38th Oyster Festival concludes, Smash Mouth confuses crowd with disjointed performance (video)

Smash Mouth performs Sunday on the final day of the Oyster Festival. Hour photo/Matthew Vinci Smash Mouth performs Sunday on the final day of the Oyster Festival. Hour photo/Matthew Vinci Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close 38th Oyster Festival concludes, Smash Mouth confuses crowd with disjointed performance (video) 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

NORWALK -- Crowds thronged Veteran's Park Sunday despite dark cumulonimbus clouds hovering above, and the rain held long enough to allow the headlining musical act, Smash Mouth, to complete its performance at the 38th annual Norwalk Seaport Association Oyster Festival.

Saturday's headliner, Dennis DeYoung of Styx, had to be cancelled due to inclement weather. Oyster Festival Chairman Mike Reilly called the cancellation a "devastating hit" to the Seaport Association.

"Unfortunately, last night's show was a downer for us," Reilly told The Hour. "But: safety first."

On Sunday, the smell of popcorn wafted through the air. Long lines for rides and food seemed to indicate that the festival had bounced back from Saturday night's soggy conclusion.

A group of ladies and gentlemen in Renaissance-style raiment who called themselves the Knights of Gore offered fairgoers a chance to duel one of their number with a foam sword. The entertainment attracted a crowd; one smiling family used a selfie stick to film their child as he battled a tunic-wearing man with a French braid.

James Hock, a Knight with long salt-and-pepper beard, wore smoked sunglasses, a purple tunic and a kilt. Hock explained that the Knights of Gore are a group of Renaissance Fair enthusiasts who travel around New England performing. He is looking forward to the group's upcoming performance at the Connecticut Renaissance Faire in North Haven with its Halloween Knights Festival.

"I am Sir James, Knight of Gore. No goats, no glory!" Hock told The Hour, raising his fist. "That's my personal motto. I've taken some head wounds in the past," he added with a grin.

Seating near the main concert stage was mostly full and a knot of fans stood at the front when rock band Smash Mouth began their performance at 4 p.m.

Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell seemed impressively detached and spent much of the group's high-energy set wandering the stage with his back turned or resting his head on a bandmate's shoulder. The rest of the band played on gamely, appearing to enjoy themselves as Harwell slurred and muttered his way through hits like "Walking on the Sun", "All Star", and the group's signature cover of the Monkees' "I'm a Believer".

Norwalk Seaport Association volunteer Dulany Foster, who worked the entire festival, said Sunday's crowd was larger than Saturday's.

"It definitely started to thin out once the rain started" on Saturday, Foster said. "I was here until they shut it down."

Teenagers in full military fatigues patrolled the park, imparting a slight martial-law flavor to the festivities. They were the Stratford Eagles Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, explained cadets Lisbeth Taveras-Torres and Emily Hammer.

"It's like the JROTC but for the Air Force," Hammer explained.

Festival Chairman Mike Reilly said that although an official count won't be ready for a few days, attendance at the Oyster Festival was "definitely up" from last year.

"The Oyster Festival ended with tremendous weather," Reilly told The Hour. "We had fun-filled family entertainment all day, and had a great concert."