Family and friends enjoyed lobster, live music, and good company at Sandy Hook LobsterFest on Friday and Saturday, June 5-6.

LobsterFest is an annual two-day fundraiser offered by Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue (SHVFR) Company, and is one of the group's biggest fundraisers. It has presented the fundraiser all but two years since 1988 — the COVID-19 pandemic forcibly canceled LobsterFest in 2020 and 2021.

Over 1,000 people from Newtown and beyond crowded to Sandy Hook VFR's main station earlier this month for the special occasion. Just like previous years, SHVFR members were ready at a moment's notice to welcome guests and serve them dinner.

Guests could fill up their plates with the event's standard entree choices of lobster, steak, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Dinner tickets also included potato salad, chowder, a dinner roll, and a soft drink. Guests were also invited to enjoy offerings from a raw bar and a full bar, along with desserts courtesy of the company's Ladies Auxiliary.

As they socialized over dinner, special acts treated guests to live music. Local musician and longtime friend of Sandy Hook VFR John Voket returned for yet another year, opening the event with acoustic sets on both nights. Nashville Drive headlined on June 5, while Rum Runners took the stage on June 6.

Sandy Hook VFR Chief Anthony Capozziello was among those happy to give Newtowners an experience they would not forget. Capozziello is chair of the LobsterFest Committee, which begins working on the annual fundraiser months before doors open to the public.

He told The Newtown Bee that around 1,500 lobsters and 600 steaks were served over the course of the two nights.

While LobsterFest had lower turnout than usual, Capozziello noted he is still incredibly proud of the hard work of his fellow Sandy Hook VFR members and a large team of volunteers, which included other local fire departments.

He attributes the dip in attendance to weather, as June 6 had severe thunderstorms in the forecast all day, and that there were also other events happening in town around the same time.

"Usually we have that weekend to ourselves, but there was a lot of other things going on," Capozziello noted. "Nowadays, people are gonna go to one event, not two events to spend money. Things are tight right now."

That said, he was happy to see people crowd the firehouse bay and underneath tents and spend time together. Capozziello said he has co-chaired or run LobsterFest since 1998. The planning eventually expanded to a whole committee, which now includes the chief, SHVFR Deputy Chief Ryan Clark, and Sandy Hook VFR members Matt Dobson and Ryan Piccirillo, that organizes LobsterFest.

Capozziello said he looks forward to LobsterFest every year, calling it "almost routine" by this point.

"I know every June we're gonna have LobsterFest," he added. "It's part of the membership with me, especially being the chief [of Sandy Hook VFR] now, too."

What Capozziello loves most about the event is that people treat it as a town reunion. He said it gives people a chance to relax from the hustle and bustle of their day-to-day lives and enjoy community.

"So that's why I want to encourage newer people in town to come to the event that don't know about it. Seeing so many people come out every year ... it's special," Capozziello said.

Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.