Biggest Crowd Ever at Great
Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest
The crab was fresh and
succulent, the mood festive and the crowd
country-oriented at Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s
20th annual Great Sonoma Crab & Wine
Fest where 1,150 guests enjoyed a grand night of
feasting, bidding and socializing.
The Crab Fest, held Feb. 7
in the Grace Pavilion of the Sonoma County
Fairgrounds, raises money for agricultural
education and scholarships.
Guests enjoyed more than
4,000 pounds of Dungeness crab in addition to
gallons of clam chowder, pasta, salad and
dessert, all polished off with fine wines from
Sonoma County. At the event’s live auction,
guests bid on special lots ranging from a
medieval feast for 20 at the spectacular Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga to a trophy
buck hunt at the historic Cooley Ranch in
Cloverdale. Auctioneer Rex Williams of
Sebastopol and mistress of ceremonies, Ziggy the
Wine Gal, kept the banter and bidding going
during the auction.
Auction items like a
stainless steel grape gondola from the Guadagni
Bros in Dry Creek Valley and a dinner of locally
grown “pork and pinot” clearly indicates that
this is an event where both donors and guests
are closely connected to the land and the
county’s $3 billion farm industry.
The Crab & Wine Fest,
growing bigger each year, has become the winter
social event for the county’s farmers and
ranchers and their friends and supporters.
Guests like Santa Rosa attorney Eric
Koenigshofer attend to enjoy a night of good
food and lively conservation while supporting
agriculture education programs. The goal of Farm
Bureau’s extensive agricultural education
program is to create an awareness of the
county’s annual $3 billion agricultural industry
so that farms and ranches remain part of the
rural landscape for generations to come.
“The crab feed was great as
usual,” said Koenigshofer. “What a crowd. Kudos
to the staff for what is obviously a huge
effort. Everyone at my table reported having a
fine time and we all enjoyed our server Davis
Crawford of the Forestville 4-H. What an
impressive young man and what a testimony to the
future of agriculture in Sonoma County. Good job
to all."
Many of the people who come
together to orchestrate the crab feed or donate
wine, food and auction items are dedicated to
preserving Sonoma County’s rich agricultural
heritage. The volunteers who help stage the
event also believe a strong and viable
agricultural industry is essential to
maintaining what many consider the heart and
soul of Sonoma County.
“It’s so gratifying to see
agriculture come together for Farm Bureau’s
Great Sonoma Crab and Wine Fest. This event not
only gives people a chance to see old friends
and enjoy fresh crab from our coast but to raise
money for agriculture education, which is so
important,” said Santa Rosa rancher Bob
Muelrath, president of Sonoma County Farm
Bureau.
Muelrath said the
fresh-faced 4-H’ers and FFA members who helped
serve at the Crab Fest best tell the story of
why Farm Bureau members and staff work so hard
to keep agriculture viable and visible.
"This is a tremendous event
that shows the spirit of our great county,” said
newly elected county supervisor Efren Carrillo
who represents the sprawling Fifth District on
the county board of supervisors.
Carrillo and county
supervisor Shirlee Zane of the Third District
were among the elected officials joining the
county’s top grape growers, dairy farmers and
livestock ranchers at the crab fest.
The Crab and Wine Fest is a
totally home-grown event staged by Farm Bureau
members and staff with the assistance of an army
of volunteers. Many of the groups benefiting
from Farm Bureau’s agriculture education program
pitch in to help set up tables, decorate and
serve the meal. Joining the work crew were
volunteers from the Santa Rosa Junior College Ag
Ambassadors, FFA, 4-H and the Santa Rosa High
School Ag Boosters.
Lex McCorvey, executive
director of Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said Farm
Bureau is committed to providing agricultural
education to youth, adults and community leaders
so they can better understand the unique aspects
of farming, no matter if it’s dairy cows, horses
or vineyards. He said the proceeds from the crab
fest are used to bring agriculture to those who
would otherwise not benefit from a farm
experience.
One of Farm Bureau’s major
educational efforts is Ag Days, which have been
held for nearly 30 years to bring a taste of
farm life to city kids. Last year more than
5,000 school children came to the Sonoma County
Fairgrounds for Ag Days, which includes
livestock displays, a hay maze, horsemanship
demonstrations and samples of Sonoma County farm
products like apples, cheese and milk. This
year’s Ag Days are March 17 and 18.
As part of Ag Days, Farm
Bureau also sponsors a number of contests
including essay, poster, book mark, scarecrow,
mural and photography contests for school
children. The contests are a way to get kids
thinking about the Sonoma County farms that
unfold on the urban fringe. The theme of this
year’s celebration is “Local Farms Keep Sonoma
County Green.”
Farm Bureau also uses the
proceeds from the crab fest to support farm
youth organizations like the FFA and 4-H and to
fund agricultural scholarships.
“We take great pride in
preparing individuals for careers in agriculture
through our scholarship programs,” said McCorvey,
who grew up in Sonoma County and was an
award-winning member of the Santa Rosa FFA
Chapter. For many years, McCorvey taught
vocational agriculture at Santa Rosa High
School.
Sonoma County poultry
rancher Arnie Riebli, a partner in Sunrise
Farms, gave Farm Bureau’s scholarship program a
tremendous boost by donating $8,000 to match the
$8,000 contributed to the scholarship program
during the live auction. Riebli wants his money
to assist students studying agriculture at four
year colleges and to help students going to
Santa Rosa Junior College. He said the need is
greater than ever because of the troubled
economy and the suspension of the Doyle
Scholarship Program by the Exchange Bank.
Farm Bureau’s crab feed has
grown from a few hundred people to more than a
thousand. When it started 20 years ago, the
Great Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest was held at the
Sebastopol Veterans Memorial Building and then
as it grew to the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial
Building. Five years ago, the Crab Fest moved to
the Grace Pavilion at the Sonoma County
Fairgrounds to accommodate the ever-growing
numbers of people who now consider it a
traditional event on their social calendar.
“Thanks to everyone who
made the Great Sonoma Crab and Wine Fest such a
wonderful event and such a memorable gathering,”
said McCorvey.
Plans are already underway
for next year’s event, which again will be held
the first Saturday night of February in the
fairgrounds’ Grace Pavilion.
