Get happy as a clam in Long Beach

Published 9:00 am Wednesday, April 5, 2023

So you’re stomping around in the sand near the ocean’s edge and checking for dimples to appear in the sand behind you. No, you haven’t gone bonkers. It’s all part of discovering how to locate a razor clam.

Once you’ve detected that elusive indentation, you’ll be digging fast or plunging an aluminum tube — er, clam gun — around that tiny depression. Hope that clam comes out with the first clump of sand you unearth. If not, you may find yourself elbow deep digging in the wet sand trying to locate your prize.

That hands-on clam digging experience is only one of the many exciting (and gratifying) activities awaiting at the Long Beach Razor Clam Festival Saturday and Sunday.

The festival began in the 1940s as a kickoff for the summer season, but was disbanded for decades until its 2013 revival. Since then, the Long Beach Merchants Association has sponsored the annual festivities.

There’s no admission charge and besides volunteers helping to dig those clams and then demonstrating how to clean them, the festival has plenty of entertainment. (A cash prize of $100 will be awarded for the biggest and smallest clams found.)

Artists, artisans and craftspeople will be among the more than 30 vendors on hand to ply their wares, as will a giant European slide for kids and the ubiquitous face painting.

Look out for pirates! They’ll be raising a ruckus in the crowd. Be on the lookout, too, for Sam the Clam, a new addition to the festivities.

“I’ve been trying for years to get a clam mascot for the festival,” said Dianna Knight, co-chair of the event. “You wouldn’t believe what a challenge it was to find a razor clam costume. Finally, I got my wish. I’m excited to see him in action.”

Kids, no doubt, will be excited to see a walking clam too.

Hungry? Food trucks will be available or you can purchase, in advance, or at the booth, a crab plate — consisting of half a cooked Dungeness crab, half corn on the cob and a roll.

Want to taste those delicate clam fritters? On Sunday afternoon, a huge (really huge) frying pan will be put to use as volunteers fry up the tasty morsels for sampling.

Vote for your favorite clam chowder when a dozen local eateries vie for the Best Chowder title. Challengers will be vying in the taste-off with past champions: The DEPOT Restaurant, Castaways, The Chowder Stop, The Cove and Columbia Road House. A pre-purchased passport includes the voting ballot, a map, a beverage and a sample of each restaurant’s chowder.

Other fun includes an amateur chowder competition, a professional oyster shucking contest and a crab race, where a small fee will assign you a crab to cheer as it scuttles to victory for a prize.

Relax at the North Jetty Brewing beer garden or check out Veterans Field Stage for live music Saturday afternoon featuring JT & the Long Beach Blues All-Stars, the Rockfish Blues Band and crowd favorite blues guitarist Ben Rice, who will not only be performing Saturday night, but also for Sunday’s Easter morning gospel service.

“Each year the festival keeps growing,” said Knight, who estimates that more than 7,000 visitors arrive for the festivities. “We’ve had visitors from across the country who’ve never seen a razor clam, let alone have the opportunity to learn how to find and dig one.” So let them get stomping!

Long Beach Razor Clam Festival

Various Locations, Long Beach

Clam digging lessons start at 7:45 am. Saturday, beer garden open until 9 p.m. Saturday; Events from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Find a full schedule and venues for live music, contests, samples and more online

www.longbeachrazorclamfestival.com