(Photo | by Penny Eddington)
What do you do for fun in February, in Redmond? Well, Redmond Executive Association (REA), tented off a whole city street block, threw some heaters and tables in there, and invited 500 friends to come join us for an all-you-can-eat fresh Dungeness crab feed.
And, those 500 friends did it again. For the fourth year in a row, this annual event continued to set new records. Those records included the consumption of over 3,000 pounds of fresh Dungeness crab by 500 attendees who were lucky enough to secure tickets before all the tickets were spoken for — a record, 10.5-hour, period!
REA coordinates this sell-out event and were proud to partner with Summit Bank as the presenting sponsor for 2019.
Saturday, February 2, from 4-9pm was when the magic happened. Admission was by pre-sold tickets only — no tickets were sold at the event. For their $50 admission, guests enjoyed Dungeness crab, lasagna, shrimp cocktail, salad and rolls. Beverages including beer, wine and alcohol were available for purchase separately.
“It’s always so fun to see the community come out to enjoy great food, live music and friends, all while supporting such a worthwhile cause,” said Wendie Every, REA Crab
Crack co-founder.
“The Redmond internship program was able to send us three candidates to interview in 2018. We met with all three and hired one for the summer. Larry’s efforts (Larry Holeman, Redmond Internship Coordinator) are filling the needs of local businesses while providing an opportunity for those seeking a career in the trades sector. We appreciate the work that he is doing,” said Steve Buettner of SunWest Builders.
Proceeds from the 2019 REA Crab Crack, presented by Summit Bank, will be combined with contributions from other partners, to continue to fund the work of the Redmond Internship Coordinator for the Youth Career Connect Internship program. In the program’s second year, the role of the Redmond Internship Coordinator is to work with local businesses and Redmond-area schools to help connect students to internship opportunities and real-world job experiences. Internships help students gain valuable knowledge that will help guide them as they begin their careers. The support of our emerging workforce is a priority and is of great benefit to our community.
“We have been very pleased by the reception Redmond, and all of Central Oregon, has given the REA Crab Crack. What started out as an organization’s (REA) desire to provide a cornerstone event for our community, has turned into a much-anticipated gathering that is able to make some money and support great programs,” said Angela Boothroyd, Crab Crack co-founder.
“And we could never overlook the volunteers we rely on each year that actually make the event night a true success.” This event is also different from many as there is no program, auction or asks during the event itself.
This event is made profitable by the help of our sponsors. Along with Summit Bank (presenting sponsor), we have enjoyed support since our inaugural event from Tony Parsley DMD (band sponsor), Redmond Proficiency Academy (crab sponsor), Pacific Power (tent sponsor), Mark’s Auto Body (security sponsor), SunWest Builders, Midstate Fertilizer, Parr Lumber, Amber Wilson of Umpqua Bank, Payne West, Joe Lochner’s State Farm Agency, McDonald’s of Redmond, The Hideaway Redmond, Wild Ride Brewing, Bigfoot Beverages, Columbia Distributing, Incredible Events, Every Idea Marketing, Eberhard’s Dairy, High Country Disposal, Cascade Lakes Brewing, Alliance Professionals, WCP Solutions and Angela Boothroyd of Windemere Central Oregon Real Estate. Additional sponsors for 2019 include First Interstate Bank, McKenzie Cascade, Hayden Homes, Storm Water Services, Mid Oregon Credit Union, Western Title, Redmond Walmart, Redmond Chamber of Commerce and The Printing Post.
Be sure to like our Facebook page so you’ll be up-to-date for next years’ event!
