Oysters

On the job a little more than a week, Alicia Estrada hasn't settled into her new digs at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. But she has begun evaluating its programs as she looks to the future of the former oyster plant. "I'm just trying to get my head around everything," said Estrada, the museum's new executive director. She'll get the official schoolchildren's tour of the waterfront museum in coming days, she said. The museum tells the story of the Chesapeake Bay through exhibits, lectures and entertainment — and, in the process, teaches about the maritime heritage of the Annapolis area.

The history, current state and future of oyster production in the Chesapeake region are the subject of a four-part Sunday afternoon discussion series at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels . State of the Oyster , the first in a planned annual series of public programming initiatives called Community Conversations, is being presented by the museum in conjunction with the Maryland Humanities Council. The program is accompanied by an art exhibition featuring work by Chesapeake artist Marc Catelli and photographer Heather Davidson.

Now for a bit of good news - and from an environmental group at that. Drew Koslow, the Choptank Riverkeeper, reports that while walking the shore of Harris Creek in Talbot County, he saw an "amazing" abundance of oysters growing in the intertidal zone, inundated by water at high tide but exposed to the air at ebb. "You literally couldn't take a step without walking on oysters," Koslow said in a recent release by the Mid-Shore Riverkeeper Conservancy....

Starting Jan. 8, Tuesday night is Local Oyster Night at Ten Ten . Every Tuesday, the Harbor East restaurant will shuck a variety of local oysters for $1 each. Most of the oysters will be from Maryland and Virginia. The oyster nights will begin at 5 p.m., and the $1 special will be offered until the oysters run out. Ten Ten beverage director Tom Riley will be providing paired beverages. Ten Ten is working with the Oyster Recovery Partnership to recycle all of the oyster shells it uses in its restaurant.

Oyster dressing, oyster stew, oyster pie, oysters Rockefeller, oysters on the half-shell, fried oysters, scalloped oysters, smoked oysters, oyster shooters. Before anyone gets too carried away with the latest news about the Chesapeake Bay's oyster harvest this season and plans a lifetime of gluttony - much as Bubba Blue, Forrest Gump's Army pal, so enthusiastically recalled shrimp recipes - some caution is in order. The good news is that the oyster harvest is up - spectacularly, by modern standards.

Nothing says old fashioned and simple quite like the Hot Toddy. Whether you're using it to treat your flu or cold symptoms (not doctor recommended, but probably by your grandmother) or preparing to hit the hay, it's the perfect evening drink. Thames Street Oyster House makes theirs with a light flavor and a local twist. Manager Candace Beattie explains: "We try to keep all of our drinks light and locally sourced whenever possible, even our happy hour is local. " To wit, the Thames Street Toddy is composed of Maryland's crown jewel of rye whiskey Pikesville Rye, mint, lemon and sweet orange tea - and it's the pinnacle of relaxing.

The Maryland Crab and Oyster Celebration continues through Sunday. Look for chefs' specials featuring Maryland crab and oyster at some 20 restaurants. Alewife is dishing up a smoked tomato gazpacho topped with Maryland crab and roasted corn relish; Charleston is serving Cindy Wolf's signature cornmeal-fried oysters with lemon-cayenne mayonnaise; and Ryleigh's Oyster in Federal Hill is offering anywhere from seven to 14 varieties of raw oysters every day. For a full list of participating restaurants, along with their special menu items, go to the Dine Downtown Baltimore website . Follow Baltimore Diner on Twitter @gorelickingood

We're in oyster festival season, and Ryleigh's OysterFest is up next. The two-day block party takes place Saturday and Sunday on Cross Street in Federal Hill . The Saturday block party, from noon-11 p.m., also features $1 oysters, fresh-squeezed crushes and live musical performances. The event is open to the public, but a $10 suggested donation benefits the Maryland's Oyster Recovery Partnership. Saturday's event features the second Baltimore Oyster Shucking Championship. Three-time United States oyster-shucking champion is back to defend his title.

Sunday, Sept. 16 Plant sale Adkins Arboretum's annual Fall Native Plant Sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Native Plant Nursery, 12610 Eveland Road in Ridgely. The sale benefits the Arboretum's education programs. Information: 410-634-2847 or adkinsarboretum.org . Tuesday, Sept. 18 Lecture Elizabeth Seaton, curator at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University, will discuss the exhibition, "Pushing the Line: American Women Printmakers," on view through Oct. 14 at St. John's College's Mitchell Gallery.

I always worry, as I dust off the syllabus and prepare my fall course at Salisbury University - will the final exam show up? Storms along their 4,000-mile migration corridor or conditions on their sub-Arctic nesting grounds might delay the wild swans. They seldom arrive where I take my students until just before the semester ends. I designed "Topics in Chesapeake Bay" to be different. The university affords me the luxury of doing it as an inspirational condiment atop the required courses.