Grove Rotary Preparing for Lobsterfest Fundraiser

Ticket Sales for Popular Annual Event End June 10.

The lobsters are coming! The lobsters are coming!

And, if you want to be dipping your lobster in drawn butter at the eighth annual Lobsterfest, now is the time to get your tickets.

Lobsterfest is set for Friday, June 16, but both time and tickets are quickly running out for this popular event. Ticket sales end on June 10. In addition, there are only a limited number of tickets available.

“It’s important to remember that, this year, tickets are capped at 575, and we always sell out,” said event organizer Mark Roselini. “People wanting tickets to attend should plan to get their tickets early.”

A fundraiser for the Grove Rotary, Lobsterfest features a lobster (or steak) dinner and a charity auction. Proceeds from the evening help the Grove Rotary support a wide range of charities and organizations in the community.

“The event has captured the interest and involvement of so many in the Grand Lake area and beyond,” Roselini said during a recent Rotary meeting.

Held in the Grove Civic Center, Lobsterfest begins at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction and social, followed by the dinner and a live auction at 7:30 p.m.

According to organizers, this year’s live auction will include “several fun and adventurous packages”. The silent auction will also offer a wide range of creative items.

The evening’s main attraction — the lobsters — will be flown in live from Maine and cooked onsite. The lobsters will be served with clams, an egg and corn on the cob.

Instead of lobster, guests may choose a steak dinner, which is also cooked onsite.

The lobster and steak dinners will be served with coleslaw, bread and dessert. Beer, wine and coffee will also be available.

Volunteers from the Grove Rotary and the community will prepare and serve the dinners.

“We look forward to another wonderful event,” Roselini said. “Besides all of the fun and fellowship of the evening, the most important outcome is what it does for the community. Last year, Grove Rotary raised more than $100,000, after expenses, at Lobsterfest alone.”

Local charitable and community organizations that have been helped by the Grove Rotary with proceeds raised at past Lobsterfests include Grand Lake Shrine Club, Grove Backpack Program, Boy Scouts of America, Grand Lake Area Robotics Education, Grove Public Schools, Daybreak of Grove, Har-Ber Village Museum, Lendonwood Gardens, Grove Public Library, Christian H.E.L.P. Center, Community Crisis Center, Institute for Collegiate Excellence, Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees Quilt Guild, Grand Lake Family YMCA and many more.

Tickets for Lobsterfest are $80 per person.

Tables for 10 may be reserved in advance. Groups may purchase a preferred seating table for $1,000. Preferred seating tables accommodate 10 guests and will have their own dedicated waitstaff throughout the evening.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at all area banks, as well as online at www.groverotary.org.