It’s time to get your tickets to the World’s Largest Crab Feast, set for Friday, Aug. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. The Rotary Club of Annapolis and Annapolis Green Inc again are working together to make this a Zero Waste Event in the city, with everything being composting or recycled! This major fund-raiser benefits local community and cultural organizations as well as county landfills and even your own gardens.
The feast is all-you-can-eat and drink, including large #1 male crabs (the big ones) plus Maryland vegetable crab soup, sweet Maryland corn on the cob, beef barbeque sandwiches, watermelon, draft beer, and assorted sodas and water. Bake sale items and freshly cut watermelon served by Watermelon Queens from Maryland and from surrounding states will end your dinner with sweetness.
Nearly 2,500 people are expected to attend and finish off 320 bushels of crabs, 3,400 ears of corn, 100 gallons of crab soup, 150 pounds of beef barbeque, and hundreds of gallons of soft drinks and beer. The event will be held rain or shine, as most of the tables are protected from the weather.
Parking for the crab feast at the stadium is free. No containers, drinks, backpacks, large bags, coolers or similar items will be allowed into the event.
“While it is an all-you-can-eat affair, and you can take all you want, please eat all you take. If you have more crabs than you need, please share with a neighbor. This will reduce waste and help preserve a precious natural resource,” says Crab Feast Chairman Chara Hutzell.
An excellent way to entertain special clients and guests or to recognize the hard work of loyal employees is the Preferred Dining area. Participants can use a private entrance, and enjoy guaranteed seating in one of the Preferred Dining tents and a wait staff that will bring the crabs to their table. Tables of 10 or 12 are available, as well as a limited number of individual seating. Contact Pam Urnowey at 850-619-1645 or [email protected] for information about Preferred Dining.
You can BE “Bay Responsible” and enjoy every bit of the Crab Feast, knowing nothing is trash: everything will be Zero Waste. In just two months the crab trays, crab shells and all other food waste, all paper products, spoons, knives and even wooden mallets go into compost. They look like plastic, but are made from plants and therefore are compostable, according to Lynne Forsman and Elvia Thompson, co-founders of Annapolis Green Inc. All will be turned into soil enrichment for the garden in just two months.
In 2017 Annapolis Rotary Club members and Annapolis Green volunteers collected 26,000 pounds, or 13 tons, of compostable material in two full dumpsters, more than the weight of two delivery trucks or two African elephants. They recycled more than 8,580 pounds of plastic and metal.
Adult tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the gate. Children ages 3 to 12 are $25 in advance and at the gate, and admission for children under age 3 is free. Preferred Dining is $130 per person in advance and $150 at the gate.
Get your tickets now. Visit http://annapolisrotary.showare.com/crabfeast or call 1-877-333-9667 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Telephone ticket sales will end at noon on Aug. 3.
Annapolis Rotary members pay all their own administrative costs for the operations of the club, so all funds raised are donated to local charities. Last year’s crab feast contributed $57,000 directly to local charities and non-profit groups. Since the first crab feast in 1946, more than $1.5 million has been awarded.
