Crab feed supports Sisters ski team

For the past 15 years, folks in Sisters have been feasting on Dungeness crab to support the Sisters Outlaws Alpine Ski Team.

This year, the team's annual crab feed fund-raiser will be held at Brand 33 restaurant at Aspen Lakes on Saturday, February 28.

According to Coach Todd Williver, there are limited tickets for the fund-raiser in order to keep the attendance - which has been huge in recent years - to manageable proportions.

The event will also include a live auction featuring items such as vacation packages and ski packages; a standard raffle; and a "balloon raffle." Each balloon purchased carries a prize, with one featuring a grand prize of a night's lodging at The Lodge at Suttle Lake.

"We need about $10,000 a year to make the ski team function," Williver said.

For many years now, the crab feed has supplied the team's financial backing - and made for a fun party for the Sisters community.

The crab feed has been an annual fixture in Sisters for 15 years and the origins of the unique fund-raiser are lost in the mists of time. Williver said that it seems likely that a crab feed fund-raiser was chosen because nobody else was doing one and it seemed like a fun addition to Sisters' events.

It has proved to be a major success and has allowed the team to consolidate its fund-raising efforts and focus on skiing.

"We used to do a ton of fund-raisers (year-round)," Williver said. "About 12 years ago we decided to put all our eggs in one basket and make the crab feed the big-time event that it is. That means we don't have to get a bunch of skiers together in July to sell firecrackers."

Tickets for the event are $35 and are available at Eurosports, Sisters Coffee Co. and Outlaw Coffee. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Williver warns that the event will almost certainly sell out in advance, so early ticket purchase is strongly recommended.