Kent Island, MD:
Back by popular demand, Kent Island Yacht Club is now featuring two full show days of classic cars and boats for the 7th Annual Chesapeake Bay Motoring Festival. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, June 10-11, 2023 on the yacht club’s majestic waterfront lawn and showcases a unique grouping of antique, classic, hot rod, and sportscars surrounded by antique and classic speed boats, yachts, and more.
This year’s event tickets are good for two-day admission, with each day including live music, local seafood, a selection of food trucks, libations, vendor tents, and more. Children under 12 get in free with an accompanying adult. For a limited time, early-bird discounted two-day tickets can be purchased on the festival’s website.
On Saturday, June 10, a Cars and Coffee meet-up kicks off the two-day festival at 8:30 a.m., with the day’s offerings and activities showcasing car clubs, hot rods, muscle cars, and more through 4 p.m.
On Sunday, June 11, the event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and focuses on classic automobiles, elegant motorcars from bygone days, and more. Wrapping up the event is a popular amusing awards ceremony which takes place waterside at 2 p.m., with fine champagne prizes given for winners deemed in categories like “best car to take your momma to church,” or “car most inclined to stop for gas,” for example. The People’s Choice award will represent the event’s best of show, with the winner invited to participate in an honored position at the Concours d’Elegance taking place at the Kent Island Yacht Club this fall.
The Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society is a co-sponsor of the event and will have a selection of classic boats and yachts along Kent Island Yacht Club’s waterfront, with dockside, onboard tours available.
The Chesapeake Bay Motoring Festival is presented by Bentley and the St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance on Chesapeake Bay. Other sponsors include Palm Facility Services, Preston Automotive Group, and Thomas’s Fine Jewelry.
“Kent Island Yacht Club’s location is the perfect getaway for festival-goers coming from throughout the Mid-Atlantic,” said Chesapeake Bay Motoring Festival Chair Luke L. Phipps. “The beautiful and convenient location of the yacht club makes this a great celebration of motoring excellence on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.”
Kent Narrows is a short drive from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, with restaurants, marinas, hotels, tiki bars, retail, and more. The waterway is five miles from the Chesapeake Bay and connects the Chester River with the Eastern Bay while separating Kent Island from the rest of the Delmarva Peninsula.
Phipps says a limited number of suites and rooms are reserved for show entrants at the new, waterfront Hyatt Place Kent Narrows & Marina. The hotel includes ample amenities, with suites and rooms offering full views and balconies overlooking the scenic waters of the Chester River and Eastern Bay. Guests will also be in walking proximity to Kent Narrows’ numerous restaurants, marinas, tiki bars, and local landmarks.
For those wanting to come to the festival by boat, limited overnight and day dockage is available at the Kent Island Yacht Club and the Hyatt Place Kent Narrows. Docking at the Hyatt can be reserved directly with the hotel, while Yacht Club docking can be reserved by contacting Phipps at luke@smcde.org.
Phipps says the festival’s volunteers are welcoming individual owners and local car and boat club members to provide an eclectic display of motorcars, classic yachts, and antique boats as registered entrants for the show, with registration now being accepted online.
Limited early-bird Motoring Festival tickets are now available for purchase online at $25 until May 31. After May 31 tickets may be purchased at the gate for $30. Tickets must be displayed to gain and maintain entry, with lanyards provided onsite. Entrant registration, early bird discounted tickets, and sponsor information are all online at www.chesapeakebaymotoringfestival.org.
The Chesapeake Bay Motoring Festival is presented by the St. Michaels Concours d’Elegance, which takes place September 22-24, 2023 at the Kent Island Yacht Club, with more at www.smcde.org.
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