It Takes A Crab

On a recent trip to the beach with the kids, my grandson picked up a pretty good-sized crab leg and dangled it in front of me. Pointing out to him that it was unusually big for beach leavings and that someone would have been happy to steam it and pick out the meat only drew a “yuck” from him. Not being a fan of crabs, I had to concur. That won’t stop me, however, from being in the thick of the action when our fifth annual Craft Beer & Crab Festival at the Physick Estate rolls around Aug. 6 sponsored by our friends at PNC Bank.
Here at the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC) in Cape May, this event is an “all hands on deck” event for MAC staff and volunteers. I remember the first year it began, we estimated conservatively, knowing you don’t want bushels of leftover crabs which do nothing but stink, and we were swamped with visitors. Each consecutive year, the event has continued to grow. Those who have been before come back and they spread the word to friends near and far to make it a resounding success for MAC.
It’s so nice to have an event like this in a setting as beautiful as the grounds of Cape May’s only Victorian house museum. The lawns will be dotted with tents, and there are plenty of nice, green, shady spots to relax in, or beneath an umbrella at our picnic tables.
We’ve been putting a lot of effort into spreading the word about what a pretty place the Physick Estate is, and this is just one opportunity to enjoy it. It’s as close as you can get to a “town park” setting and a little history is just the icing on the cake.
It’s been satisfying for us that we hear so many comments from people for whom one of our festivals on the grounds was their first introduction to the Physick Estate. Amazing that it’s been here for so many years and managed to remain something of a recluse.
If we’d realized years ago that a little spice can make history more palatable, we would have bought more Old Bay that we now use on the crabs.
When you stop and think about it, putting the grounds to use for a festival is a very Victorian thing to do. Folks in Dr. Physick’s time touted the benefits of fresh air and exercise, and they loved to entertain. I know that the MAC staff and volunteers certainly get more than their share of exercise that day!
Music was an important part of life for Victorians, just as it is for us today. Granted, John Philip Sousa has been supplanted by groups with major sound systems, but it’s the music of our life as much as Sousa was the music of the Victorians and very much a part of the festival atmosphere, then and now.
So, we have a great deal to be thankful for, the success of this event being paramount. Besides giving local residents a great way to spend a day with the family, the proceeds from this event help fund our educational outreach programs, last year serving almost 20,000 students (absolutely free) and almost 4,000 life-long learners at a minimal cost. Maybe your kids (or you) were among them.
And then there are the crabs and the craft brews, which you can pick and sip to your heart’s content on Aug. 6. It’s the perfect way to spend a summer day in which everyone comes out a winner.
Barraclough is director of publications & website at MAC.