PORT ANGELES — Most people have never tasted fresh Dungeness crab, Scott Nagel laments.
Rest assured, 15,000 to 16,000 pounds of that purple-tinged, sweet crab available this weekend in Port Angeles ought to satiate one’s hankering — or prevent a “never” ending.
The 16th annual Dungeness Crab &Seafood Festival will take place today, Saturday and Sunday at City Pier, 221 N. Lincoln St. Hours are from noon to 10 p.m. today, 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
In addition to a bounty of crab, attractions include the Grab-a-Crab Derby, cooking demonstrations by acclaimed chefs, the CrabFest 5K Fun Run, a Coast Guard search and rescue demonstration, “learn about rowing” sessions, a Crab Revival non-denominational service, a chowder cook-off and live music on two stages.
The free admission festival derives its name from the coveted crustacean first commercially harvested in Dungeness, an Olympic Peninsula town that no longer exists.
Such crab, often difficult to find so fresh, warrants a festival of its own.
“It’s an incredibly tasty crab,” said Nagel, the festival’s executive director. “We think it’s the best.”
The Crab Central Tent will be the hub of action. Under the tent, eight restaurants will serve 25-plus seafood dishes, kettles of crab will cozy up to fresh corn and coleslaw, a raw oyster bar will take residence and three bars will cater wine and beer.
“The tent itself is a whole other experience,” Nagel said.
An old-fashioned full crab dinner costs $29, while a half crab costs $15. Today’s community crab dinner offers a discounted rate of $25 for the full crab. Military members pay $25 for the whole weekend.
The festival added a seventh crab cooker and about 1,000 to 2,000 more pounds of crab from last year, Nagel said.
“We’ve added plenty of crab so we won’t run out,” he assured.
For the full schedule of festival attractions, see the Arts &Entertainment section in today’s newspaper.
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Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsuladailynews.com.
