ST MICHAELS, MD – Wooden and fiberglass classics, vintage racers, and other antique and Chesapeake Bay-related boats are coming to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum beginning Friday, June 14 for the 32nd annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival and the Arts at Navy Point in St. Michaels, Md.
Hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, this Father’s Day weekend event brings a sense of nostalgia to the Miles River and CBMM’s docks and campus, drawing some of the area’s finest classic boats, nautical and maritime treasures, entertainment, food, and libations to this waterfront festival.
This year’s festival highlights racing on the Chesapeake, with some unique and high-powered racing boats expected to attend, along with land displays and seminars on the Bay’s association with power boat racing.
The show attracts the finest runabouts to yachts, including race boats, work boats, launches, hydroplanes, and utilities. Chris-Craft, Trumpy, Gar Wood, Donzi, and Lyman are among some of the boats represented with sizes from a 9-foot hydroplane to 70-foot plus cruisers. A crowd favorite, several Jersey Speed Skiffs, will be displaying their aptly named strengths throughout the show.
“With a juried competition among entrants for best restored and preserved boats, this festival attracts the best of the best when it comes to classic and antique boats,” commented ACBS-Chesapeake Bay Chapter Festival Chairman Bob Hamilton. “Add CBMM’s beautiful waterfront, plus family activities, boat rides, great food and a rum bar, and this makes a nice day for everyone to enjoy.”
From Friday, June 14 through Sunday, June 16, the festival’s signature Arts at Navy Point pavilion brings more than 70 juried fine artists, craftspeople, and vendors to CBMM’s waterfront campus, offering nautical and maritime-themed items for boat and home.
Friday and Saturday are always the highlight of the weekend’s festivities, however Sunday will continue with several boats remaining for viewing as well as the full slate of vendors through mid-afternoon.
Workshops and seminars, building demonstrations, family activities, and a nautical flea market will be available throughout the weekend, along with a selection of regional and grilled foods, music, and a waterside bar and deck for libations and other drinks. Times and information on all seminars will be announced at a later date and will be in the Festival program given out at the event.
Along the Fogg’s Landing side of CBMM’s campus, the festival’s Field of Dreams features an array of restorable classic boats and motors, along with other items in a nautical flea market sale.
While at the Antique & Classic Boat Festival, guests can also watch the restoration of the 1912 tug Delaware, and the newest reproduction of the 17th century ship Maryland Dove. Special exhibitions include On Land and On Sea: A Century of Women in the Rosenfeld Collection, Beach Finds of the Chesapeake, and Deconstructing Decoys: The Culture of Collecting.
Scenic river cruises aboard CBMM’s 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle will be offered throughout the festival, with boat rides and food an additional cost. For safety reasons, non-service dogs are prohibited at CBMM festivals.
Festival hours are Friday from 11:00 am to 5:00pm, and Saturday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, with the Arts at Navy Point and limited boat displays continuing on Sunday from 10:00am – 2:00pm. The festival includes two-day admission to all of CBMM’s special and permanent exhibitions, including the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, where guests can climb to the top for views of the Miles River and St. Michaels harbor. Friday and Saturday admission is $5 for CBMM adult members, or $18 for adults; $15 for seniors and students with ID; and $6 for children 6-17. Admission to the festival on Sunday is free for CBMM members or regular museum admission for non-members.
Festival parking and a Saturday shuttle service are free, with CBMM a short walk to specialty shops, restaurants, inns, bed & breakfasts, and other attractions in St. Michaels’ historic district. For advanced tickets and more information about the festival, visit cbmm.org/acbf or call 410-745-2916. For information about CBMM, visit cbmm.org and for information on the Antique & Classic Boat Society’s Chesapeake Bay Chapter, visit chesapeakebayacbs.org.
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