People with a strong sense of direction and who are achin’ for some delicious eats should head to Coupeville this weekend for the 20th annual Penn Cove Mussel Festival.

“Our whole concept is that the fun is good and the food is even better,” said Rita Kuller, chair of the Mussel Festival Association of Whidbey Island. “It’s all fun. Everything’s taken with a grain of salt — except the food, that’s taken seriously.”

The Penn Cove Mussel Festival is Whidbey’s own premier food festival that tends to muscle people ashore from other parts of the state and even country.

Downtown Coupeville will be brimming with mussel activities Saturday and Sunday. People can help judge the mussel chowder cook-off and taste all the varieties local eateries have to offer. There’s scavenger hunts, music, cooking demonstrations, eating contests and much more.

Eleven restaurants, including perennial Mussel Festival entrants Christopher’s, Toby’s Tavern, Anna’s Tea Room, County Deli, Tyee Restaurant and Lounge, and Knead & Feed, will be in the running for the mussel chowder cook-off’s People’s Choice award. They’ll stir things up against the likes of Coupeville Coffee House, Harbor Store Cafe, The Cove Restaurant at the Captain Whidbey Inn, Mad Crab Restaurant and Lounge, and The Pizza Factory. Yes, only during festival weekend will some of Coupeville’s eateries offer mussel chowder.

“Many people don’t even know Coupeville has this many restaurants, let alone that they’re this talented,” Kuller said. “The festival is a way to introduce even people who live on the island to something new.”

Back to defend the People’s Choice title in the chowder cook-off will be chef Jim Roberts of The Cove Restaurant at the Captain Whidbey Inn. No doubt, there will be strong competition Andreas Wurzrainer of Christopher’s Front Street Cafe, who last year was recognized as missing the title by but a fraction of a tally.

The mussel eating contest will be filling fun set at a strong pace. Will Coupeville resident Phil Crawford or Lori Wussow of Seattle return to defend their eating titles?

After multiple recipe wins will someone be able to out concoct defending recipe champ Dan Saul of Clinton?

The folks at Penn Cove Shellfish Co. continue to be integral in the planning and running of the festival. Penn Cove Shellfish Co., founded in 1975 by Peter Jefferds, is America’s oldest and largest commercial mussel farm.

During the Mussel Festival people can have the unique opportunity of taking a boat tour of the Penn Cove Shellfish mussel growing operation. Led by farm manager Tim Jones, the tours will explore everything from wildlife seen along the way to Penn Cove Shellfish’s sustainable aquaculture practices. An underwater camera onboard the boat will give tourgoers an upclose view of the mussel growing action underwater.

Penn Cove Shellfish is now operated by Peter Jefferd’s sons, who continue to be driving forces for the festival.

Expect to see Rawle Jefferds once again stirring things up as he holds cooking demonstrations at headquarters and helps emcee the mussel eating contest.

“The whole thing is just a kick in the pants,” Jefferds said. “There’s mussel munchers here of all ages.”

As always, the Mussel Fest hopes to “Give Mussel to Kids,” and proceeds from the festival support local charitable organizations that help children.

Don’t let all the mussel tasting opportunities, mussel music and mussel activities sound daunting. The mussel chowder ballot is a free ticket to ride the mussel shuttle to all those eateries. And if your muscles start to wear out, ease them with a massage and get back to the mussel fun.