Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum hosts Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival XXXX on Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8

 The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum hosts Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival XXXX on Friday-Sunday, Oct. 6-8, welcoming one of the nation’s largest gatherings of small boat enthusiasts and unique watercraft back to its waterfront campus.

 Hundreds of amateur and professional boatbuilders and enthusiasts will come from all over the region to display their one-of-a-kind kayaks, canoes, and other traditional small craft at the 40^th edition of the annual festival, which runs 10am–5pm all three days.

 

Public entrance to the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival is included with CBMM’s general admission, which is good for two consecutive days and free for CBMM members.

 

Head to cbmm.org/MASCF to learn more about the three-day event. Anyone looking to register as a participant and gain access to the full slate of events can get more info at cbmm.org/MASCFparticipants.

 

A family-friendly fall staple, MASCF invites guests to marvel at the craftsmanship and innovation used in traditional and contemporary small craft, showcased both on land and in the water, while enjoying all that CBMM has to offer across its 18-acre campus. Throughout the weekend, boat owners are encouraged to share their knowledge and boating experiences with guests.

 

Saturday offers a full slate of MASCF activities. CBMM Shipyard staff and Chesapeake Wooden Boat Builders School instructors will offer boatbuilding and maritime demonstrations that day, and Chesapeake Light Craft will be on site with a selection of vessels from its fleet for guests to demo.

 

That afternoon, there will be a spirited small craft race on the Miles River. Guests are encouraged to watch all the action from CBMM’s waterfront and docks.

 

Also on Saturday, guests are invited to a special presentation in CBMM’s Shipyard. A weeklong workshop on traditional Japanese boatbuilding, led by author, boatbuilder, and educator Douglas Brooks, concludes with a traditional Shinto launching ceremony to celebrate the completion of a 21-foot Japanese river boat. That evening, Brooks will be the keynote speaker at the dinner for MASCF participants.

 

Everyone on campus for MASCF will be able to vote for their favorite boat, with the People’s Choice award and others announced among participants on Saturday evening. Limited offerings will be available for the public to see on Sunday.

 

For safety reasons, non-service dogs need to be kept home during CBMM festivals, including the Mid-Atlantic Small Craft Festival.

Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair to be held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum June 16-18

Wooden and fiberglass classics, vintage racers, and other antique boats return to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum from June 16-18 for the 35th Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair.

Hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, this Father’s Day weekend tradition is one of the largest classic boat shows in the Mid-Atlantic region and annually brings a sense of nostalgia to the Miles River and CBMM’s waterfront campus. Learn more here.

In addition to the wide range of vessels on display representing a multitude of makers and eras, the Antique & Classic Boat Festival is accompanied by a juried Coastal Arts Fair showcasing vendors whose products, services, and art represent boats, the water, and coastal life.

Driven by the Antique & Classic Boat Society – Chesapeake Bay Chapter’s mission of continuing the legacy of these venerable vessels through preservation, restoration and education, the festival will feature a lineup of 10 seminars on Friday and Saturday highlighting experts, historians, and authors. (Find the full schedule here.) Other festival highlights include a Field of Dreams for those looking to buy, boat rides, a nautical flea market, and a children’s scavenger hunt, as well as a DJ spinning classic tunes.

The three-day celebration of the past, present, and future of antique and classic boating invites guests to take a step back in time. This year’s festival highlights the theme of “Show Us Your First Love,” inviting boat owners to display their boats and share stories about what first launched them on their lifelong love of classic and antique boats.

In addition to advanced sales online for Friday-Saturday and Saturday-Sunday, tickets will be available at CBMM throughout the festival. No single-day tickets will be sold to this rain or shine event.

Additional free event parking for Saturday’s festivities will be available at St. Michaels
Middle/High School, with a complimentary shuttle service to and from CBMM.

For safety reasons, non-service dogs need to be kept home during CBMM festivals, including the Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair. Carry-on alcohol from dock or land is prohibited.

Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair
Friday, June 16 – 10am-5pm
Saturday, June 17 – 10am-5pm
Sunday, June 18 – 10am-3pm
(All tickets are good for two days. Purchase now for Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday.)

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS

CBMM to celebrate Independence Day with Big Band Night

 CBMM to celebrate Independence Day with Big Band Night

 

ST. MICHAELS, Md., June 1, 2023 – In celebration of Independence Day, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host Big Band Night on July 1, inviting guests to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets for an evening of music, dancing, and fireworks along the Miles River.

 

The Shades of Blue Orchestra brings its signature sound starting at 7pm, and CBMM’s waterfront campus offers a great vantage point to enjoy the St. Michaels fireworks, which begin at dusk that evening. The rain date for the concert and fireworks is July 2.

 

Food, ice cream, and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase during the event, which is generously sponsored by Eastern Shore Tents & Events.

 

Mixing popular standards, a variety of musical styles, and dance-able rhythms, the Shades of Blue Orchestra combines brass, woodwind, and rhythm instruments to present music from the 1930s to present representing an eclectic variety of genres. This 18-piece Big Band based out of Baltimore has been entertaining guests across the region since 1976.

 

CBMM’s Welcome Center will open at 6pm for guests to enter campus for Big Band Night. Admission to this event is $6 for CBMM members and $10 for non-members, with children ages 5 and under, plus active and retired military, free. Purchase tickets and get more information at cbmm.org/BigBandNight.

Concerts in the Park Series begins June 8th in St. Michaels, MD

The St. Michaels Community Center’s Concerts in the Park Series is returning to the waterfront Muskrat Park on Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. beginning June 8 and continuing through Aug. 31.

 

The sounds of summer begin with Rosewood performing on June 8. The Eastern Shore-based band features the dynamic and lush vocals of Sandy Ryder performing great standards from the ‘60s to today, including country, blues, and contemporary rock.

 

All 13 performances are listed on the St. Michaels Community Center’s website, with earlier performances including JCT 33, Sarah Campbell, New & Used Bluegrass, Ampersand, Down the Road, and more.

 

Muskrat Park features an expansive lawn overlooking St. Michaels Harbor and the Miles River, with limited picnic tables and a covered gazebo for performances. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or their own seating, along with friends, family, neighbors, your leashed dog, or just yourself to enjoy the concerts. Picnics are encouraged, with alcohol prohibited.

 

Ice cream, popcorn, snow cones, bottled water, and other treats will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the children and adults served by the St. Michaels Community Center. Plenty of locally-owned restaurants and parking are also nearby.

 

The free concert series is made possible through the generous sponsorship of local businesses acknowledged at each concert. Concert series sponsors include Ava's Pizzeria & Wine Bar, The Blue Crab, Blue Heron Coffee, Bridges Land Management, Built on Love and Dreams, The Crab Claw Restaurant, Eastern Shore Ship | Print | Connect, Foxy’s Harbor Grille, The Galley Restaurant, Gina’s Café, Guilford & Company, The Harmon Family, Higgins & Spencer, Higgins Yacht Yard, Justine’s Ice Cream, Log Canoe Inn, Marasun Roofing, Mid-Atlantic Waste System, Ophiuroidea "The O", Pemberton Pharmacy & Gifts, The Preppy Redneck, Rebecca Thomas Events, Ruse, Shore Orthopedics, Shore United Bank, Simpatico, St. Michaels Running Company, Talbot Watermen Association, Tickler’s Crab Shack, Theo's Steaks, Sides & Spirits, Total Home Performance, Wades Point Inn on the Bay, and The Wildset Hotel.

 

The St. Michaels Community Center is currently campaigning for donations supporting the renovations now underway of its building at 103 Railroad Ave., with expanded programs and services to include its new culinary arts and hospitality workforce training program.

 

The renovations support SMCC’s mission to serve, empower, and connect the community, with year-round programs and activities. Architectural renderings of the new building and more about SMCC’s capital improvements are at www.stmichaelscc.org/future.  

 

Donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels help the nonprofit ensure children and adults from the Newcomb Bridge to Tilghman Island have the resources they need. More is at www.stmichaelscc.org.

 

St. Michaels ChocolateFest returns Saturday, March 4th

The 5th Annual St. Michaels ChocolateFest will be held March 4, 2023 and will include restaurant chefs conjuring up amazing delectable special menu items to showcase chocolate inspired dishes and desserts.  The Chocolate Crawl will take place on Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. until sold out throughout the Town of St. Michaels at participating businesses and restaurants.  There will be no tickets sold in advance, so come hungry and bring cash to pay for delectable items throughout the Town of St. Michaels.

Chocolate lovers will enjoy shopping throughout town sampling amazing artisan chocolates, desserts, locally crafted wine, beer and spirits.

Kick off your morning with the Hot Chocolate 5k (3.1 mile) Fun Run/Walk and burn off those calories (so you can fill them back up with delicious CHOCOLATE!!!!) before heading to town for the ChocolateFest Crawl. The 5K will start at the St. Michaels Running Company at 9 a.m. continue down Railroad Ave to the St. Michaels nature trail and back for some tasty hot chocolate. The course will take you on the scenic St. Michaels Nature Trail.

There will also be events throughout the Town of St. Michaels, including the 5th Annual Chocolate Pie Eating Contest starting at 3pm held at The Galley Restaurant located at 305 S. Talbot Street. Kids and adults are welcome and encouraged to participate and register early, space is limited.  Visit website for complete details and to register for special events. www.stmichaelsmd.org 

St. Michaels Community Center names Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team

St. Michaels Community Center names Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team

 The St. Michaels Community Center's current renovations are about more than just a building because the new Community Center will be home to new programs, including culinary and hospitality workforce training.

 A new Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team is helping the St. Michaels Community Center plan and execute these new workforce training programs, with advisory members including Chesapeake College Workforce Programs Dean Jason Mullen, Maryland 2022 Chef of the Year and The Inn at Perry Cabin Executive Chef Gregory James, Ava's Pizzeria & Theo's Steakhouse Executive Chef Derek Dilley, Gina's Café Owner and Executive Chef Gina Werner, Perdue Farms Culinary Team Corporate Executive Chef Chris Moyer, CEC, CRC, and Hambleton House Events & Catering Owners Executive Chef Jordan Lloyd and Alice Lloyd.

 “The St. Michaels Community Center has a three-point mission that includes connecting people to resources,” says SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe. “And now we have connected an incredibly talented group of culinary professionals to help build our future programs. We are extremely grateful for the insights and guidance from these advisory team members."

 

The Community Center’s renovated building will be an adaptive redesign of its current structure, meaning some parts of the World War II-era building will remain. The project team includes general contractor Harper & Sons, Inc. and engineering by Lane Engineers, both of Easton, Md. The project’s architect is McInturff Architects of Bethesda and Neavitt, Md.

 The new building will include a modern, well-equipped commercial kitchen, where SMCC will train people for jobs in restaurants and hotels, and from which the Center can continue to serve and deliver prepared meals and tens of thousands of bags of groceries to those in need.

 The new Community Center also will include a Technology Center where students can do their homework and space for after-school programs and community gatherings. SMCC is working with Chesapeake College and other partners to provide high-level instruction right in the middle of town.

 Architectural renderings of the new building and more about SMCC’s planned capital improvements, including updates and information about how to support the campaign are at www.stmichaelscc.org/future.

 The St. Michaels Community Center’s mission is to serve, empower, and connect the community, with year-round essential human services programs and activities for children, families, and adults. Tax-deductible donations to SMCC and proceeds from its Treasure Cove Thrift Shop on Railroad Ave. in St. Michaels help the nonprofit provide year-round programs, services, and community events for people in St. Michaels and the Bay Hundred’s communities, with more at www.stmichaelscc.org. 

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 PHOTOS/CUTLINES:

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SMCC Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team Member Chef Jordan Lloyd of Hambleton House Events & Catering, left, with SMCC Executive Director Patrick Rofe, right, in SMCC's temporary kitchen space during renovations. SMCC is renovating its Railroad Ave. building, which will include a modern, well-equipped commercial kitchen for a new culinary and hospitality workforce training program, with a Culinary & Hospitality Advisory Team helping to guide the program’s success. More is at www.stmichaelscc.org/future.

 

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From left: The Inn at Perry Cabin Chef Skylar Pasaante, Executive Chef Gregory James, and Food and Beverage Director Katt Bradley bring and serve salad for a recent holiday meal at the St. Michaels Community Center, serving more than 150 people. James is a member of SMCC’s Culinary Advisory Team and is helping the St. Michaels Community Center plan and execute new culinary and hospitality workforce training programs. More is at www.stmichaelscc.org/future.