New This Year at Chestertown Tea Party -

Photograph by SG Atkinson: Chestertown Tea Party re-enactment concludes with the Tea in the Harbor. — Chestertown Tea Party re-enactment concludes with the Tea in the Harbor.

The tale is that in May of 1774 that the town on the Chester, Chestertown had a tea party much like the one in Boston a few month earlier. That event is recreated each year in Chestertown during Saturday if Memorial Day weekend.

If you haven’t been to the Chestertown Tea Party Festival, which is now a weekend long event. Or if you haven’t been in a few years. This is one to go to. There are a couple of new items this year.

The Budweiser Clydesdale will be in the annual parade and afterward will can be seen at Chestertown’s Wilmer Park, just a couple of blocks away from the main event.

Also in this year’s Parade will be the The 1st Regiment of Light Dragoons. They will hold a sabering and lancing demonstration in Wilmer Park at noon. Horses will also be available in the Colonial Village along with Ben Franklin, a black smith, and activities for little ones.

Colonial Village: Photo by SG Atkinson — Colonial Village

The Chestertown Tea Party Festival is a weekend long event beginning on Friday evening with a Block Party at the foot of High Street. Saturday morning begins early with the Tea Party Classic Run (10K/Mile) at Wilmer Park. The downtown activities begins at 9am with all sort of vendors selling their home made crafts. The Parade begins at 10am. This year’s Grand Marshall is Kate Livie. The Edna Ross Award will be presented to Bob Ramsey. The Edna Ross Award is given annually to a local business person for outstanding service to the community. The award was created by Chestertown Tea Party Festival organizers in 2011 to honor Ross and all she had done for Chestertown.

Photograph by SG Atkinson: Pat Patterson, Historical Society of Kent County, reads the Chestertown Resolves. — Pat Patterson, Historical Society of Kent County, reads the Chestertown Resolves.

The highlight of the day, the Tea Party Re-enactment is a 2pm. The not quite new, 2017 was the 1st year, reading of the Chestertown Resolves by Pat Patterson of the Historical Society of Kent County will lead up to the re-enactment.

On Sunday the activities move to Wilmer Park. Along withlocal wine and craft beer tastings, more entertainment, crafts and food. The day’s main event, the Raft Race, is at at 2:00pm

Monday is Memorial Day. While not actually part of the Chestertown Tea Party, the town will hold a Parade of Honor at 10am.

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Photographs by SG Atkinson – ShoreToBeFun Photographs.