Claws for a cause
Crab fest supports town decor
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RONAN – Few things are as certain to induce the community’s appetite for generosity like melting some butter, steaming up a big pot of crab and throwing a good old-fashioned all-you-can-eat crab feed.
“All you can eat crab. This is crazy,” exclaimed 2018 Crab Fest attendee Tricia Andersen.
The phrase “all-you-can-eat” sparks most people’s interest, but add the word “crab” and they’re all in.
“It went fabulous,” Ronan Area Chamber of Commerce Manager Brian Bergquist said of this year’s event. “The weather turned out great for it.”
The Crab Fest is an annual fundraiser organized by the Ronan Area Chamber of Commerce with proceeds benefiting a wide variety of organizations and projects within the Ronan community.
An estimated 130 to 150 crustacean connoisseurs attended Friday evening’s BYOCP (bring your own crab pliers) event along Spring Creek in Bockman Park.
Volunteer Thom Chisholm manned the boiling pot of Alaskan Snow Crab legs, while sampling a claw or two from time to time for quality control purposes.
More than $5,000 was raised for the Ronan Beautification Project through ticket sales, a silent auction and a plastic duck race in Spring Creek.
According to Ronna Walchuk, Ronan’s Beautification Project is an undertaking of the Main Street beautification committee – which is in charge of downtown improvements, upkeep of the hanging flower baskets and planting of the flower barrels that line Main Street. The committee is also in charge of decorating the light poles for each season and the Christmas decorations.
Hard work and dedicated volunteers are the key ingredient to any successful fundraising operation. Bergquist acknowledged the invaluable work of all the volunteers involved, while paying a special thank you to Robbie Gauthier, Lana Bartel and Sherlee Santorno.
“Eating crab with friends, helping out our community, while being outside in the park without rain,” Andersen said. “It was a pretty good Friday evening.”
