A tasty fundraiser is rolling back into town.
The annual Lobsterfest held by the Timmins-Porcupine Rotary Club is being held as a to-go event again this year. Orders can be made online until June 5, with the lobsters being available for pick up on June 10 from 3-6 p.m. at the Dante Club. The proceeds of the fundraiser are for the Timmins Symphony Orchestra.
“We really wanted to do it in person, but when we had to make the decision a couple of months ago it was unknown whether we were going to get another COVID spike and we just thought it was too risky to plan an indoor event and then have to cancel it last minute,” said Marc Durocher, the club's president-elect.
The lobsters are caught fresh, cooked and put on ice to truck into Timmins.
“We get the small canner-size lobsters because they are the tastiest lobsters even though they’re smaller. The meat is sweeter and it’s some of the best-tasting lobster you can get. It’s not something you can get all the time and we hope people take advantage of it,” said Durocher.
There are five options for people to choose from, including a pound of scallops, lobsters, as well as a dinner for one or two.
The to-go-style event allows the club to offer options that the in-person event didn't allow. It's partnered with local businesses for the meals.
Lobsterfest for two in a box includes four cooked Nova Scotian lobsters, tenderloin steaks from Dabrowski's, a bottle of wine, Full Beard beer, salad from Pick of the Crop, and cheddar biscuits and cheesecake from D'Amours Specialty Cakes.
Usually, Durocher said the club brings in several thousand pounds of lobster. While sales have been great so far — with a dozen on the launch day — he said they're working to get up to the usual levels.
Prices have increased since last year.
“This year we’ve had to adjust things a little bit. Our prices had to come up a little bit, unfortunately, because nowadays the gas surcharge is as much as the shipping,” he said.
Events like Lobsterfest are important to bring awareness to the club.
"A lot of people, I think, have forgotten that Rotary has been in this community for many years we’ve done many past events, we’ve sponsored parks and structures and trails, we used to run Ribfest for many years. It’s good for our name to get out there again so that people know that we’re still alive and we’re still doing things in the community,” he said.
“We’re still here and we’re still doing things. We’re kind of in a rebuilding mode right now and we’re looking forward to being more involved in the community again now that COVID will allow us to."
Lobsterfest orders can be made online here.
