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Rockport raising money to bring back the Big Blue Crab

Posted at 4:59 PM, Aug 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-20 19:52:17-04

Rockport’s Big Blue Crab that welcomes visitors at the beach entrance was destroyed during Hurricane Harvey.

A year later, a painting of a blue crab hangs, and the community is raising money in hopes of building a new Big Blue Crab.

The crab made its first appearance in town in 1957. Withstanding Hurricane Celia in 1970, it was taken down six years later because of deterioration.

The town went without the landmark for more than three decades. But in 2012, a resident designed and built a new Big Blue Crab that was 25 feet wide and 27 feet tall. That crab was destroyed in Harvey’s path.

​Debbie Parker, a Rockport resident and owner of Winery on the Bay, remembers the Big Blue Crab as an icon in the community.

“I always looked at him as kind of Rockport’s mascot,” Parker said. “It was just colorful, and it was beautiful and it was so fun,” she added.

Bobby Jackson, another Rockport resident, says there was fun for everyone when visiting the Big Blue Crab.

“It’s a great photo op for tourists and locals,” Jackson said. “You can see it from just about anywhere on the highway.”

Others visited Rockport while on vacation, but always made time to visit the the town’s famous spot.

“The big blue crab was kind of what Rockport was all about,” Kevin Jenkins said. He has lived in Rockport for several years, but used to vacation in the area when he lived in Alaska.

Now, residents who are still recovering almost a year after the hurricane say it’s only a matter of time before the Big Blue Crab returns.

“Everybody’s for it,” Jackson said. “I don’t know a single person that doesn’t want the crab back.”

Keep Aransas County Beautiful along with other businesses in the area are raising funds to help build a new Big Blue Crab.

The next fundraising event is October 18 at Winery on the Bay. For more information on how to donate, click here.