[Reprinted from original]

CAMBRIDGE, Md. - The 2nd annual muskrat leg eating competition in Cambridge on Sunday brought out the veterans and rookie tasters alike.

Six competitors duked it out by sucking on muskrat bones to see who could eat more in three minutes. Ultimately last year's second place winner took the muskrat trophy, upsetting last year's winner.

"It's all about local culture, heritage and fun," organizer Keith Graffius said.

Graffius put together an ensemble of Eastern Shore tastes at Sunday's event. From crawfish to oysters to muskrat, those like Stephen Czecha from Annapolis were able to taste the Delmarva delicacies for the first time.

"I'm very new to this, I've never had muskrat before. But it sounds good. It sounds like a good time," Czecha said.

Graffius says it's a fun way to get everyone involved in trying new pieces of Eastern Shore culture.

"It's the world championship muskrat leg eating contest. And we have a large group of well trained athletes who sometimes spend hours and hours and hours sitting at a bar, drinking and eating bad food to prepare for this event so it's really exciting," Graffius said.

Muskrat Rookie Ryan Hursh says after tasting it for the first time, he has higher reviews than he would have predicted.

"I actually tried it, it was super savory, super tender. Personally I'd call it the filet minion of wild game," Hursh said.

All of the muskrat used in Sunday's competition was trapped in Dorchester County. The competition and crawfish boil raised money towards the Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce scholarship fund.