Five toga-clad revellers pulled off a coup that stunned even themselves in the Oyster Slurping Contest at last Friday’s Mermaid’s Ball. — the costume-party element of the (in)famous annual Clayoquot Oyster Festival.
Left to right in the pic (which is one of the least scandalous of our slurp posted on Facebook by Ed Henley) are winning team members Kim, Josie, me, Katie and Lyndsey.
Josie was the organizational brain behind this … triumph? Spectacle? Debacle? Whichever, i’m sure we all take great pride in the victory, and comfort in knowing that what happened at the Mermaid’s Ball … stays at the Mermaid’s Ball. Right, townsfolk?
For those at the raucous event who did not hear Cameron reading our explanatory speech (i.e. everybody), here’s the text:
Friends, Tofitians, countrymen … Centuries ago, the ancient Greeks instituted a festival of sport.
YEA, in the very shadow of noble Mount Olympus, home of the GODS, they held a yearly contest of physical prowess FREE of cheesy corporate sponsorship and obscene insider profit at taxpayer expense.
This ancient, shining civilization — the very birthplace of democracy itself — NEVER compromised its citizens’ civil rights as they enjoyed their traditional sports of naked wrestling and WOMEN’S SKI JUMPING.
NOW, in a tribute to their TRUE spirit, we present the long lost opening event to those ancient Games … the OLYMPIC OYSTER RELAY.
And the sign that Josie held up at the end read:
This Olympic relay cost taxpayers $0!
In a lovely touch, it was printed in the Coca-Cola font. We rest our case.
Greg Blee 
The facebook photos were a wee bit shocking. Who knew Tofino was so rife with debauchery?