<p>Zarina Miklos shows off a "psychedelic sandollar" she made to decorate a clamgun in her Ocean Park Elementary second and third grade class. The students' clamguns are on display at the Dennis Company store in Long Beach, Wash., during the Razor Clam Festival.</p>

LONG BEACH, Wash. Long Beach is bringing back the Razor Clam Festival, an event that originates in the 1940s. The festival will be held April 27 and 28 and will be celebrated with contests, prizes, entertainment and, of course, razor clams.

Razor clam digging is something that is always different, always fun, said organizer and Dennis Company owner Randy Dennis. Were looking forward to celebrating and bringing broader attention to this much-loved Northwest tradition.

The festival highlight is a Razor Clam Digging Competition, which takes place during an early morning clam tide on Saturday, April 27. For those who choose to show off their clams at the Dennis Company, 201 Pacific Ave., prizes of a $100 Dennis Company gift card for the biggest clam dug, a stainless steel clam gun for the best looking limit, and a $50 Dennis Company gift card for guessing the correct number of clams will be awarded. Judging will be by representatives from Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For newbies or those who want to polish their skills, free clam digging lessons will be offered at 7 a.m. both days. Online registration is at www.longbeachrazorclamfestival.com

Chefs representing eight or more Peninsula restaurants will participate in a Chowder Cook Off at 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Long Beach Elks Lodge, 110 N. Pacific Highway. The public is invited to stop in, purchase tastes and vote on their favorite clam chowder. The blues, funk and rock n roll tunes of the North Coast Blues Band will entertain from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, with guitarist Richard Thomasian, bassist Dan Golden from the Swing Cats and drummer Clint Carter from the Buoy 10 band. Appetizers will be served during the performance.

Over the weekend, chefs will also feature razor clam selections on restaurant menus and posting favorite recipes on the festival website, www.longbeachrazorclamfestival.com

Clam guns, creatively decorated by local school students, will be on display at the Dennis Company store. Public voting is encouraged.

For added entertainment, mermaids and pirates will circulate through downtown Long Beach to offer face painting, pose for photos and encourage smiles. As well, the Dennis Company mascot, a duck, will be in full clam digger regalia passing out free tide table booklets both in town and on the beach.

Event T-shirts, commemorative event posters and vintage postcards will be available for purchase throughout the weekend. And, numerous clam digging-related vendors will be at the Dennis Company store from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, with giveaways and drawings.

Digging for razor clams is a popular beach activity enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. With its long and expansive beach, the Long Beach Peninsula is one of the favorite clamming destinations in the state.

Razor clam digging is a unique, family, food-gathering activity, said Andi Day, executive director of the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau. Whether for subsistence or recreation, clam digging is a cherished part of our beach culture and heritage, something that knits our community together and something that we are happy to share with others.