One of the hottest tickets in town goes on sale right after midnight Friday.

The Abingdon Ruritan Club’s Spring Seafood Festival—which will be held this year on Wednesday, May 15—is a perennial sell-out, as people flock to Guinea from throughout the region to enjoy a day of music, dancing, drink, fellowship and, most importantly for its regular devotees, an all-you-can-eat spread of some of the finest seafood available on the East Coast.

A virtual army of Abingdon Ruritan volunteers descends on the festival grounds at Bena twice a year to hold this incredibly popular seafood festival in spring and fall.

Gates open at 2 p.m., with food served from 3-8 p.m.; alcohol booths close down at 7:30.

The Abingdon seafood festival has been going on for nearly 40 years; last spring, the club celebrated its milestone 70th event.

The all-you-can-eat-and-drink affair includes oysters (roasted, fried and on the half shell), clams (Guinea clam chowder, fritters and steamed), frie...