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MEDIA ADVISORY / REQUEST FOR ONSITE COVERAGE

Media Contact: David Perry & Associates: (415) 693-0583 / cell: (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

WHO: Union Square Business Improvement District (BID) Takes Part In

WHAT: the 5th annual Celebrity Crab Cracking at Union Square

WHEN: Saturday, February 24: 12noon ‘til 4pm

WHERE: Union Square

DETAIL: Ready, Set, Crack! Union Square may not be home to crab fishermen, but we know how to celebrate San Francisco’s local seafood treasure! The Union Square BID is pleased to invite you to join us for the 5th annual Celebrity Crab Cracking at Union Square. Chefs from top Union Square restaurants include Scala’s, Kuleto’s, Puccini & Pinetti, Ponzu, the Grand Café, The Oak Room at the Westin St. Francis, Grandviews at the Grand Hyatt and LUQUES Restaurant & Bar. On-had will be San Francisco 49er representatives, Gold Rush cheerleaders & Sourdough Sam and the world’s largest crab from San Francisco’s own, Alioto Lazio Fish Co. Local chefs will pair up with San Francisco 49ers to demonstrate the art and intricacies of cracking a crab. The noon-time demonstration will be followed by a timed crab cracking and cleaning contest to see who can clean the most crab. For a minimal sampling fee, local restaurants will provide tastes of crab recipes and patrons can sample beer and wine at the Wine & Beer Garden. The first 100 people to buy a sampling ticket will receive a free crab from Alioto Lazio Fish Co. and a loaf of Boudin sourdough bread. Music and family entertainment will be featured throughout the day. Proceeds to benefit the San Francisco 49er Foundation (501c3) Sponsors: Golden Gate Disposal, Johnny Foley’s Irish House & Guinness, Alioto Lazio Fish Co., Boudin, Club One Union Square, Hanford•Freund & Company, The Kimpton Group, Stanley’s Steamers, Macy’s, KTVU/Fox2, MJM Management Group, Placement Pros and the San Francisco 49ers

“Our Ambassadors and Sweepers will be on hand throughout the day to help tourists with directions and make sure that any lost young ones are quickly and safely re-united with their loved ones,” said Leigh Ann Baughman, Union Square BID Executive Director. “Our mission is to keep the Union Square area clean and safe. During the Crab Feed, with so much hustle and bustle, we want to make sure that visitors to the area keep especially tight watch over their personal belongings, purchases, and their young children who might become separated in large crowds. Our 'Code Adam' program -- which operates all year long -- is an intense, immediate and highly successful program to match lost children with their parents. If a BID Ambassador spots a child that is alone, the child is approached to get a description of their guardian or parent. While police and other Ambassadors are alerted about the situation, the Ambassador stays with the child until their guardians are located. It also works in reverse as sometimes Ambassadors are approached by parents who have become separated from their little ones.”

The Union Square Business Improvement District (BID) is a 10-block area where property owners assess themselves to make their community cleaner, safer and more vibrant. The BID assessment is used to purchase services that supplement those provided by the City. The Union Square BID contains 91 properties and is roughly bounded by Sutter Street to the North, Stockton and Grant Streets to the East, Market Street to the South and Cyril Magnin to the West. In 1994, California joined most states in the country and passed enabling legislation for property based business improvement districts (PBIDS). There are currently over 1,000 BIDS in the United States and Canada.

For more information on the Union Square Business Improvement District, access their website at www.unionsquarebid.com, or call (415) 421-3135.