Rotary Crab Feed Sells Out a Week in Advance

The Rotary Club raised around $13,000 in proceeds

By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com

ATASCADERO — The Rotary Club of Atascadero’s Annual Crab Feed was back again this year. The event, full of yummy seafood and good times for all, took place on the evening of Saturday, March 18, at the Pavilion on the Lake. The Crab Feed sold out before the event took place for $75 a ticket.

“[It sold out] six or seven days early, which is quite a bit earlier than last year,” stated Public Relations for the Rotary Club and President-Elect Nominee Seth Peek.

Peek added that the Rotary’s volunteer group for the event was so well-staffed that the day went super smoothly. Part of that staff included the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce’s Josh Cross, who ran the kitchen with his wife. In addition, the Rotary Interact (Rotatact) Club from Atascadero High School (AHS) also played a large part in the night.

“I think around nine high schoolers were there,” Peek said. “They do all the serving and bussing for the evening.”

The over 250 local residents who attended the Crab Feed started showing up before the event kicked off at 5:30 p.m. by providing guests with beer from Wild Fields Brewhouse and wine from Ancient Peaks Winery. Of course, the star of the show was the crab, which was locally sourced from the area.

“Everybody was really stoked for the wine, the beer, the food, the good time, the auction, which went off with a bang,” added Peek. “We get our crab from Giovanni’s (Fish Market & Galley) in Morro Bay.”

Peek went on to say that the Rotary Club raised around $13,000 in proceeds from the auction, which will go into Atascadero’s Rotary Foundation. The Foundation supports high school scholarships and local community service projects. The Rotaract Club also raised just over $2,000 in tips, which goes towards their club at the AHS.

“There’s people that come to this that aren’t in Rotary, they don’t have somebody in Rotary, but their family or their company has been buying that table for years,” Peek said.

On top of great fish, great drinks, and great company, The Crab Feed also holds a table decorating contest. This year the deCou family won the contest with their springthemed table. As a bonus everyone sitting at the table wore a colorful floral or Hawaiian shirt to match the theme.

“Some tables they go all out. They decorate their table and have a prize for the best decorated table. So we had a winner there,” added Peek.

Next year Peek will be taking over running the Crab Feed from Don Idler, who’s been running it for the last 10 years.

To find out more about the Rotary Club of Atascadero, follow them on their Facebook Page: facebook.com/rotaryatascadero.

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