The BCVFD Crab Feed

One night at the end of winter, the fire station on Central Avenue turns into a dining room, and the crew that turns out for your emergencies is carrying plates instead. The Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department's Crab Feed is the department's late-winter fundraiser: an evening of fresh crab, pasta, salad, and bread at the fire station, served by the volunteers, with tickets limited and the proceeds supporting the all-volunteer department.

It has landed in March in recent years, and it tends to sell out because the room only holds so many. If you're hoping to go, the one thing to sort out first is the date, and that hasn't been set yet.

When it happens

The department hasn't announced the next crab feed date yet. It's been held in March in recent years, so late winter is the time to start checking. When the date is set, it will appear on the Boulder Creek Fire Department website. Tickets are limited, so if you want to go, watch for the announcement and buy early rather than counting on the door.

What to expect

An indoor, sit-down evening at the fire station, 13230 Central Avenue. The department serves fresh crab with pasta, salad, and bread, and past years have had wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase. It's a cracking-crab-with-your-neighbors kind of night, and the volunteers run all of it themselves.

Two things to plan around:

• Tickets are capped. The department has listed 250 tickets in a recent year, and when they're gone they're gone, so this isn't a walk-up event.
• Price and timing move year to year. Recent tickets have run in the range of about $55 to $70 per person, and start times have varied, so go by whatever the department posts for the current year.

If you have questions, the department has listed 831-338-7222 for the crab feed.

History

The crab feed is one of a handful of fundraisers the Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department runs through the year, alongside the July 4 pancake breakfast and the summer BBQ and dance. They all serve the same purpose: keeping an all-volunteer department equipped.

That department goes back to 1892, and it started the way these things usually start, with a bad year. According to the department's own history, Boulder Creek's volunteer firefighters organized after two large fires nearly destroyed downtown and the nearby village of Lorenzo in 1891, and about twenty local residents trained as the town's first crew through 1891 into 1892. The fire station in the middle of downtown dates to 1939.

More than a century on, the town still funds the crew's equipment the old-fashioned way, one dinner at a time, and the crab feed is the winter one.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Boulder Creek Fire Department crab feed?

It's typically held in March, but the department sets and announces the date each year, and the next one hasn't been announced yet. Check the Boulder Creek Fire Department crab feed page in late winter.

How much are tickets, and do they sell out?

Recent prices have run about $55 to $70 per person, and yes, tickets are capped (the department has listed 250 in a recent year), so buy early once the date is announced. Go by the current-year price the department posts.

What's served?

Fresh crab with pasta, salad, and bread, at the fire station. Wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks have been available for purchase in past years.

Where does the money go?

It supports the all-volunteer Boulder Creek Volunteer Fire Department, one of the fundraisers that keeps the crew equipped alongside the July 4 pancake breakfast and the summer BBQ and dance.

Who do I contact with questions?

The department has listed 831-338-7222 for the crab feed. For the current date and tickets, the department's crab feed page is the source to watch.

See what else is happening around town on the Boulder Creek Local events page. Part of the department, or spot a detail here that needs fixing? Send it to us. For the next confirmed date and tickets, check the Boulder Creek Fire Department.