Rotary Lobster Sale a successful community event
Tim Brody - Editor
Unable to hold their annual Lobsterfest event this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club of Sioux Lookout instead opted for a Lobster Sale, selling tickets for precooked lobsters, which were available for pick-up on Sept. 17 at the Masonic Lodge.
“Rotary Sioux Lookout is grateful to all the folks from Sioux Lookout who bought their Lobsters and planned their own social distanced parties and at home feasts. We hope that next year the new normal will allow for a more traditional celebration,” Rotary Club of Sioux Lookout Treasurer Susan Barclay shared.
The Rotary Club sold approximately 500 lobsters.
“We also provided our 2020 NOSM (Northern Ontario School of Medicine) students with a gift of Lobsters. It is a tradition we started a few years ago to help welcome the students to our part of the north,” Barclay said.
Debbie Michaud and Candi Edwards were the winners of the giant lobsters.
“We’re very thankful for the support of the community. I think Lobsterfest has become kind of a go to event in the fall and everybody is missing those things. Unfortunately we couldn’t do it in the normal way, but it worked out well… everyone seemed glad to have the opportunity,” Barclay added.
“We did make a profit… but it was more about making sure we’re part of the community and we want to be able to try, like we did with the pancake breakfast (which was conducted as a drive through event during the Blueberry Festival) to keep those traditions going in some way… I think we probably made about $4000… which hardly compares to what Lobsterfest has a tendency to bring in… but it was a very successful event and seemed to be received very, very well by the community,” Barclay said.
“Arvid (Hakala) has chaired this event forever, and so hats off to him and to Lorenzo (Durante) and all the other Rotarians, but the two of them are the two that keep things rolling,” Barclay stated.
Funds raised through the event will support local Rotary sponsored projects as well as international Rotary projects.
