Zac Knapp, Vale Community Coalition president stands in front of the Vale Fire Hall recently. Knapp will lead the coalition this Saturday when it hosts the Vale Crab Feed at the fire hall. (The Enterprise/Pat Caldwell).
VALE – Get ready and get set, the annual Vale crab feed is Saturday at the Vale Fire Hall.
The 18th annual event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. and will offer steak and crab dinners as a drive-thru event because of Covid.
The event is sponsored by the Vale Community Coalition.
“It’s been an undertaking, that’s for sure. It is a lot of logistics stuff to work through,” said Zac Knapp, Vale Community Coalition president.
The nonprofit coalition is a group of residents and business owners focused on various projects to enhance the city.
“We feel honored to carry on the tradition. We think it is an important community event. It’s a pretty big undertaking and we are learning a lot,” said Jennifer Tolman, coalition secretary.
Tolman said the coalition will provide 1,200 pounds of crab, along with steak.
“We are purchasing the steaks through Morrison Meats here in town,” said Tolman.
The feed offers five dinners. The combo dinner – four crab halves, a 16-ounce steak, baked potato, green salad, pasta salad and a roll – costs $60.
The crab dinner – four crab halves, baked potato, green and pasta salad and a roll – is $50.
The steak dinner – 16-ounce steak, baked potato along with salad and a roll – is $30.
Crab a la carte – two crab halves – is $15 and steak a la carte – one steak – is $15.
For more information about the crab feed, people can text 541-212-1826.
Previously, the Vale Fire and Ambulance, spearheaded by former chief Todd Hesse, sponsored the crab feed.
“Todd Hesse was also a member of the Vale Community Coalition and he talked to us before Covid about helping with last year’s event. At the time, he was anticipating the fire department would be looking to pass it on to another group and he thought our group was a good fit,” said Tolman.
Hesse left the Vale department last year to become the Rockaway Beach fire chief in Tillamook County.
Karlene Keller and her husband Dwight were on the ground floor of the event nearly 20 years ago.
The Kellers, along with Hesse and then-fire chief Ted Hesse, sponsored the first crab feed.
“We just got to talking about it and we needed to have some kind of fundraiser to cover the items in the budget that the budget wouldn’t allow,” said Karlene Keller.
News tip? Contact reporter Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
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