Kodiak Crab Festival.

• Author: Anderson, Tasha
• Position: ENTERTAINMENT

"Everyone shows up for the Kodiak Crab Festival, says Summer Wood, community relations director for the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce and manager for the Kodiak Crab fest. And it makes sense, as the crab festival is a premier end of winter event.

Celebrating its 55th anniversary this year, the Crab Festival started in 1958 as a marketing event to promote the then-new market for Alaska king crab. Since then, it has evolved: "It's a fun recreational outlet after the gloom of winter," Wood says. It s like a homecoming for the community."

And the community doesn't just benefit from the mix of Alaska seafood, arts, crafts and entertainment; "A lot of the vendors use this is as their fundraiser for the year," Wood explains, donating some or all of the profits to charity or non-profits organizations in- and outside of the community.

This year's festival will include many of its annual signature events, including the Survival Suit Race, where contestants...