From king crab to cancan dancers in Kodiak, Alaska
May 22, 1997Web posted at: 10:35 a.m. EDT (1435 GMT) (CNN) -- Salmon and halibut are the main catch on fishing boats in Kodiak, Alaska. But for the next five days, the crab is king. Kodiak, one of the largest fishing ports in the nation, is holding its 40th annual Crab Festival through Monday. Events include a boat parade, the blessing of the fleet, a fishermen's memorial service, a Coast Guard Search and Rescue demonstration, and a "survival suit" race (teams don the special suits that boat crews wear to delay hypothermia if they fall overboard, and then swim to small boats in the harbor). But the festival does not lock out the landlubbers. It includes carnival rides, golf and chess tournaments, running races (from one to 43 miles long), frog jumping, table tennis -- even cancan dancers. So where do the crabs come in? "In 1958 [when the festival began], this was the king crab capital of the world," says Shellie Jones, the festival manager. "Over the years, the king crab has really declined ... but we've kept the name." Crab connoisseurs need not lament; Jones says king crab legs are still available at the festival, along with plenty of other seafood. The Kodiak Crab Festival is free. About 15,000 people are expected to attend. 
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