Annual clambake combines good times with good cause

By Patrick L. Sullivan, Jul 31, 2024

Ray Zukowski, left, and one of the clambake professionals prepare the seafood for cooking at the Jane Lloyd Fund annual clambake Saturday, July 27. Patrick L. Sullivan

SALISBURY — The Jane Lloyd Fund annual clambake went off smoothly Saturday, July 27.

Some 30 volunteers showed up the evening before to set up the tents and tables.

The clambake professionals from Turners Falls Schuetzen Verein in Gill, Massachusetts, led by the towering Ray Zukowski, were a little behind schedule on getting the fire lit, so a reporter whiled away the time by wandering around and learning things such as:

This year the potatoes were cooked at the Lakeville Hose Company firehouse kitchen.

The secret of shucking corn that is going to be cooked in the husk (as opposed to boiled) is to get rid of the cornsilk and the first couple of layers of husk, but no more.

Ed Thorney has a harmonica for every musical key except F-sharp major.

There is apparently no such thing as too much butter in clam chowder.

The band got started with Dave Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright?” and Ken Barker applied the flame to the carefully constructed structure of 4 x 6 inch lengths of wood with flat boards inside to hold rocks. Shredded cardboard boxes are the kindling. The boards burn and leave a pile of hot granite rocks inside the remains of the structure.

Once the fire burns down, the smoking 4 x 6s are dragged away, and the food phase begins. The first layer over the hot rocks is wet corn husks, followed by big clumps of seaweed. Wood crates containing lobsters and clams are added, along with wet burlap bags of corn. Wet, heavy tarps are pulled across the whole thing, and everybody grabs a refreshing beverage and waits.

The Salisbury-Sharon Transfer Station had receptacles on hand at the clambake to separate food scraps from the regular garbage.

Transfer station manager Brian Bartram reported that “422.4 pounds of lobster and clam shells, corn cobs, etc. were collected and diverted from the garbage,” adding “the volume of the diverted food waste was about 160 gallons, or almost 0.8 cubic yards.”

Bartram thanked everyone for cooperating and in particular Barbara Bettigole, Karen Lundeen and Tanya Tedder for heading up the effort.

The clambake is an annual tradition, now in its 17th year.

Jane Lloyd of Salisbury died of cancer in 2005. The Jane Lloyd Fund was established by her family to help families who are struggling financially with the costs of cancer treatment. It is an endowed fund within the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.