PORT ANGELES — Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet — one of the first television celebrity chefs — will be featured at the annual festival for savoring Dungeness crab and other delicacies from the seas, forest and organic farms of the North Olympic Peninsula in October.
The 10th annual Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival will begin with a Community Crab Feed on Friday, Oct. 7, and continue Oct. 8-9 with vendors, cooking demonstrations, children’s activities, music and, of course, food at City Pier, The Gateway pavilion and the Red Lion Hotel in Port Angeles.
Hours will be from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 7 for the Peninsula Daily News Community Crab Feed in the 8,000-square-foot Windermere Real Estate Crab Central tent where diners can eat a full crab feed dinner — freshly cooked crab, Sunny Farms corn and Nash’s organic cole slaw — at a $5 discount off the weekend price.
Live music will be performed on Jim’s Pharmacy Stage, and wine-tasting will be provided by the Olympic Peninsula Wineries Association, plus Northwest beer and other beverages.
The festival will continue from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Free admission
Admission to the festival is free, and the big-top tent provides covered seating.
More than 60 craft and merchant booths will be on City Pier, along with children’s activities and food vendors.
Environmental and marine exhibits are planned in the education area.
Chef demonstrations are planned in the First Federal Gateway Center, in the transit center’s pavilion at the corner of Lincoln and Front streets.
Here, Kerr — sponsored by Bella Italia — will not only cook for festival-goers, but also will have his new book for purchase and signing.
National destination
The American Bus Association named the Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival one of the top 100 events in North America for 2011, and last year, Coastal Living Magazine tabbed it as one of the top 10 coastal events for 2010.
“How many events can say that they were a ‘Jeopardy’ question?” said Scott Nagel of Olympic Peninsula Celebrations, which produces the festival along with the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce.
“We were.”
Crab Central
There will be good eating at Crab Central in the big tent and throughout the grounds on City Pier and at The Gateway center.
Food will include crab cakes, crab cocktails, fish tacos, crab enchiladas, crab Rangoon, clam chowder, crab bisque, seafood gumbo, fish and chips, gumbo, barbecued oysters, oyster shooters, steamed clams, oyster stew, mussels, grilled scallops, roasted corn and potatoes.
Among the desserts will be chocolate bread pudding and local homemade organic berry and pumpkin pies.
Crab Revival
New this year is the Crab Revival on Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., sponsored by Cedars at Dungeness.
The program will include a nondenominational service with gospel music from the Peninsula Men’s Gospel Singers and Abby Mae & the Homeschool Boys, and food including crepes, crab quiche, a traditional breakfast and beverages.
“Fish” for crab at the High Tide Seafood and Wilder Auto Grab-A-Crab Tank Derby on City Pier between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 8 and between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9.
For a $5 fee, participants can attempt to snag crabs for 10 minutes from large holding tanks using crab snares and bait.
Athletics
The Peninsula College Athletic Department will be represented at the festival.
The Crab Volleyball Tournament will be on Hollywood Beach on Oct. 8-9.
The Crabfest 5-K Fun Run/Walk, with proceeds supporting the college’s women’s basketball program, is set Oct. 8.
When visitors have their Crab Derby crabs cleaned and packed to go, the men’s basketball team does the work, and proceeds go to its travel fund.
Soccer team to clean
Every night, the soccer team will clean Crab Central.
Presenting sponsors of the festival are 7 Cedars Casino Properties, First Federal, Kenmore Air Express and Westport Shipyard Inc.
For more information, visit www.crabfestival.org, email info@crabfestival.org or phone 360-452-6300.
