Continuing our Newcomer series:
Spotlight
On
Homarus Americanus
Before you start throwing things at me, accompanied by shouts of: "No newcomer in our church is called Homarus!", let me quickly explain that this month Father Jim is allowing me to 'push the Newcomer envelope' a bit by writing about a new event: The Lobster Sale. Homarus Americanus being the scientific name for Lobster.
As all I knew about lobsters is that they look like a gigantic version of the Crawdads we have used for bait, it was obvious that there needed to be an interview. Lobsters are not known for saying much, and I don't swim, so it was easier to talk to the man behind the idea: Father Jim.
The reason for the First Annual Lobster Sale is twofold:
First: A signature event will give our church visibility, and will be something that makes us a more vibrant part of the fabric of our community. People need to know that things are happening at St. Thomas, that we are "alive", a "can-do" church, and that we are actively taking a part in creating "life" in the Park Circle area.
Second: The event will raise funds. A portion of the money raised will be used for Outreach projects to be determined by the Outreach Committee and the Vestry. The rest of the funds will be used to meet the needs of our church.
The idea for the sale came from the Diocese of East Carolina, where at least five churches have successful annual sales, which have proven to be good fund-raisers. A specific example is the Church of the Servant in Wilmington, N.C. whose congregation has had a lobster sale one day a year for about twenty years. They now sell about 4000 lobsters on the day, which generates 15-20 thousand dollars.
Father Jim quickly points out that we are starting in a SMALL way. Our first sale will be Takeout only.
Whole Lobsters will be available:
Cooked for $15.00 each
Or
Live for $13.00 each
If you have ever eaten lobster in a restaurant, you will know that this is a very good deal! Desserts will be available (also for takeout) on the day of the sale. The event will be held in the parking lot.
The lobsters will be flown in fresh, cooked on the day of the sale, or left alive for those who prefer to cook their own.
The goal is to do the best we can. We will start slowly, learn from the first sale, and build on the experience.
Tickets: Parishioners will have available books of 20 tickets, numbered and recorded for better accounting.
Every ticket purchased will be entered into a drawing to win: A Weekend in the Mills House, Charleston.
Father Jim arranged through a friend, who works in Marketing/Advertising, to have the 'Mills House Weekend' gift donated to the church.
The whole event is meant to be fun and exciting; a wonderful way to reach out to the community; to be ambassadors for our church; and to make St. Thomas even better. An information package about our church will be provided with each sale.
The lobster sale team:
It is important to mention, and thank, the following people who are hard at work organizing the 'nuts and bolts' of this event:
Mick Potter
Chuck Allen
Riddick Craven
Toppy Dawson
Eddie Driggers
Billy Steen
Nancy Potter is heading up the dessert part of the project.
Artwork:
It is also important to mention that the posters were created by the Horton ladies:
Cassie – lead artist
Assisted by: Krystina and Kim. Thanks, the posters are great!
Father Jim is asking everyone to spread the word about the sale. It is open to everyone!
How to eat a cooked lobster
The following information was obtained from:
http://www.lobster.um.maine.edu/lobster/info/cookbook/basics.html
The site has a lot of good information and many recipes. Having said that, I thought I would just print out what they say about how to eat a lobster:
- Twist off large claws.
- Crack each claw with a nutcracker, pliers, knife, hammer or rock.
- Separate the tail from the body by arching the back until it cracks.
- Break off the tail flippers.
- Insert a fork (or a thumb) and push the tail meat out in one piece. Remove and discard the black vein which runs the entire length of the tail.
- Unhinge the back shell from the body. The green part in the body cavity is the tomalley, which many people consider the most delicious part of the lobster. The coral-colored roe is also edible.
- Open the body by cracking it apart sideways. Lobster meat lies in four pockets (or joints) where the small walking legs are attached. The small walking legs also contain excellent meat which can be removed by sucking.
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More information about the lobster sale is posted on the St. Thomas web site:
http://www.stthomasofsc.com
Thanks go to Jim Wooldridge for his help.