Museum PR Announcements News and Information

May 23 brings Party on the Point festival to Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum St. Michaels

On May 23, the 18-acre waterfront campus of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will transform into festival grounds as the museum kicks off a year-long 50th anniversary celebration with Party on the Point: Celebrating 50 Years on the Bay. The festival will feature the opening of a new exhibition, A Broad Reach: 50 Years of Collecting, plus boat rides, live music, Rosie’s Tavern, regional foods, family activities, craft vendors, and more.

PartyonthePoint_BoatRides_Martha_May23The festival also launches #Snapshots2Selfies and a time capsule community project that will wrap up in May, 2016. Both projects encourage museum guests to share their memories of the Chesapeake Bay and visits to CBMM over the past 50 years through photographs and other memorabilia.

The first 500 hundred festival guests will receive complimentary ditty bags from the museum, which include a small gift, coupons, and other goodies from participating local area merchants. 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.

During the festival, scenic river cruises will be offered on the museum’s 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle, as well as on a selection of historic boats in CBMM’s floating fleet. The 1888 classic yacht Elf, which is maintained by the Classic Yacht Restoration Guild, will also offer dockside tours. Music begins at 10 a.m., with the XPDs performing live with their Motown sounds at the Tolchester Beach Bandstand from 1-5 p.m.

Dignitaries, honored guests, CBMM members and the public are invited to a ceremony commemorating the museum’s 50th anniversary, which is scheduled to take place at the Tolchester Beach Bandstand beginning at 2 p.m.

The museum was established in 1965, beginning in the historic Higgins, Dodson, and Eagle Houses along St. Michaels’ harbor, which now serve as the museum’s administrative buildings. Since then, CBMM has expanded to over 18 waterfront acres and 12 exhibition buildings, including the historic 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse and Small Boat Shed. The museum also exhibits and maintains the largest collection of Chesapeake Bay watercraft in the world.

“Today, we host nearly 70,000 guests annually,” said CBMM’s President Kristen Greenaway. “Imagine all the children and adults that we’ve served over the past 50 years who now have a deeper understanding of and closer relationship with the Chesapeake Bay. We’re very proud of the huge impact we’ve made, and are extremely grateful to the donors and local communities who have supported us along the way.”

The Crab Claw Restaurant and Patriot Cruises are also participating in the 50th anniversary celebrations. The Crab Claw is celebrating its own 50th anniversary with a Friday, May 22 evening event and Patriot Cruises will offer special cocktail river cruises on Sunday, May 24. More information on these events can be found at www.thecrabclaw.com or www.patriotcruises.com.

The festival is generously sponsored by Eastern Shore Tents & Events, with media sponsors including What’s Up? Media, 103.1 FM WRNR, 96.7 WCEI and 94.3 WINX FM radio. The Easton Amateur Radio Society will also be transmitting live from the event, using the call letters W3M. Rosie’s Tavern is generously sponsored by the Lyon Distilling Company of St. Michaels.

CBMM’s activities and events in celebration of the 50th anniversary include the new exhibition, which will open at a private President’s reception on May 22, before the public opening on May 23. The exhibition features the top 50 objects that have been accessioned into the museum’s collection over the past 50 years, and will be accompanied by a commemorative catalogue available for purchase in the Museum Store, featuring photographs of each collection piece.

The museum’s 50th anniversary corporate partners include PNC Financial Services Group, American Cruise Lines, Benson & Mangold, Chesapeake Shipbuilding, Easton Utilities, Fairfield Inn & Suites Easton, Graul’s Market, Guilford & Company, Higgins & Spencer, Patriot Cruises, Tidewater Inn, and Vane Brothers Company. CBMM’s 50th anniversary partners include the Academy for Lifelong Learning, St. Michaels Art League, and Christmas in St. Michaels.

Entry to the festival is free for museum members and children under six, or $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students with ID, and $6 for children 6-17. Boat rides and food are additional. To become a 50th anniversary corporate sponsor, contact René Stevenson at [email protected]. For more information, follow CBMM on Facebook or visit www.cbmm.org