Jay Gallet is the fastest oyster shucker in New Orleans.

Why it matters: He hopes to be crowned the fastest in the world.

The intrigue: Gallet, who hails from Empire and works at Superior Seafood, will compete this weekend in the U.S. National Shucking Championship in St. Mary's County, Maryland.

• Whoever wins will go on to represent the U.S. in Galway, Ireland, next year during the World Oyster Opening Championship.

Between the lines: Gallet won the U.S. title in 2022, so he knows exactly what he's up against.

• "I'm always feeling good," Gallet tells Axios New Orleans, "but it's just the oysters."
• The U.S. competition's bivalves are donated, Gallet says, which can create some inconsistencies in what he ends up shucking during the big contest.
• Most of the time, he says, "they're nice oysters, similar to what I open up here, so I don't have any issue with them." But when they're not so good, "you kind of have to wing it."

So what makes a good shucking oyster? It should be teardrop shaped, Gallet says, with a flat top, cup-shaped bottom and a strong hinge.

• Plus, "the thicker the oyster, the more plump it is and the easier to keep it clean," Gallet says.
• For the at-home crowd, Gallet also recommends keeping your oyster on a firm surface. "The steadier it is, the easier it is to pop open," he advises.

By the numbers: When he's not competing on world stages, Gallet shucks between 2,000 and 3,000 oysters a day for Superior.

• That's helped him rev up to an eye-popping ability to shuck an oyster every five seconds.

Go deeper for how judges score the contest

When cooler winds prevail, so do our favorite oyster happy hours. For some of the best bivalve deals in town, here's where we're headed:

🦪 Monday Restaurant and Bar

• When: All day Mondays, and 4-7pm Tuesdays to Fridays.
• The deal: $1 oysters plus half-price signature cocktails, wine, beer and frozen drinks, plus additional food specials.

🦪 Desire Oyster Bar

• When: Mondays to Fridays, 4-6pm.
• The deal: $1 raw oysters, plus $5 draft beer, well cocktails and house wines.

🦪 The Blue Crab

• When: 4-6:30pm, Tuesdays through Thursdays.
• The deal: 90¢ raw oysters and $1.25 chargrilled, plus additional drink and food specials.

More oyster happy hours

🏈 The Saints lost to the Broncos, 33-10. Ouch. The Who Dat Nation booed former coach, Sean Payton, and surprised us by nailing Drew Brees' halftime chant. (AP and chant video)

🔎 Worthy of your time: The owner of a home once lived in by civil rights activist Oretha Castle Haley hopes to turn the space into a museum.

• But she faces opposition from Haley's descendants, who say the project violates a fairly new law banning third-party commercial use of a person's identity without consent. (Verite)

💰 Former President Trump's legal team is accused of trying to pay Baton Rouge native Stormy Daniels — again — to keep her quiet ahead of the 2024 election, according to emails obtained by MSNBC. (NBC)

🎶 Big Freedia dropped a bounce anthem supporting Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign. (Instagram)

🎃 Krewe of Boo rolls at 6:30pm tomorrow. (Route)

• And Carlie's riding in it! The krewe is hosting us on float No. 4. Look for us in the center of the bottom level on the driver's/Mississippi River side.
• Make an Axios sign so we can throw spooktacular goodies your way!

Also this weekend:

🤩 Festivals: NOLA Funk Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Water Lantern Festival, Screamfest, Jollof Festival, Pagan Pride Festival, Sweet Potato Fest and Food Truck Fest.

🍬 For the kids: Boo Carré, Ghosts in the Oaks and Boo at the Zoo.

🤑 Free: Ghost Manor, Skeleton House and Kraken House.

☘️ Not Halloween: The Half Way to St. Patrick's Day parade is at noon today in the Quarter. (Details)

More things to do

It's fall in New Orleans, but the trees don't know it yet.

Why it matters: South Louisiana is among the last locations in the country to get any fall foliage.

The big picture: We'll have to wait until at least Nov. 18 for partial fall foliage, according to travel brand SmokyMountains.com. Peak foliage will be some time after that.

Share this with a leaf-peeper