MLCA to host Crab and Prime Rib feed
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 5 months AGO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | May 5, 2025 1:55 AM
MOSES LAKE — For most folks, fresh crab would be a good enough reason to attend an auction. Prime rib would, likewise, be reason enough. Combine them, make them all-you-can-eat, throw in a live auction, and you have an irresistible draw.
“The prime rib is supplied by Michael’s on the Lake,” said Moses Lake Christian Academy Marketing Director Janeil Koethke. “And then we have someone who goes over to Seattle right before the event to … get fresh crab and bring it over.”
This is the 17th time Moses Lake Christian Academy has held its annual Crab and Prime Rib Feed, according to volunteer organizer Brittney Ketterer. Tickets are still available, Koethke said.
Michael’s on the Lake will also supply sides, Ketterer said. The live auction will be conducted by Chuck Yarbro Jr., and DJ Dale Roth will spin the music.
The money that’s raised goes to support MLCA’s athletic programs, which are a joint effort with Covenant Christian School, Koethke said.
“It will go to pay for everything from uniforms to sports fees to also helping pay off the new gym, The Den,” she said.
“The student athletes will be serving the tables,” Ketterer said. “They are very involved. This is one way that we get to highlight our athletes.”
The auction isn’t huge, only about 10 items, but they’re exciting ones, Koethke said. One is a progressive dinner cruise on Moses Lake, where a boat takes the participants from lakefront home to lakefront home fort appetizers, main course and dessert. Another is a collection of foodstuffs donated by local farmers and ranchers. There’s also a riding lawn mower on the block this year, Ketterer said.
Besides the live auction, there will be several raffles, Koethke said. The big one is the Tumbler Raffle, where a participant buys an MLCA travel mug for $100 and is entered in a drawing for the grand prize.
“That will be four rodeo tickets for Thursday’s (Moses Lake Roundup), four VIP tickets to Flannel Fest, four wristbands for the (Grant County) Fair and a $100 gift card for Michael’s on the Lake,” Ketterer said.
Tickets are $100 or $800 for a table of eight, Koethke said. They can be purchased at the school or online at the school’s website, mlca.us.
“Unfortunately, the price of cut crab keeps going up, but they're really trying to keep the price of the tickets the same,” she said.
The event will be held at The Den, Koethke said, with the food and raffle items staged inside and tables set up under a tent outside.
“We'd love to put everybody inside, but it's become such a big event that even the gym isn't quite big enough for everybody to fit,” she said. “Depending on the weather, (we have) heaters if we need them. We've had some times where it's been a little chilly and other times where it's been super hot.”
Attendees are advised to dress accordingly, according to the MLCA website.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, MLCA, founded in the 1980s, is a small K-12 school with around 200 students.
“I absolutely love MLCA,” Ketterer said. “The way they treat our kids and the way they interact with them, and how everybody's treated like family.”
MLCA Crab & Prime Rib Feed
Moses Lake Christian Academy
1312 S Moses Lake Ave.
May 17
Doors open: 4 p.m.
Buffet: 5 p.m.
Auction: 6 p.m.
Tickets and info: mlca.us
The funds raised at the MLCA Crab and Prime Rib Feed will go to support Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School athletics.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
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