Dems to rally at 97th crab feed in South Bend

Published 4:09 pm Thursday, March 6, 2025

SOUTH BEND — Democrats in Pacific County and the greater Western Washington region will descend upon South Bend this weekend for its annual crab feed that draws elected and party officials from the local, state and federal level.

The 97th Annual Democrats of Pacific County Crab Feed is set for Saturday, March 15 at the Willapa Harbor Community Center, with doors opening at 3 p.m. for social hour. Dinner — featuring locally caught crab, or vegetarian lasagna, with “all the fixin’s” — is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., with a new dessert dash game being introduced this year and alcoholic beverages available for purchase from Raymond-based Wild Man Brewing.

The draw of the evening, per usual, will be the guest speakers who have been invited to attend the event and who customarily serve dinner to those in attendance. While the guest list has not yet been disclosed, the county party’s chair, Jordan Manchester, teased that big names were expected to attend.

The crab feed returned from a three-year pandemic hiatus in 2023, otherwise the party would be celebrating its 100th edition this year. U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was the headliner two years ago after being sworn into Congress just a couple of months prior, while Gov. Bob Ferguson, then the state’s attorney general, was among those in attendance last March.

Other guest speakers the past two years have included former U.S. Attorney Nick Brown, who was elected as Washington’s attorney general last fall, as well as longtime U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, who like Ferguson has been a frequent guest over the years. Lieutenant Gov. Denny Heck, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, now-Washington State Supreme Court Justice Sal Mungia, Pacific County Commissioner David Tobin and Chinook Indian Nation Chair Tony Johnson have also spoken at the crab feed.

Tickets for the event are set at $60 apiece and can be purchased at tinyurl.com/ymkdhjsf.

The Observer plans to have a recap of the crab feed in its March 26 issue. Pacific County Republicans typically hold their annual Lincoln Dinner later in the spring.