Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — Foodies flocked to the annual Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival — and no one was crabby about it.
As people crowded into the newly expanded venue — this year the festival stretched across Lincoln Street and into The Gateway as well as the traditional City Pier — Russ Veenema, executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, said that the festival was looking bright.
“The festival has just begun, but it is going very well right from the start,” Veenema said.
“The Crab Feed was especially exceptional on Friday.”
The Peninsula Daily News Community Crab Feed drew more than 600 people — which bolstered attendance by about 10 percent over last year’s record attendance, said Brigid Woodland, administrative director of the festival.
Numbers wouldn’t be tallied for Saturday until late into the evening, she said.
Organizers have predicted that more than 15,000 people will attend the festival this year.
The crab cracking and festivities will continue today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The first ever opening ceremony — which featured Lower Elwha Klallam tribal member Roger Fernandez as a speaker — welcomed attendees to the festival, Woodland said.
“What has stood out this year has been just how smoothly everything has gone,” Veenema said.
“It has been a fantastic year, and everything is working together beautifully.”
Moving the food demonstrations to The Gateway was one of the best ideas for the year, Veenema said.
“It is just absolutely the best place for it,” he said.
“With the attention we are getting, and the photos and media we are able to do over there, I expect we will be able to attract some more national chefs for next year and get some attention in food publications.
“Obviously, that is exactly our target market.”
