By Roger Tausig
Rotary Club of Orange
I am pleased to announce that one of the great traditions here in Orange will go on in 2022. The Orange Rotary Annual Lobsterfest is set for Aug. 13 at the High Plains Community Center for its 15th consecutive year.
Thanks to the dedication of the stalwart members of the Rotary Club of Orange, this great event will go on as it has for the past 14 years, but with an eye toward safety for those who still are having second thoughts about participating in large public gatherings. To accommodate those customers, we have designed the Lobsterfest so that diners will have the option to pick up their dinners through an orderly drive-through process while those who wish to enjoy their meals on premises at HPCC may do so as well.
The dinners, which will cost $60 per person, will consist of two one-and-one-quarter-pound lobsters, New England clam chowder, corn on the cob, coleslaw and a roll with butter. For those who are not lobster lovers, we will be also offer a thick, juicy one-pound New York strip steak with all the same sides.
For those who dine at HPCC, beer and wine also will be provided. For those who take away their meals, the steak will be provided uncooked in a shrink-wrapped package along with a separate container of our top-secret blend of seasonings (imported directly from Montreal). Unfortunately, we cannot legally supply alcohol to takeaway customers.
For those who are not familiar with Rotary, an event like this constitutes one of our largest fundraisers. Our club – and Rotary clubs across the country and around the world – work hard to raise money to fund causes that aim to help people in need.
For example, some of the money we raise goes toward supporting veterans service organizations like Homes for the Brave, where we underwrote the cost of providing their facility that houses homeless veterans with a much-needed air conditioning system. We also help Beth El Center in Milford, where the funds we donate are used to support a wide array of services they provide to veterans.
We donate money to local organizations that address food insecurity locally and in the region. During the height of the pandemic, Orange Rotary funded a large project to supply personal protective equipment to local health care providers and first responders. We accept grant requests from numerous local organizations of all types that are in need of funds to serve those less fortunate.
Every meal we sell at the Lobsterfest has the potential to bring assistance to people who are underserved and depend on organizations like ours to keep them stay fed, sheltered and safe from disease.
So mark your calendars for Aug. 13 and bring your family and friends to this wonderful event. Tickets will be available through our website at rotarycluboforange.org starting July 1.
It doesn’t get much better than having a delicious, freshly made lobster or steak dinner while doing your part to help those who are less fortunate than we are.