The Rotary Club of Portage la Prairie served up community spirit alongside delicious seafood last weekend, marking another successful year for its annual Lobsterfest fundraiser.
Held as a convenient drive-through event, the 2025 iteration allowed residents to enjoy premium East Coast lobster or ribs while supporting vital local projects, with the catch having been caught fresh within 48 hours of the event.
Preston Meier, handling public relations for the Portage Rotary Club, expressed delight at the event's smooth execution and community embrace. The shift from last year's sit-down format proved popular.
Event highlights community spirit
Meier emphasized the team effort behind the scenes and the overwhelmingly positive reception. He detailed the careful preparation ensuring each meal was complete and easy for recipients.
He praised the organizers and volunteers, saying, "You know what, it couldn't have gone any better. I mean, we have an incredible committee chair in Kathy McFarland, a really incredible committee and of course, the support of all of our Rotary volunteers. Plus, we had a number of friends of Rotary that came out and helped us as well."
He adds that everything you needed for the specific meal was provided, be it picks, crackers, lobster, buns and butter, even instructions to help make it a complete package.
Larry the Lobster steals the show
A unique highlight was "Larry," a coveted 4-pound lobster prize. Tickets were sold for a chance to win, and Larry added to the fundraising fun. The lucky winner found a creative way to share her bounty.
"It was Amy Chappellaz that won Larry the lobster," Meier notes, "We made the draw live on our Facebook page, and called her right away. She said she took it, made a lobster bisque out of it, and fed about 20 people. So Larry did good!"
Funds fuel local projects
Ultimately, the event achieved its primary goal: raising significant funds for the Rotary Club's ongoing community initiatives. The drive-through format also offered families a unique way to gather.
"It really, really did. So I mean, now we raised just over $5000 from it, which we thought was a good start on it. So the money, of course, wasn't dedicated to any specific project as much as the general projects we got going on, whether it be the Rotary duck pond or the Rotary skateboard park or the Rotary Republic of Manitobah Park. That's what those dollars go towards," Meier explains.
He goes on to note that the event helped not just bring the community together, but families around the dinner table, noting, "Plus, people get to enjoy the lobster, and that's cool because you could have your own family event. So we had 15 people that were there for supper, and they created their own lobster fest that night. It was just a perfect storm for everything."
Looking ahead, the club plans to alternate between the drive-through format and a traditional sit-down Lobsterfest in future years, keeping the popular fundraiser fresh for Portage la Prairie, "Until the interest wears off," Meier says, adding with a laugh, "I don't know, though, if anyone would ever really get tired of Lobster!"
