What started as a different way to raise money for the Home Builders Association of Anderson has turned into a pop-culture event for the area in just over a decade. Now, the annual Home Builders Association Oyster Roast is something people wouldn’t dream of missing and it gets going for an 11th year this Saturday.

From 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Anderson County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, the Home Builders Association welcomes one and all to its oyster roast fundraiser. More than 200 bushels of oysters from the Pearl Reef in Louisiana will be shipped in and served up steamed while gallons upon gallons of Brunswick stew is dished out and plenty of beer and other beverages are swigged.

“The whole idea was to put together an event that everyone could enjoy,” said Dino Hicks, executive officer for the Home Builders Association of Anderson. “There were already plenty of spaghetti dinners and hot dog dinners and barbecue dinners, but oysters weren’t as prevalent as they are now.”

More than 1,200 people from all over the area come to this oyster roast. The proceeds from it benefit a variety of projects including the Tri-County Tech Endowment Fund and the Calvary Children Home’s building projects.

It’s a way, Hicks said, for the Home Builders to give back to the community with money, services and a whole lot of fun on at least one Saturday a year.

The event will be from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Anderson County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door the day of the event. The ticket entitles the bearer to all the oysters and Brunswick stew they can eat as well as their beverage of choice.

There will also be beach music for the event’s live entertainment courtesy of Sam Bigby.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Home Builders Association of Anderson offices at 864.226.0347 or stop by the office at 1924 McConnell Springs Road in Anderson.