Beaufort County Oyster Roast Makes a Local Impact

Months before the Beaufort County NC State Alumni Network’s annual oyster roast, Paige Harris starts getting emails and phone calls.

“People want to know when next year’s oyster roast is going to be so they can put it on their calendars,” she says.

The network’s signature event draws a crowd. Chancellor Randy Woodson attends every year, and past notable guests have included Elliott Avent and Dereck Whittenburg.

Without the contributions to the Alumni Impact Fund, our ability to support the Wolfpack community would be limited.

People come from Beaufort County and well beyond to join the fun. Harris is often asked by local non-alumni if they can attend. The oyster roast drew roughly 60 people in 2010 during the inaugural event  and more than 350 people in 2024.

It’s about gathering with the Pack to have a good time, but it’s also about bringing the university closer to eastern North Carolina, Harris says. That’s something that wouldn’t be possible without NC State’s Alumni Impact Fund. The fund supports alumni programming, student leadership initiatives, and opportunities that strengthen NC State’s mission while advancing the future of the university.

“Without the contributions to the Alumni Impact Fund, our ability to support the Wolfpack community would be limited,” says Reshunda Mahone, associate vice chancellor for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving and executive director of the NC State Alumni Association. “We could not provide career resources and coaching to alumni, leadership experiences for our students, regional activities, and signature events that highlight those who are redefining the reach and impact of NC State.”

When the oyster roast was relatively small that first year, the Beaufort alumni network took donations from its local base to host the event. Today they ask attendees to pay $25 per person, with the total cost of the event supplemented by the Alumni Impact Fund.

“We can’t put on an event like this for $25 per person,” Harris says. “It was outpacing our pocketbook, and now that the alumni association is involved we have a broader reach.”

Back to the Beginning

To understand the impact of the oyster roast, it’s best to go back to its roots.

It all began when Woodson became chancellor in 2010. Benny Suggs was Woodson’s first hire, as executive director of the Alumni Association. Soon after, Suggs called upon NC State’s alumni networks to grow their local bases.

That’s when Harris and her friend, Lalla Hodges Sidbury, came up with the idea for the oyster roast. It’s a tradition that represents eastern North Carolina, and a fun, laid-back way to bring people together.

Woodson not only attended that first year when it was held at Sidbury’s home, but also recognized the Beaufort County Alumni Network as the Alumni Network of the Year. With the exception of two years since, he’s continued to attend every year – something Harris says means a lot to the local alumni community.

With so many miles between Beaufort County and Raleigh, it can be easy not to feel as connected to what’s happening at the university, Harris says. Bringing Woodson and other NC State representatives to the oyster roast each year changes that.

“That is immeasurable and invaluable,” Harris says. “We have everyone from prospective students to alumni in the Forever Club at the oyster roast – and Chancellor Woodson has a unique ability to have everyone feel heard.”

Sidbury passed away from cancer a few years into the oyster roast tradition. It moved to the home of Steve and Pam Griffin, whose son is an NC State graduate, where it’s been held each year since with the exception of one year following the pandemic.

Harris, who attended NC State for a time and whose husband, Scott, graduated in 1994, has been a central figure in the oyster roast since its inception. They’re a proud Wolfpack family with their daughter and son also graduating in 2021 and 2024.

It’s really important to local attendees – it allows them to hear great things happening on campus that perhaps they don’t know about.

“Quite simply, I enjoy it,” Harris says of her role with the oyster roast. “Eastern North Carolina has thriving businesses, beautiful scenery and wonderful residents that are thought leaders across the country.

“Many of those residents have been educated at NC State University,” she continued. “We have a deep passion for our alma mater and we need our alma mater to know the uniqueness of our area.”

More than just an oyster roast, the event features all kinds of delicious food including a low country boil and fixings, along with beer and wine. There’s a live band every year as well.

“It’s really important to local attendees – it allows them to hear great things happening on campus that perhaps they don’t know about,” Harris says. “You can read about it, but it’s a different thing when you have university leadership talking one-on-one about what’s happening on campus.”

From Getting Connected to Giving Back

Harris says the event has generated more local interest in the alumni association and in the university in general. She’s been involved in fundraising for the university, including NC State’s Day of Giving, and believes philanthropy from her area has increased because of the experience attendees have at the oyster roast.

“Engagement is the first step,” Harris says. “People see these local, quality events taking place and hear about what’s happening at the university – they’re more willing to give back when the ask is made.”

She’s had the opportunity to travel to alumni events in other parts of the country and said the impact of those events is similar.

“These events are high quality and informational,” she says. “They can’t help but make people more proud of the university that they attended.”

Support for the Alumni Impact Fund is essential to the continuation of these types of alumni experiences.

“These contributions are core to our work and help us deliver on our mission every day,” Mahone says.