Key Largo Stone Crab And Seafood Festival Returns

Key Largo's popular Stone Crab and Seafood Festival will be back again in early 2014. During the last weekend of January, Jan. 25 and 26, Rowell's Marina, at mile marker 104.5 bayside in Key Largo, Fla., will be filled with fresh local seafood, live music, and cooking demonstrations.

Sponsored by the Key Largo Fisheries and Key Largo Merchants Association, the fifth annual event is set to be a family-oriented weekend celebrating local food.

At seafood booths guests can pick their favorites seafood dishes such as stone crab claws, homemade smoked fish dip, conch fritters, chowders, tuna nachos, and lobster. For those steering away from the fish and seafood, other food options will include chicken, sausage, burgers, and hot dogs.

At cooking demonstrations, local chefs will take turns showing attendees tips on how to make "favorite Keys dishes," along with samples of items such as crabcakes, lobster and conch ceviche, grilled oysters and coconut mahimahi.

For the competitive festival-goers, there are open spots in both shrimp- and Key lime pie-eating contests.

Besides the food-related events, the weekend will showcase attractions such as artisan vendor booths, fireworks, face painting for kids, fishing workshops, a little mermaid contest, and even a  car show.

The Key Largo Stone Crab and Seafood Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 per adult and free for children age 12 and under.