DrinkMaryland: Centreville – A Maryland Makers Festival will take place in historic downtown Centreville along Queen Anne’s County Courthouse Square on Lawyers Row and Broadway, in the shadows of the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the state of Maryland.
Entrance to the event is free and open to the public, but guests 21+ with a valid ID can also purchase a sampling pass to taste wine, beer and spirits from various craft beverage makers from all across the state. Tasting passes are $20.00 in advance and $25.00 at the door.
The event partnership enables the Town of Centreville to build capacity to execute a signature event to showcase the town to visitors and responds to recommendations from a recent Main Street market study. “The response to last year’s event was amazing,” says Carol D’Agostino, Main Street manager. “Festival-goers, sponsors and vendors all gave positive reviews. We drew about 1,800 to 2,000 festival-goers from seven different states in addition to Maryland, and Washington, D.C.,” she adds.
This year’s event will feature nearly 40 Maryland makers including artisans, authors, fine artists as well as wineries, breweries and distillers, food vendors and a best crab appetizer contest for restaurants. The event stage will be emceed by Paul Cullen, personal chef, sommelier, and bassist for the rock band Bad Company in the early ’90s. Performing live on stage will be Shelby Blondell, singer/songwriter and serial entrepreneur who will be doing double-duty as an artisan selling her patent-pending invention, The Shelly. The Shelly is a stainless steel combination crab mallet, shelling blade and bottle opener. Joining Shelby on stage will be two popular area bands returning from last year: The Dell Fox Company and the Guthrie Matthews Method.
Event corporate sponsors at press time include: Rosendale Realty; Atlantic Broadband; Rural Maryland Council; Queenstown Bank; RE/MAX Executive; Liberty Title & Escrow; and Southern Trust Mortgage. Last year’s event sponsors were: Grandstand Glassware (Glassware Sponsor); Rosendale Realty; Shore United Bank; Queen Anne’s County Centre for the Arts; Atlantic Broadband; Avon Dixon Insurance Agency; Rural Maryland Council; and What’s Up Media (Media Sponsor).
Ample parking from shuttle transportation lots and parking throughout town is available. For more information, visit DrinkMaryland.org or contact Carol D’Agostino at (410) 758-1180, ext. 17 or mainstreet@townofcentreville.org.
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~ Mainstreet Centreville