Around Maryland

At the Crab Derby, they have cooking contests, a 10K Race/Walk, Swim Meets, a Parade, Skiff Races, Boat Docking Contests, Live Entertainment, a carnival, great food and more. But, if you get down to the Crab Bowl at the Somers Cove Marina early Saturday morning (no later than 8:30 am) and plunk down $5, you can pick out your very own racing crab to compete in the derby. You get to name your crab and the opportunity to compete for prizes and bragging rights if your crab scuttles off the end of the racing board first. When naming your crab, be creative. Past winners include: White Lightening, Scoots, Slow Poke Megan, Git-Up ‘N-Go and Weapons of Mass Crustacean. Just remember, you need to get there early, because the crabs go quickly and don’t forget to root for your crab when the Derby begins at 2:30 pm!

At the Skipjack Races, there are arts and crafts; food; games; a gospel concert on Friday; a live band and dance on Saturday; a car show featuring classics, antiques, and street rods; fishing tournament; and much more. But the big event that everyone looks forward to is the Historic Commercial Oyster Fleet (Skipjack) Race. If you show up early enough for the Blessing of the Fleet, at 8 am, find Jack Willing Sr. and let him know that you would like to get on a skipjack for the race. As long as there are spots available, he’ll make sure you get on one for the race. A word of warning: once you get on the boat, you are there for the duration. The captains leave the dock just after the Blessing to jockey for position at the starting line. The pistol sounds at 9:30 am and the race continues until the winners are declared or at noon, whichever occurs first. There are no bathrooms on the boats; consider yourself forewarned. Once the race starts, though, you will have a front row seat.

For more information on these and other events in Somerset County, please contact Somerset County Tourism at 410-651-2968 or 800-521-9189 or email us at somtour@dmv.com. You can also visit our website at www.visitsomerset.com.