To celebrate Duxbury’s 375th birthday, the committee in charge of the festivities is planning an old fashioned seaweed-style clambake on Duxbury beach for 500 people.

The Board of Selectmen granted the 375th committee a one-day liquor license to offer beer and wine during the clambake, which will take place on Saturday, June 9 from 6 - 11 p.m. at Duxbury Beach Park. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Anne Antonellis, co-chair. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s coming along well.”

Local band The Barndogs will play at the party and tickets will cost $50. Antonellis said that the Duxbury Interfaith Council will have 25 tickets available to residents who may not be able to afford the cost of the clambake.

The liquor license carried 15 conditions including obtaining written permission from the beach owners, Duxbury Beach Reservation Inc. to use the beach, and from the operators of Duxbury Beach Park, aka Blakeman’s, to use the public parking lot. The committee must also get a $1 million insurance policy naming both the town of Duxbury and the Reservation as additional insured parties.

The selectmen wanted to be careful to make sure to control the consumption of alcohol at the clambake so it does not mingle with the restaurant at Duxbury Beach Park, which serves beer and wine to its patrons.

The liquor license requires “complete separation” between the clambake’s bar area and the restaurant at Duxbury Beach Park.

“Measures must be implemented to prevent one licensed area from extending into the other and to prevent patrons with alcoholic beverages from moving freely between the two licensed premises,” stated the liquor license.

Another condition on the license is to safeguard birds on the beach.

The 375th Committee must participate in additional planning meetings with the Harbormaster and the Endangered Species Officer because the clambake will occur at the same time that federally endangered shore birds are nesting on Duxbury Beach. These birds include the threatened piping plover and endangered least tern.

Harbormaster Don Beers said there is a potential for a conflict between the party and the plovers, but he is confident that his department can manage the beach in such a way that the clambake will not interfere with the shorebirds. Beers said that in past years there has been a nest just south of where the clambake tent is proposed.

“This is the prime time that the birds are in the area,” he said.

However, he said his department has lots of practice working around the plovers and keeping them safe when planning the location of the July 4th beach party and bonfire. In some cases, the bonfire must move half a mile either up or down the beach from its location the previous year, he said.

For the clambake, the tent location will be decided as the event gets closer.

“The 375th Committee is just going to be as tolerant as the 4th of July committee,” said Beers. “But we’re really used to it and we’re really good at it. It would be very unique for an activity on the beach to succumb to the birds.”

In addition to the June 9 clambake, the 375th Committee is also planning to hold a picnic on June 17, Father’s Day, from noon to 3 p.m. on the town green on Washington Street. Antonellis said this birthday party will include a giant cake – eight feet by four feet.

Selectmen also unanimously approved an event permit for the town green picnic.