23rd Annual Great Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest
Medal Winning Wines, Fabulous Local Cuisine, Impressive Live and Silent Auctions
When:
February 4th, 2012
Where:
Sonoma County Fairgrounds - Grace Pavillion, Santa Rosa, CA.
Purchase your tickets online:
Tickets:
- Captain’s Table of 10: $95/person
Be the captain of your own table with reserved, preferred seating for 10. Dine in luxury with a wait staff to serve you and your guests. Enjoy gold medal winning wines, and other special amenities.
- Reserved Table of 10: $80/person
- Individual Tickets: $75/person
Schedule:
- 5 P.M.Galley Reception and Silent Auction
- Enjoy the pairing of award winning wines with gourmet hors d’oeuvres prepared by local chefs.
- 6:30 P.M. Crab Feed Dinner and Live Auction
- Dine on fresh Sonoma Coast crab and accompaniments, then join the fun at one of the area’s finest live auctions; full of special adventures.
RSVP
- Purchase your tickets online.
- Click here to download: 2011 Crab and Wine Fest RSVP form.pdf
- Please RSVP by January 25th. No Refunds after that date.
Live Auction Featuring:
"The Hunt of a Lifetime"
Sonoma County businessman and hunter Gary Rasche, owner of the R & R Ranch, is donating a rare opportunity to hunt for a bull Tule Elk at his beautiful 3,000 acre Ranch in Potter Valley. [More]
This item and many more are available for purchase during the Live Auction at the 23rd annual Great Sonoma County Crab and Wine Fest. [View More Live Auction Items...]
Restaurant Participant
Be apart of the Galley Reception at the Great Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest. To participate is easy! Prepare and serve hors d’oeuvres/appetizers for the Seafood Galley reception for 300 plus people. For your reception table, we ask that you provide restaurant signage and/or tabletop display decorations, heating and service materials. Please be set up by 4:30 p.m. Space is limited and an RSVP form is required to participate. Please contact Farm Bureau if you have questions. 707.544.5575.
Winery Participant
Be a part of the Galley Reception at the Great Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest. To participate is easy! We ask that your winery owner, winemaker and/or representative pour select wines during the reception. For your reception table, please provide winery signage and/or tabletop display decorations, winery logo and marketing materials. We will provide a water pitcher, spit buckets, wine glasses, ice and banquet tables with white linen for serving. We would like all wineries in place by 4:30 p.m. Space is limited and an RSVP form is required to participate. Please contact Farm Bureau if you have questions. 707.544.5575.
Donate
Farm Bureau would greatly appreciate a donation for our live or silent auctions. This fundraising event supports agricultural education, scholarships and agriculture in the classroom activities. Each year we have many creative donations like special gift packages, vacations, guest accommodations, adventures, wine pairing dinners, cases or signed magnums of wine, arts, crafts, tools and supplies, equipment rentals or simply cash donations. As a donor, you will be prominently recognized in both our auction program, in Sonoma-Marin Farm News and on our website.
Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s 22nd Annual Great Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest Was held Held Feb. 5, 2011
Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s 22nd annual Great Sonoma Crab & Wine Fest was held Feb. 5, 2011 in the Grace Pavilion at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
The Crab & Wine Fest, which has become the winter social event for the county’s farmers, ranchers and their friends and supporters, raises money for agriculture education. 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. 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 for future generations.
“It’s so gratifying to be part of a community that comes together to support the farming industry and Farm Bureau’s agricultural education programs,” said Robert Muelrath, a Santa Rosa rancher and president of Sonoma County Farm Bureau. The Crab Fest is an event that the agricultural community looks forward to each year. It’s a time to renew friendships and support a good cause while enjoying fresh crab and fi ne wine from Sonoma County.”
Last year’s Crab Fest attracted more than 1,200 people who enjoyed a grand night of feasting, lively conversation and spirited bidding. Guests will again enjoy fresh Dungeness crab, clam chowder, pasta, salad and dessert, all polished off with fine wines from Sonoma County.
Lex McCorvey, executive director of Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said the goal is to make this year’s Crab Fest the biggest and best yet, with a fun and lively crowd, terrific food, a relaxed ambiance and exciting auction items.
The evening starts with the Seafood Galley Reception, featuring top wineries and food vendors offering a taste of Sonoma County. The wineries signed up to pour include Balletto Winery, Chateau St. Jean, Cline Cellars, D & L Carinalli Vineyards, D’Argenzio Winery, Dutton Estate Winery, James Family Cellars, Korbel Champagne Cellars, Ramazzotti Wines, Kunde Family Estate, Marcucci Farms, Moshin Vineyards, Peterson Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards and Valley of the Moon Winery.
The restaurants and caterers serving appetizers are A la Heart Catering, Buttn- Head Goat Meat Sausage, Rocker Oysterfellers, Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo, diVine Pizza, Jimtown Store, McClelland’s Dairy, The Zinful Chef, Valley Ford Cheese Co., BBQ Smokehouse, Cork’s Restaurant and the Pasta King.
Items in the live auction include a lobster dinner prepared by Don and Patsy Calegari and served at their vineyard estate in Healdsburg, paired with Selby Wines; a pork and pinot dinner featuring a hog raised by Jube and Sally Begley and wine from acclaimed winemaker Merry Edwards; a lamb dinner prepared by griller extraordinaire Bruce Campell; a stainless grape gondola made by Guadagni Bros. of Healdsburg; a Wine Country Sports Package; a barbecue dinner at the Dutton Ranch, a lamb and half of a beef for the freezer and other items including more unique dinners and trips.
There will be more than 100 silent auction items, which include wine, food items, jewelry, arts and crafts and many farm items from feed and tack stores.
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 will be volunteers from the Santa Rosa Junior College Ag Ambassadors, FFA Chapters, 4-H Clubs and the Santa Rosa High School Ag Boosters.
McCorvey 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 fund Farm Bureau activities that 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 will be held March 29 and 30 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. The event provides a farm experience for more than 5,000 city kids.
Farm Bureau also uses the proceeds from the crab fest to support farm youth organizations like the FFA and 4-H and to fund scholarships for students continuing their agricultural education. Last year, the Farm Bureau Foundation of Sonoma County awarded 30 scholarships valued at nearly $50,000. The scholarships were awarded to agriculture students and the collegebound children of Sonoma County vineyard workers.
“We take great pride in preparing individuals for careers in agriculture through our scholarship programs,” said McCorvey.
Farm Bureau’s crab feed has grown from a few hundred people to more than a thousand. When it started 22 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. Six 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.