Hundreds of special guests will be flying in from the East Coast for the fourth annual Merrill Lobsterfest on July 28.
“They fly here first class, we put them up overnight in an air conditioned room, and shortly before dinner we draw them a warm bath,” said Lobsterfest organizer Mike Fick.
He’s referring, of course, to the Maine lobsters that are caught in the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, shipped to Merrill on Friday and served on Saturday. Seafood doesn’t come much fresher than that.
Lobsterfest was conceived as a means to help the Lincoln County Tavern League locally fund the Safe Ride Home program. The program provides ride vouchers to tavern patrons who may have had too much to drink. Safe Ride Home is partially state funded by a surcharge on drunk driving fines. It’s up to the local tavern leagues to fund the rest.
In its previous years, Lobsterfest has raised sufficient funds to make the Safe Ride Home program in Lincoln County self supporting. More than 1,200 ride vouchers were given out by Lincoln County establishments last year.
“We have been able to fund all of the Lincoln County Tavern League’s associated costs for the Safe Ride Home program,” Fick said.
The Safe Ride Home program is aimed at reducing drunk driving. Local emergency responders have been supportive of Lobsterfest, with police officers and firefighters volunteering at the event to assist diners in cracking their crustaceans.
The fourth annual Lobsterfest will be held July 28 from 4-8 p.m. under a tent on Prospect Street in front of Ballyhoo’s. Tickets are $40 and include a complete lobster dinner with dessert. Tickets are available at Ballyhoo’s, the Merrill Area Chamber of Commerce or online at the Merrill Lobsterfest Facebook page.
The event also will include a 50/50 raffle and a drawing for two tickets to a Green Bay Packers home game.
In conjunction with Lobsterfest, the Back Squirrel Scurry triathlon will start at 8:30 a.m. The triathlon features a two-mile paddle, 19-mile bike ride and a 5K run. For more information or to register visit www.blacksquirrelscurry.com.
The Lobster Crawl one-mile fun run/walk will be held at 3 p.m. with proceeds benefitting the Northwoods Veterans Post and the River Bend Trail.
Anyone interested in helping sponsor Lobsterfest can contact the organizers through the Merrill Lobsterfest Facebook page.