on the cover
An absolutely
cracking event
Chill out at the Annual
Yachats Crab Feed
By BARBARA B. COVELL
For the TODAY
I
t’s a gastronomic delight that draws
450 people to Yachats every year.
Th e annual Yachats Crab Feed is on
Saturday, Jan. 25, and it promises to
be a very good time. Sponsored by the
Yachats Lions Club, this event has two
locations and three diff erent seatings for
the enthusiastic crab cracking shellfi sh
lovers.
“We buy 1,500 pounds of locally
sourced Dungeness crab from the
South Beach Market,” said crab feed
co-chairman Kevin Yorks. “Th ey cook
and clean it, and we serve until it’s
gone.”
Crab lovers come from Minnesota,
Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and all parts
of Oregon to participate in this much-
loved event.
“It is a lot of fun for everyone,”
Yorks said, “people wear special hats
and aprons, bring their own tablecloths,
crab-cracking utensils, it is a great,
wonderful event. We actually have a
group of 30 people coming again this
year.”
People are allowed to bring their
own wine and beer, but Yorks says this is
defi nitely a family-friendly occasion.
“With every ticket we provide
coleslaw, baked beans, sourdough garlic
bread, soda and coff ee,” he said. “Plus,
all the crab you can eat. We are getting
90 loaves of homemade sourdough from
Breadworks. Our volunteers then slice,
butter, and put garlic on it. Th e beans
and coleslaw are from Resers; Bigfoot
provides the soda.”
Th is is Yorks’ second year as
co-chairman and his fi fth year selling
tickets. “Some people come year after
year. Eighty percent of our ticket sales
are to out-of-towners, so this has
become a big event for Yachats. Th e
hotels, restaurants and local businesses
all benefi t from the increased revenue.
Th e greatest benefi t is that profi ts go
back to the community by supporting
local programs, providing scholarships,
donations to the fi re department, food
bank, as well as eyecare and glasses.
Last year we gave $23,000 to the local
community which came from the
crab feed, thrift store, and pancake
breakfasts.”
CRAB PHOTO
BY QUAZIE
COURTESY JOANNE KITTEL
Th e crab feed is an all-volunteer
eff ort from the community, Lions Club
and the Angell Job Corps.
“Th e day of the Crab Feed is a long
day for us,” he said. “We have a lot of
fun but could never do this without the
Angell Job Corps. Th ey work so hard
to make this a success and a good time
for everyone. We maintain a tip jar for
the Job Corps so they can make some
money.”
Right now, Yorks says there are about
40 volunteers.
“If somebody wants to work this, we
never turn anyone away,” he said. To
volunteer, call Yorks at 541-563-5629.
Th e Yachats Lions Club was
chartered in 1950 and has provided
70 years of service to the Yachats
community. Th eir ongoing projects
include scholarships, eyeglasses and
hearing aid support, food for the Yachats
Food Pantry, mobile health and vision
screening.
“We could use some new members,”
Yorks said. “It is harder to recruit these
days, as younger people are less involved
with service organizations.”
Th e annual Crab Feed began in
1972. In the early days, the Lions Club
members would catch crab, cook and
clean it in the Lions Hall parking lot. As
the event grew, it became necessary to
organize three seating times between the
Lions Hall and the Yachats Commons.
A 4 pm group seating at the
Commons is already sold out, but there
are still tickets available for a 12:30 pm
seating at the Commons, located at
441 Hwy. 101 N., and a 4 pm seating
at the Lions Hall, located at W 4th and
Pontiac streets.
Tickets, $40 apiece, can be purchased
at Judith’s Kitchen Tools, 261 Hwy 101
N, or the Lions Th rift Shop, 236 4th
Street in Yachats. For will-call tickets,
call Yorks at 541-563-5629 or email
lionscrabfeed2020@gmail.com.
oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • January 24, 2020 • 7