PORT ANGELES — “Minister of the sea” Chuck Russell gave one of the shortest sermons ever Sunday morning, as first he marveled at Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys and then turned things over to a choir of crooners.
This was the first-ever Crab Revival, opening with Abby Mae and wrapping with the Peninsula Men’s Gospel Singers, who together roused a crowd of about 150 under The Gateway pavilion at Front and Lincoln streets.
The 9 a.m. nondenominational service, just an hour long, blended songs such as Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and the gospel classic “I’ll Fly Away” with the aromas of crepes and crab pie from on-site vendors.
Along with a very few words from Russell, it all warmed the congregation up for the second full day of the 10th annual Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival.
“Remember, God created the Dungeness crab to show he loves us and wants us to be happy,” said the minister from Marrowstone Island.
When asked where his church is, Russell replied, “I own a bar,” the Valley Tavern in Port Hadlock.
‘Mail-order minister’
“I’m a mail-order minister,” who performs weddings — and “as a barkeep, I do a lot of counseling.”
In addition to those two lines of work, Russell is a Jefferson Healthcare hospital commissioner.
“We didn’t know what to expect” of the first Crab Revival audience, he added. “This is a very gratifying turnout.”
The Peninsula Men’s Gospel Singers sang with their new director, Lee Moseley, and their new accompanist, Penny Hall.
Moseley succeeds Michael Rivers, the founding director who led the choir for a decade before stepping down to produce a solo CD, “My Father’s Face,” this summer.
The Crab Revival featured another Rivers, however: David Rivers, Michael’s son and the guitarist with Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys.
The Port Angeles-bred band took a break Sunday from their work on their third CD, which is set for release on Nov. 25, the day after Thanksgiving.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
