the commercial fishing industry in the state of Georgia, and educators from Georgia Aquarium and UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant will be present to discuss how important oysters are to maintaining healthy coastal environments. Guests will also be able to learn how to shuck their own oysters while connecting with UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant employees who are working with shellfish growers to grow and farm local Georgia oysters for the restaurant industry. André Gallant, a writer, editor and photojournalist based in Athens, will be present to sign books and discuss the local oyster community. He is the author of “The High Low Tide,” a book-length work of narrative nonfiction about the Georgia oyster industry published by UGA Press in 2019.

Providing research, education, training and science-based outreach, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant assists the state in solving problems and realizing opportunities for its coastal environments and economy. As inland and coastal communities compete for natural resources and upland growth threatens the health of coastal marshes and estuaries, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant supports a balanced approach toward land use, economic development and ecosystem health.

Ponce City Market is excited to host a celebration that brings more awareness to the state’s sustainable seafood industry. Along with Georgia Aquarium, Ponce City Market is dedicated to supporting the local community and looking forward to an event where guests can enjoy some of the state’s best oysters while learning more about Georgia’s coast. Following the event, Ponce City Market visitors will be able to learn about the state’s oyster industry and its sustainability efforts at a special an exhibition located in The Plaza from Saturday, March 30 through Sunday, April 7.

Priced at $50, tickets to attend the PCM Oyster Social are now available for purchase here.