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28th Antique & Classic Boat Festival comes to CBMM June 19-21

Wooden classics, vintage race boats, and other antique and Chesapeake Bay-related boats are coming to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum June 19-21 for the 28th annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival. Hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, this Father’s Day weekend event brings an era of by-gone days to the Miles River and CBMM’s waterfront campus.

CBMM_Antique & Classic Boat Festival 5Scenic Miles River boat rides on the 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle will be offered by CBMM throughout the three-day festival. Items commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary will also be available for purchase at the Museum Store, with all proceeds supporting the children and adults served by CBMM’s educational, exhibition, and boat restoration programs.

More than 100 wooden classics and vintage boats will be on land and in the water for this ACBS-judged boat show, including a selection of Chris Craft, Owens, Century, Donzi, Glaspar, Whirlwind, Shepherd, Trumpy, Lyman, and more. Boats range from runabouts to yachts, including race boats, work boats, launches, hydroplanes, and utilities. Some of the boats will be paired with a selection of antique and classic cars of the same time period, making for great photo opportunities with the family. Additionally, owners of some of the restored yachts and cabin cruisers will offer boarding along CBMM’s docks, with Saturday noted as the best day for seeing the most boats, and for walk-on tours.

Along with the East Coast’s largest collection of antique and classic boats, the festival’s signature Arts at Navy Point pavilion brings 70 juried fine artists, craftspeople, and vendors to St. Michaels, offering nautical and maritime-themed items for boat and home.

CBMM’s Fogg’s Landing will feature the festival’s Field of Dreams featuring a selection of pre-1976 classic boats for sale, along with other items in a nautical flea market. Regional and grilled foods, music, and a Pyrat rum bar will round out the event for festival-goers. Among other family activities, children can make and sail their own small boats in a small pond or watch radio-controlled model boats motoring and sailing out on Fogg’s Cove. New this year will be a Kids in Boats program, which gives children and their adult chaperones the opportunity to get out on the water in a real boat.

Festival admission includes entrance to CBMM’s new special exhibitions, Chesapeake Swan Song: From Commodity to Conservation in the Waterfowling Building, and A Broad Reach: 50 Years of Collecting in the Steamboat Building. During the festival, visitors will have full access to CBMM’s 12 exhibition buildings, including the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse.

St. Michaels’ antique shops will carry the festival’s theme throughout the historic waterfront town, with other local merchants and restaurants featuring classic boating wear, boat drinks, and other maritime-themed goods throughout the three-day event.

On Saturday evening, festival-goers are invited to A Celebration in C at the St. Michaels High School Auditorium. The concert is one in a series of the 30th annual Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival, and features compositions by Mozart and Schubert. Details and advanced tickets are available at www.chesapeakechambermusic.org.

Festival hours are Friday, June 19, from 11-5 p.m.; Saturday, June 20, from 10-5 p.m.; and Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, from 10-2 p.m. The festival includes admission to all museum exhibitions where authentic Chesapeake boats, cultures, and traditions are highlighted. Admission is good for two consecutive days and is set at $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and students with ID, or $6 for children 6-17. Entry for museum members and children under six is free. Boat rides and food are an additional cost. For more information, call 410-745-2916 or visit www.cbmm.org/acbf