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76 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, June 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 10, 2004 ‘V’ is for more than victory at this derby Outdoors By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Oregonians tired of buying their dads cheesy neckties this year can get the old man crabby this Father’s Day while helping ensure no more siblings get named in his will. A Portland brewery and a quaint little coastal crab shack are teaming up to host a unique crabbing derby over Father’s Day Weekend in Nehalem Bay, where fathers will be encouraged to eat, drink and catch crabs marked for special prizes. And the top prize is a free, no-incision vasectomy. That’s right. A free clip without the zip for the registered participant who catches the Dungeness that first will be captured, marked and released into Nehalem Bay for the June 19-20 derby. "It’s kind of bizarre, I know," says Julie Schreffler, a Portland publicist working on the derby. "How do you get people to know about this event when there’s so many awesome events on the coast? Well, the vasectomy definitely worked." Advertisement That’s one way to get the third annual MacTarnahan’s Nehalem Bay Crab Derby on the public radar screen. "Two years ago, Howard Stern talked about this event," Schreffler says. Last year, 700 people showed up to eat, drink and vie for the free, scarless neutering. Organizers expect more this year. Sure, there will be plenty of food booths, entertainment and other stuff to do at the event in little Rockaway northeast of Tillamook. There’s more than 200 prizes in all, including a $500 prize and gift certificates to MacTarnahan’s Portland Brewing Taproom. But it’s the opportunity to shoot blanks without drawing blood that makes this crab derby more than a footnote in coastal quirkiness. "That’s what catches everybody’s eye," says Shirley Laviolette, co-owner of the dockside seafood market, called Jetty Fishery, that’s hosting the event. "We figured that would work." Here’s how the derby works: The organizers buy 60 commercial-sized Dungeness crabs, 30 for each day. Twenty-six are marked with the letters of the alphabet, and the 30 are released during the morning low tide in Nehalem Bay around Rockaway. Groups or individuals pay a $10 registration fee to participate, then they go crabbing. Those who catch a crab with one of the letters then exchanges the tag for a number. At 5 p.m. each day, organizers randomly draw the numbers and match them for prizes, including the vasectomy. During the first two derbies, all the marked crabs were caught and all the prizes given away. "It just happens that the vasectomy has made it to Sunday both times," Laviolette says. And just how the pinchers of a Dungeness meet the laser slice of the vas deferens is a story that’s part business savvy and part benevolence. June’s a tough month to turn a buck in the north coast seafood business, with the Rose Festival and other events competing for Portland’s tourist dollars. Sitting around the crab shop one winter, the Laviolette family drummed up the idea of a Dungeness derby to lure Portlanders to town. She’s also friends with Dr. Harry Rinehart, who operates The Rinehart Clinic in nearby Wheeler. Rinehart’s clinic serves many indigent people and is something of a health-care hub of northern Tillamook County, Laviolette says. So the Laviolettes and Rinehart decided to join forces and hold a crab derby that benefits the clinic. But they needed a hook. "I have to admit," Laviolette says. "The free vasectomy was my idea. Hey, any little bit helps." Rinehart donates the vasectomy, as much as a prize as it is a message. "Dr. Rinehart believes in zero population growth," she says. "This is one way of helping that a bit." Last year, they added the Wildlife Rehab Center of Astoria to the benefactor list, splitting $5,000 in profits by sending one-third to the animals and two-thirds to the clinic. The event now garners nationwide attention, and Laviolette understands it’s all about the clip and less about the crabs. And the notion of crabbing for sterility is not nearly as politically incorrect as it may seem. "We’ve only had one woman complain that she doesn’t want her family hearing about vasectomies," Laviolette says. "Everyone else seems to think it’s great." And you don’t need to be a father, let alone a fertile male, to enjoy the crab derby and its message. "This has all the good taste of Oregon," Schreffler says. "I go with about 15 friends and we drink way too much beer and go crabbing. It’s great." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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