Sea Glass Festival’s Speakers, Music Line-up Announced

ST MICHAELS, MD – On April 6 and 7, 2019 the 8th Annual Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival brings live music and educational speakers to the waterfront campus of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md., with guests encouraged to bring their own sea glass and other finds for identification by sea glass professionals, and to enter in the festival’s Beach Finds Contest.

On Saturday, April 6, renowned sea glass expert and author Richard LaMotte will be available from 10-5pm in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium to help festival-goers identify sea glass and other beachcombing finds. LaMotte’s book, Pure Sea Glass, Discovering Nature’s Vanishing Gems, is a master reference on sea glass for North American collectors, earning first place in nonfiction from the Writer’s Digest 13th Annual International Self-Published Book Awards. He recently published The Lure of Sea Glass, Our Connection to Nature’s Gems.

The Sea Glass Center’s Mary McCarthy will also be on hand throughout the festival, offering talks on the Beach Finds of the Chesapeake exhibition at CBMM from 1-2pm. on Saturday, April 6, and again on Sunday, April 7 from noon – 1pm. The Sea Glass Center is a non-profit organization preserving and presenting the historical, artistic, and cultural significance of sea glass through education. McCarthy will also be available to help festival-goers with sea glass shard identification during all non-presentation hours.

Beach Finds of the Chesapeake is a special exhibition in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium that opens during the festival, and continues through June 29. Beach Finds of the Chesapeake explores a sampling of the different types of finds discovered by those who seek to preserve the history of our region by collecting fragments of its past. From shark teeth and other 20-million-year-old Miocene-era fossils, through Victorian doll parts and marbles, to modern plastic toys and marine debris found today, the Chesapeake Bay holds history, treasures and trash alike to be discovered by beachcombers who search its disappearing shorelines.

On Sunday, April 7 from 1-3pm, festival-goers are encouraged to bring their own finds to participate in the Beach Finds Contest, with winners chosen for best-in-show and runner up, most unique, and honorable mentions. Winners will be announced at the Van Lennep Auditorium at 3:30pm.

Saturday brings two live music performances to the festival, beginning with Dave Hawkins playing from 10-1pm and continuing with Jayme Dingler from 2- 5pm. Along with vocals, Dave Hawkins plays his many Taylor guitars, and his 100-year-old fiddle, performing everything from original songs, to Dave Matthew, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, and many others. Dingler is a singer-songwriter from the Eastern Shore area, and plays a variety of genres, from jazz and blues to the popular music of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, and more.

Headlining on Sunday will be Jason Morton & The Chesapeake Sons, playing from the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand from noon – 3pm. Jason Morton and The Chesapeake Sons has a large following along the Atlantic seaboard, with its sonic heritage connecting the band firmly to The Black Crowes, the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Marshall Tucker Band.

The Sea Glass Festival will feature more than 70 artisans who will exhibit and sell coastal and sea glass related jewelry, home décor, art, and more. The festival also includes educational lectures about sea glass and its history along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

During the festival, scenic Miles River cruises aboard the Patriot will depart each day at 12:30pm and 2:30pm. The 65-minute cruises will be offered to Sea Glass Festival patrons at a reduced price of $10 per passenger, with boarding passes reserved the day of the event at Patriot Cruises’ ticket booth.

Boat rides, food and beverages will be available for purchase, including beer, wine, and cocktails. Additional free event parking will be available at St. Michaels High School, with a complimentary shuttle service to and from CBMM running throughout the day. For safety reasons, non-service dogs need to be kept home during CBMM festivals, including the Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival. Carry-on alcohol from dock or land is prohibited.

More information and advanced tickets are available at seaglassfestival.com, with tickets also sold at CBMM the day of the event.

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~ Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Photos Submitted with article