The North Carolina Coastal Federation was thrilled to attend the 2018 Revolution on the Half Shell event held at Revolution Mill in Greensboro on Dec. 1. While Revolution Mill initially started its business as the first flannel mill in the south, it has since been revitalized as a mixed-use development that hosts event space, apartments, office space and more.

Last year, Revolution Mill invited the federation to attend the same event where the federation was the beneficiary of the proceeds. At this year’s event, the proceeds were again donated to the federation. The federation was also able to round-up some volunteers for the event, 14 in total, who helped the afternoon run smoothly and also collected oyster shells to be recycled.

Kelly Bodie, federation membership director, represented the federation at this event and helped gather and lead the volunteers throughout the afternoon.

“Revolution on the Half Shell was a hit once again!” said Bodie. “Even though the rain forced a location change, the Greensboro community came out with bright spirits. I loved sharing a little bit of the coast with this vibrant group.”

Approximately 5,000 oyster shells were recycled thanks to the 100+ attendees who enjoyed the freshly shucked oysters at the event. The recycled shells will be used in the federation’s 50 Million Oyster Initiative, a three-year campaign to restore 50 million oysters to North Carolina waters. Once these shells are returned to the water, they will provide homes for baby oysters.

Attendees at the Half Shell event were able to interact with the growing oysters by participating in the Adopt-an-Oyster program, run by the federation. Participants were able to adopt an oyster and even name them and as their oyster grows they will receive text updates about its different life stages.

A huge thank you goes out to the sponsors of this event, CT Wilson Construction, Fainting Goat Spirits, Oak City Bubbly, Sonitrol, Blackstone Fire Suppression, and Revolution Mill for hosting the event.

Check out photos from the event below. You can see even more here.