The coronavirus pandemic can’t stop the Yachats Lions Club’s annual Crab Feed.
The event, usually held at the Lions Hall and Yachats Commons was forced online this year – and then sold out twice.
The club began getting the word out for take-out meal shortly after the new year started. By Thursday the event had sold out for the second time via the group’s website.
“We sold out, then re-ordered and sold out again in two days,” said Kevin Yorks, coordinator of the event. The lucky diners who acted quickly enough will enjoy a $25 meal that consists of one whole local crab, coleslaw and homemade bread.
The pre-purchased take-out meals only will be distributed Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Lions Hall on West Fourth Street.
“Given the pandemic circumstances, we continued the tradition of the Crab Feed in a way that’s safe for everyone,” said Yorks.
The biggest single fundraising event of the year for the local Lions, the crab feed traditionally draws people from across Oregon and Washington — and from as far away as Colorado, Nevada and Minnesota. Last year, some 500 diners turned out to enjoy Dungeness crab and side dishes, consuming about 1,500 pounds of crab provided by South Beach Fish Market in Newport, which cleans and cooks the crab.
Because of the hand-assembling needed for the take-out meals, this year’s limit was about 200 meals.
All proceeds from the feed support Lions community service projects, from scholarships to pre- and after-school programs to eyeglasses. The Yachats Lions Club is celebrating 71 years of service to the community.
— Cheryl Romano