The St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Lobster Lunch will return for its 51st year during the Arts Festival this week, benefitting six local charities and feeding hundreds of Festival goers.
The Lobster Lunch has been a fan-favorite event since 1972, with only three hiatuses in 1974, 2020 and 2021. A white tent bustling with lobster-hatted volunteers serving a line that wraps down to the street is a hallmark image from this special tradition. Last year, the team sold 1,372 lobster rolls.
“The Lobster Lunch came about to feed the folks visiting art exhibits all about town, including the art showing in our parish hall,” St. Michael’s historian Frances Nilsson said.
With two shifts for each of the three days the lunch takes place, 38 volunteers are needed, with many working multiple shifts. Volunteers include St. Michael’s parishioners, relatives, friends and children from around 7 years old and up, according to Nilsson.
Marblehead resident Patsy Cool started volunteering at the Lobster Lunch’s drink station when she was 7 years old, serving water, mint iced tea and soft drinks.
“I loved it, I used to get there early and set up, it was so much fun. I would do it with my church school friends. It was always a good time,” Cool said.
This year, Cool attended some of the planning meetings to see what goes into the behind-the-scenes of the lunch.
“It’s literally five ladies who know everything about running the Lobster Lunch. It’s like a restaurant… They basically open a restaurant each year. There’s so much that goes into it,” Cool said.
Since 1994, all proceeds from the Lobster Lunch have been donated to charity, according to Ellen Harrington, the director of communications for St. Michael’s. To date, $435,591 has been raised. Half of these funds support a school at the parish of St. Thomas Arcahaie in Haiti, and the other half is split among local charities.
St. Michael’s partnership with Haiti began in 1982. The church helps sponsor and participate in medical mission trips to Haiti and supports St. Thomas Episcopal Church and School, which over 450 children attend daily.
Local charities are selected based on need and include places where parishioners volunteer, said Nilsson. This year, proceeds will benefit Marblehead Counseling Center, Marblehead Food Pantry, Friends of Marblehead Abandoned Animals, Plummer Youth Promise, The Haven Project and Anchor to Windward.
In addition to giving back, sustainability is also a priority this year. According to Cool, the Lobster Lunch started composting around two years ago, and this year the team is trying to make every item used or sold during the lunch sustainable. St. Michael’s is partnering with Black Earth Compost to have composting, recycling and landfill stations on the lawn.
Lobster lovers can head over to 26 Pleasant St. on July 4, 5 and 6 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lobster rolls, lobster salad, hot dogs, clam chowder, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies and watermelon will be available. Beverages include mint iced tea, water and soft drinks.
“The mint iced tea is the best thing ever,” according to Cool.
The Marblehead Current is the media sponsor for the Festival of Arts.
Marblehead resident Lia Gorbach is the Current’s college summer intern. She is pursuing a journalism and business degree from the University of Maryland.
