Sonoma County Farm Bureau holds annual Crab and Wine Fest fundraiser Leave a comment

The Sonoma County Farm Bureau on Saturday held its 32nd annual Crab and Wine Fest at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

The event, which included a reception and dinner, was postponed from early February due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the reception, the almost 1,200 guests enjoyed nibbles and drinks from 14 local wineries and food establishments, including Russian River Vineyards in Forestville, Pasta King in Cotati and Beet Generation Farm in Sebastopol.

For dinner, attendees feasted on crab from The Tides in Bodega Bay, clam chowder, pasta, salad and bread. For dessert, guests enjoyed cookies from Costeaux Bakery is Healdsburg. Dinner was served by volunteers from area 4-H clubs and Future Farmers of America groups.

“(The Crab and Wine Fest is) such a great sense of community and so much of what Sonoma County is about. (It’s) about agriculture, about friendship and about our youth,” said Tawny Tesconi, Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s executive director.

Tickets were $150 per person.

“We’ve typically raised over a couple hundred thousand dollars with our traditional crab feed event. But this year, I see it less about fundraising and more about friend-raising and bringing people together again,” Tesconi said.

Local country band Court ’n Disaster provided entertainment and a photo booth was on site for guests to commemorate the event.

There was both a silent and live auction and three raffles with available items ranging from luxury vacations to New Orleans and Croatia, to private dinners at Balletto Vineyards in Santa Rosa and deLorimier Winery in Geyserville.

The Sonoma County Farm Bureau is a nonprofit organization that advocates for agricultural interests for farmers and ranchers in Sonoma County through educational programs and workshops.

Money raised goes toward scholarships for local students pursuing agriculture degrees and bureau-sponsored events including Ag Days, an annual event that provides children with hands-on farming experience.

For more information, visit sonomafb.org.