PORT ANGELES, Wash. — Every October the calm Port Angeles waterfront is invaded by people wearing weird hats, hoping to catch crab. Scott Nagel, Executive Director of the Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival says it celebrates a local hero of sorts:
“What's special about this is Dungeness crab is the name 'Dungeness' comes from just a few miles away. This is where it originated in the 1890s named after a town that was here that is no longer in existence," explained Nagel.
During this crustacean celebration, volunteers will serve 8 thousand crab dinners, and go through 18 thousand pounds of fresh crab.
"Really the only way to get fresher crab is if you catch it yourself,” said Nagel.
They have that covered too, at tanks where visitors use baited poles to pull crab up from the briny deep.
Kaleb is one of more than 300 volunteers, and his job possibly the worst one here – gutting and cleaning cooked crabs. He offers this advice:
"I'd say just dive into it headfirst, once you get your hands into it you get used to it. It's honestly fun - it's better than doing nothing."
You can take home more than a meal: crab souvenirs abound. Silly hats seem especially popular.
"We work really hard to find the quality crab merchandise. We don't like the tacky stuff. So we search all over the world for the best crab items, that are fun, but also show respect to the poor crab we're eating,” Nagel deadpanned with a big fuzzy crab atop his head. "I think the coolest thing is in the tent, which holds like 1000 people, we have people from all over the world. Different languages are spoken, different cultures, and everyone is cracking crab together. And that's really the most important part," he said.
If you've ever had a craving for crab - put next year’s Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival on your calendar - and get crackin'.
The 2022 Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival is Oct. 7-9.
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