St Michaels – On Saturday, April 4, and Sunday, April 5, 2020 the Eastern Shore Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival will return for the second time to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. The festival, now in its ninth year, takes place on CBMM’s waterfront campus from 10am–5 pm Saturday and 10am–4pm Sunday, with all tickets valid for admission on both days.
“Last year’s festival at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum exceeded all of our expectations,” said Eastern Shore Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival Founder and Organizer Kim Hannon. “I’m so excited about co-hosting the event with CBMM again this year and offering our guests amazing waterfront views and exhibits, plus a chance to shop from even more vendors and artists.”
This year’s festival will feature more than 90 artisans, many from the local Delmarva area, and others from as far away as Hawaii, who will exhibit and sell coastal and sea-glass related jewelry, home décor, art, and more. The festival also includes two days of educational lectures by renowned experts — photographer Jay Fleming, who will discuss his photography along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, and Deacon Ritterbush, aka “Dr. Beachcomb,” and Mary McCarthy, who will present exciting lectures about sea glass and its history.
The festival will also feature live music both days on two stages from local musicians John Belser, Jayme Dingler, Dave Hawkins, Emma Myers, and Chris Sacks, and headlining on Saturday under the Tolchester Beach Bandstand will be Annapolis-based band Pressing Strings. The two-day festival ticket includes entrance to the Eastern Shore Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival, educational lectures and documentaries, live music, and all of the exhibitions and historic structures on CBMM’s 18-acre campus. Miles River cruises aboard CBMM’s 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle will be offered throughout both days, weather permitting.
Coinciding with the festival will be the opening of a new exhibition in CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium titled Island Life: Changing Cultures, Changing Shorelines. This exhibition, which will be on display from April 3–Aug. 30, 2020, features works by photographer Jay Fleming that reveal how the changing environment is affecting the cultures and shorelines of inhabited and formerly inhabited offshore islands in the Chesapeake.
The two-day festival ticket is set at $16 for adults in advance or $18 at the door; $15 for seniors (65+), and college students and retired military with ID; $6 for children 6–17; and $5 for CBMM members, member’s children 6-17; and active military (with ID). Advanced admission tickets can be purchased online at cbmm.org/seaglassfestival, with tickets also sold at CBMM the day of the event. No single-day tickets will be sold. Vendor information and more about the festival can also be found at seaglassfestival.com.
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 and Coastal Arts Festival. Carry-on alcohol from dock or land is prohibited.
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~ Eastern Shore Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival; Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum