Downtown Milford is busy this weekend as the 48th annual Oyster Festival kicks off. Year after year – everyone comes back for their favorites.

"The stands, the food, the snacks, the ices, the people," says Norwalk resident Timothy Sullivan.

But the true star of the show is the decadent delicacy of 30,000 home-grown oysters.

News 12 got a first-hand look behind the scenes. There's an assembly line of over 30 people and each one is expected to shuck about 1,000 oysters and clams by the end of the weekend.

"A customer will come in, we got a cashier, we got runners, the runners come back to the shuckers," says shellfish organizer Trisha Kozloski.

It's a labor of love that goes into shucking each one.

The festival brings out thousands of people each year. But for many, it's a time to connect with friends and family, all while enjoying a side of Milford's beloved oysters.

"We get to hang out with everybody, see all the people, like a lot of people you went to school with," says one shucker.