~ Clam Bake and Crab Fest ~

In honor of our Cancer friends: Devon, Geoff and Olivia (and others!), and to celebrate Malcolm's second year...

Sunday,
June 30th,
at 12:00 PM

Update on contributions (reported as of 6/24 - italics = suggested, but need more data):

Geoff	Keg of beer & cooler of lemonade	bringing morning of, and helping set up
Devon	Sausages	bringing day of
Caroline	Cheesecake, dessert nibblies	bringing day of
Ragani & Chad	Crabs, clams, chairs, table, beach umbrellas, cheese cloth, serving platters	bringing morning of, and helping set up
Richie	green salad, 3-bean salad, sausages, veggie plate, drinking water	bringing day of
Deb & Mark	?	day of
Sarah & family	pie	bringing day of
Jeanne	Baking potatoes	bringing morning of
Barrie & Betty Ann	Killer Brownies	bringing day of
Geoffrey	?	?
Elizabeth	fruit salad, corn-on-the-cob?	bringing day of/ handing off day before?
Jeri & Robin	snacks, bread rolls/buns?	? (on cycle)
Coleen & Abbot	Side dish/coordinating with Richie	bringing day of
Erik	table, tuna-pasta salad	bringing morning of, and helping set up

Stuff we still need
Food: bread (rolls or buns are probably best), hotdogs, butter for dipping, corn-on-the-cob, snacks, drinks (no glass bottles)

Supplies: lobster/crab crackers (nut crackers might do also), SEAWEED!!! (for cooking the clams in), more beach chairs (or bring your own), volley ball set, more beach umbrellas & camp tables, beach blankets, serving platters and bowls, garbage bags for clean up, water for clean-up

Who:

The guests of honor are four Cancers: Devon, Geoff and Olivia, and a Gemini: Malcolm. Bring yourself, the kids, sandals, beach towels, sunblock and your appetite!

What:

The plan is for a Clam Bake and Crab Fest, sort of a Californian take on the traditional New England clam bake (with crabs instead of lobsters), for all of our California "Crab" friends. We will have clams and crabs, as well as the typical clam bake faire (corn on the cob, potatoes, etc.).Geoff will be showing off his brewing talents with beer on tap from Hoppy that he brewed himself.

How to help (and we need plenty!)

Bring food:
We need volunteers to bring some of the main ingredients early enough to get them in "the bake" (or the day before if possible and appropriate). On the day of we will need: snacks, bread, hotdogs & sausages, side dishes, salads (please coordinate with Richie for these), desserts (please coordinate with Caroline), and additional drinks - NO glass! - (please coordinate with Geoff). We want to make sure there is enough food for everyone, so please call or e-mail Ragani if would like to know how to help, but are not sure how.

Bring supplies:
Other items that we need are beach chairs, blankets, and umbrellas (but not tents or canopied structures), camp tables, paper plates, plastic ware, napkins (lots) and other beach picnic and camping supplies (let us know if you think of anything else to add). Also, beach toys, including kites, Frisbees, and balls are welcome. Does anyone have a volleyball set they could bring? Oh, and cameras to record the event. Music is welcome as long as it is not amplified, so if you wish, bring instruments to play

Bring yourself:
We will need some help getting the clam bake set up. It will take several hours of preparation before the party officially starts to get things ready. Come spend an hour or so helping us with the setup in the morning (around 9 AM or so). Afterwards you will then have a few hours to relax on the beach, take a hike on the gorgeous trails around the area, or pop in for a pint at beautiful Pelican Inn (a 16th century English style pub) while everything bakes and the rest of the guests arrive. The other perk to showing up early is you will be assured of a parking space! We may also do some set-up the day before (anyone up for a pre-clambake beach trip the afternoon before?). So if you want to recapture fond memories of digging in the sand, give me a call or send me e-mail to let me know.

Although gifts are not de rigueur for this event, if you do wish to bring something for the honoree of your choice, feel free to do so. Let Ragani know if you need suggestions.

Why:

It was so much fun last year, we decided to do it again! This year I would like a bit more intimate (read as smaller) a bit more prepared (learned from last year) and a bit more casual. All in all, still the perfect type of event to honor our 'crab' (water) sign friends.

Where:

Muir Beach (Yes, this is an OUTDOOR event!)
Highway 1, near Mount Tam, in GGNRA

From Freeway 101 Traveling North or South: Take the Mill Valley/Stinson Beach exit and follow signs for Highway One. Continue to the intersection with the stoplight and an Arco gas station on the left-hand side of the road. Turn left at this intersection onto Highway One (also known as Shoreline Highway). It is a windy six mile drive to Muir Beach from this point. Watch for the Pelican Inn and turn left on Pacific Way. Approximately 100 yards down Pacific Way you will reach the Muir Beach parking lot.

Or, check out directions on this page on how to get there, or the directions to the Pelican Inn. A note for timing when planing your drive: give yourself a leisurely half hour from when you exit 101 onto Highway One to get to the beach. It is a beautiful drive, so enjoy the views on the way.

When:

Sunday, June 30th
Please arrive around 12 noon. Food will probably be ready in shifts, and we will try to have something to snack on through out the day. The 'bake' items will probably be ready around 2 PM.

A note on parking: We are hoping for lovely weather that day, and the beach will be a popular destination for many people. This means the parking lot will fill up quickly, so we recommend you arrive early if you can, and carpool! For carpool connections, contact any of the event coordinators (below).

RSVP:

The sooner we know a rough total the better, so please don't sit on this one till the last minute. Please confirm by June 25th if you plan to make it. Also, let us know if you plan to donate food, funds, time and/or supplies by June 28th. I don't really mind last-minute-replies, I just want to make sure I get enough food for everyone.

Event coordinators:
Ragani Harris Mobile: 415 533-1991 E-mail: ragani@ragani.com
Geoff Engel Mobile: 510 681-8527 E-mail: egonbrauer@ldapman.org
Caroline Wells E-mail: oct0bersky@hotmail.com
Richie Dawkins E-mail: hatback@earthlink.net