“It’s called a local festival of small proportion and great fun: The annual Penn Cove Mussel Festival in Coupeville this weekend promises a mussel chowder-off, a mussel egg hunt and MusselMint Hunt, the Snailpace Mussel Race, cooking demonstrations, a mussel-eating contest, an old-fashioned mussel toss, a Muscle Man contest and other mussel stuff.And if the free events aren’t enough, The captain Whidbey Inn hosts its annual Mussel Farmers’ and Brewmaster’s Dinner on Friday night and the Winemakers’ Dinner Saturday. On Sunday Dick Patterson, vintner for Greenbank Farm, will conduct a wine tasting of Greenbank Farm wines. (Call 360-678-4097 for reservations.)The event will also feature daily cruises on the 52-foot ketch, Cutty Sark, for sailing tours of Penn Cove, including an up-close trip past the Penn Cove Mussel Farm. The Shifty Sailors will sing at the Rec Hall and on Front Street throughout the festival. The annual Mussel Eating Contest will be held on Sunday. Last year’s winner was third grader Chris Egner of Freeland, who just beat out previous champion Fred Cherry of California, who is 81 this year. A gallery walk is planned in Coupeville, and there is free shuttle service between the various venues on March 4.For more information on the Mussel Festival call 360-678-5434 or visit www.captainwhidbey.com. “