Rob Crafa's message on the Oyster Festival phone line tells the story of the success of this year's Oyster Festival. He says "Thanks to everyone including the 200,000 visitors and the 200 arts and crafts vendors, the sponsors, tall ships, great volunteers, and the entire community for supporting the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival. We look forward to seeing you Oct. 18 and 19, 2003, for the Oyster Festival's 20th anniversary."

Oyster Fest 2002 kept its promise of being bigger and better than ever. You could hear people on the street saying it, as they chomped into an oyster or a raw clam, slurped sea food gumbo or ate empanadas. With three large areas: at the waterfront, the carnival area, the food court and maybe a fourth if you count the arts and crafts people on West Main Street as another area: there was lots of room for visitors.

The dull sky on Saturday may have kept some people away, but Sunday was just beautiful. On Saturday, the raindrops sprinkled down around 1:30 to 2 p.m., but went away as the sky brightened for the oyster eating and shucking contests. There weren't as many people watching this year, but there were more than enough to cheer the winners on to victory.

Defending oyster shucking champion Dave Mahnken of Long Beach won the title again this year. He was the winner in 2001 with 35 shucked. Mr. Mahnken was a "symphony in motion." In his other life, he is a chef and an X-ray technician. He brought his own knives - two short white plastic-handled knives. Mr. Mahnken told the audience that he hadn't opened an oyster since last year. He opened the oysters while they were firmly held in his hand, then he flipped the top shell, moved his hands to the left, cut the oyster away from the shell and placed it in the box. It is important that the oyster be left intact and yet off the shell: ready to be plated in a fine restaurant. It was done in a series of smooth movements.

In the middle of the shuckers, Rob Crafa, director of the WaterFront Center was "cutting up" as he shucked. He ate a few oysters and was this year's crowd pleaser.

Rob came in third with 17 oysters shucked. He "fainted" when he heard his name called out.

Phil Iavarone of Island Park came in second with 28 oysters. Dave Mahnken shucked 36 oysters, one more than last year.

The current oyster eating champion, Michael Chodkowski of Hicksville said he was 15 pounds lighter than last year, as he looked at the dish containing the first 36 oysters he would eat.

The announcer Bob Buchmann of Q104 said, " Last year, 2001 Mike Chodkowski ate 120 oysters in two short minutes and 30 short seconds." The year before, in 2000, he ate 191.

Standing on the stage, commenting on the oyster eating, Fritz Coudert of the WaterFront Center said they shake the oysters out of the cup to keep them from clumping and to hasten them down.

When Bob Buchmann announced there were 40 seconds left, Mike said, "I'm full. What is there left?" He counted the containers and looked at his watch, took a breath and began eating again. With Bob announcing there were 20 seconds to go, he lifted the cup to his mouth and drank them in again.

"You can do it," said someone, as Brooke Bentley, one of the helpers offered him another cup. He put out his hand and said "no."

He won with 132 oysters eaten. It was his fourth title. "How does it feel to be the Oyster King?" asked Bob Buchmann. "It feels good," said Mike.

David Israel of Glen Cove came in second with a count of 102 oysters eaten. He works at Smith Barney. "I never ate an oyster before. I thought 'I'm going to do it,' I knew I could." He did!

The festival ended on Sunday night at 6 p.m. with the car raffle. The winner is John D. Strand Jr. of Brooklyn.