Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Craft Crab Feed topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Depoe Bay parks committee schedules planning meeting as crab prices and volunteer capacity cloud this year’s feed
Summary
Committee members agreed to hold a volunteer initiation meeting Jan. 14 to decide whether to run the community craft/crab feed this year, citing volatile crab prices, uncertainty about volunteers and a proposed $15,000 budget request to the city.
Depoe Bay Park and Recreation Committee members on Jan. 8 agreed to hold an initiation meeting Tuesday, Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. at the Community Center to determine whether to run the community craft/crab feed this year.
The committee put the event on a short list for planning but stopped short of committing to a date this year after members raised concerns about rapidly changing crab prices and whether enough volunteers would show up to staff the event. Committee members discussed a draft budget figure of about $15,000 and a per-plate price of about $25 if the feed proceeds.
Zoe, a committee member leading volunteer outreach, said, “I’m a bit more hesitant, but I’m willing to do what, you know, the commission wants,” and added she could not take the lead on all tasks. Kathy, another committee member with records from past events, said she could supply past spending figures: “I’ve got past figures of what we’ve spent, and the prices have been really high.”
Members described the logistical needs in detail: roughly five people in the kitchen, several people for cooking and cleaning, about 20 parking attendants, and a broader pool of roughly 30 volunteers to cover the event reliably. One committee member reported about 30 people had replied they were willing to help but warned that RSVP lists often overstate actual turnout.
The group discussed options to reduce risk: seeking sponsorships, asking local businesses for donated bread, coleslaw and lemons, and pursuing either a one-year postponement or presenting a draft budget to the city council for next-fiscal-year funding instead of trying to secure emergency funds this season. Several members urged holding a focused series of planning meetings if the committee decides to proceed this year.
Robert, a committee member who volunteered to help lead on-the-ground work, said, “I will just because I wanna do it.” Miranda, who described past volunteer experiences, said she had declined to volunteer previously because of leadership concerns: “I went to a volunteer meeting and as soon as I saw who was in charge, I just went. I can't do that again.” Those remarks underscored the committee’s emphasis on clarifying leadership and volunteer coordination before committing.
No formal vote was taken to run the feed this year. Instead, the committee set a planning meeting for Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Depoe Bay Community Center to convene volunteers, review a draft budget and decide whether to request city council approval or delay the event until next year. Members also discussed staging a smaller salmon bake in September if the craft/crab feed is deferred.
If the feed moves forward, committee members said they would pursue sponsorship tiers, in-kind food donations and a volunteer coordination plan so the event would not rely on one or two people to manage the whole operation. The initiation meeting will be used as a gauge: if few volunteers attend, members said they will interpret that as a sign not to proceed this year.
