Shellfish lovers, music fans and fun-loving families will all find something to enjoy during the 19th annual Penn Cove Mussel Festival this Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6.

The popular mussel chowder tasting competition highlights the annual festival. Chefs from around Coupeville will prepare their best chowder made from scratch with fresh ingredients. Some of those ingredients will remain a secret until competition day.

“I can’t tell you,” said Stephanie Wilson, general manager of the Mad Crab on Front Street in Coupeville. “Then everyone would know.”

She hopes her entry is a winner. In addition to mussels, she plans to use a variety of organic ingredients in her entry but she refrained from going into specifics.

The Mad Crab is one of 10 restaurants entering this year’s competition. Other restaurants participating include The Tyee Restaurant, Toby’s Tavern, The Oystercatcher, The Cove, County Deli, The Pizza Factory, Knead and Feed, Rosi’s Restaurant and Christopher’s Front Street Cafe. The “Mussel Shuttle” transports people between the various restaurants.

“There’s lots of good restaurants for such a small neighborhood,” festival organizer Rita Kuller said.

Ballots can be purchased at the Mussel Festival headquarters, also known as the Coupeville Recreation Hall, and cost $5.

Even though the festival provides some competition, the key is for everyone to have fun.

“If we’re always having a good time, that’s what the Mussel Festival is all about,” Kuller said.

While traveling between the restaurants and sampling some fine chowder, festival-goers may catch the Shifty Sailors as they stroll from restaurant to restaurant singing sea shanties.

In addition to the Sailors, there are a variety of concerts taking place. The Vicci Martinez Band performs in the Mussel and Beer Tent Saturday evening beginning at 5 p.m. and Annie Rapid performs at Mussel Headquarters Sunday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m.

Other acts performing at the two-day festival include Marcus Whiting, Feed and Seed, and Funk and Mason. They will play at the Mussel and Beer Tent throughout the weekend.

While musicians and chefs highlight the event, several festival staples will also take place this year.

Mussel-eating contests begin Saturday and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Festival organizers have already gathered entries for the mussel recipe contest. The recipes are kitchen tested and winners will be announced during the mussel eating contests. Children’s activities, adult scavenger hunts and the Mussel Fest Gallery are other prominent aspects of this year’s festival.

For more information go to www.penncovemusselfestival.com.