Sunday, July 31, 2005

CLAWS AND EFFECT. Haul your appetite to the Crab Days festival at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael's, Md., which ends today . Glean crab-picking tips from the experts, then use them at lunch. There'll be a crab toss and touch tank for the kids and music for all. Can't make it today? Try the self-proclaimed World's Largest Crab Feast (the Annapolis Rotary Crab Feast) on Aug. 5. The hefty entrance ticket is good for all-you-can-eat, and with 360 bushels of crabs, 3,600 ears of corn and 75 gallons of crab soup that's quite a bit.

St. Michael's: $11 (crabs not included). About 90 minutes from the Beltway. 410-745-2916,http://www.cbmm.org. Annapolis: $50. 5 to 8 p.m. About 30 minutes from the Beltway at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. 410-263-2448,http://www.annapolisrotary.com.

-- Anne McDonough