Hints of steam and seared steak drifted through the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co firehouse on Riverside Road both Friday and Saturday nights, June 5 and 6, at the 28th annual LobsterFest.

A fundraising event for the fire company, the weekend found hundreds of residents enjoying what has become a Sandy Hook tradition, bringing volunteers, residents, town officials, and lobster lovers out for two nights of music, food, and refreshments. Guests enjoyed the sounds of local musicians, as Midnight Rodeo played on Friday and The Hollister Thompson Band returned Saturday. John Voket also performed each night, prior to the headlining sets.

An unofficial count of roughly 850 lobster dinners on Friday night fed a line of diners waiting as long as 90 minutes for their turn at the buffet table. Saturday was nearly as busy. Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia Halstead wore a lobster apron and smiled at the crowd. With her was Ryan Capozziello. They lent a hand as guests, including Emil and Meredith Roland and their daughter Reese, made plates for dinner and found a seat amid a sea of folding tables and chairs.

Nearby and just finished filling their plates with lobster and corn on the cob were Brial Daly and his son Quentin. Serving diners were fire company volunteers Joyce Staudinger, Donna Liska, and Sue Shpunt, among the many other company volunteers who organized and hosted the LobsterFest again this year. Dozens of company members and supporters worked hard out back to grill steak and boil lobster, trying to keep up with dinner demands.

With a lobster tattoo matching the red of a lobster ready to eat was Steve “crab man” Stohl. With him and working quickly with hundreds of steaming lobsters fresh from the pot were fire company members Quinn Fontaine and Michael Heneghan.

Out front near where musicians played both nights were more helping hands at the beer tent. Jeff Thomas, Brian Englke, Mike Burton and his daughter Kelly, and sisters Raesha and Layla Longo served drinks to a host of Sandy Hook residents, including Meribeth and Joe Hemingway.

Both the bar and dinner were “packed,” said Mr Hemingway. “It’s a great event and gets bigger and bigger every year.” As a firehouse fundraiser, he said, “This shows what a tight community Sandy Hook really is.”