News Archives 2007 - July

25th Annual Crab Days is July 28-29 at CBMM

ST. MICHAELS, MD—The silver anniversary of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's Crab Days is more than just a feeding frenzy. A pirate-themed Kidstown for children, boat rides, crabbing and other maritime demonstrations, live music, and of course, Maryland blue crabs prepared a variety of ways, will make Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29 an event not to be missed!

The seat of honor for the festival is still held by the blue crab, who will be available for purchase in the form of steamed crabs, crab cakes, crab soup, and more. New this year will be an all-u-can-eat option on Saturday, July 28 from 4:30 - 8:00 p.m. The new Saturday evening portion of Crab Days will also include a live concert by Eastern Shore favorites Bird Dog and the Road Kings and available sunset cruises on the Miles River.

Pirates will be the theme for Kidstown, a special area dedicated to activities for children. Crab Days will also include opportunities to get out on the Miles River, either on the skipjack H.M. Krentz, CBMM's replica buyboat Mister Jim, or for a trotlining demonstration aboard the replica Smith Island crabbing skiff Volunteer.

On Sunday, July 29, restaurant crab dishes will be judged against one another as part of the "Celebrate Chesapeake: James A. Michener Centennial" program going on throughout the year. Restaurants signed up to date include Mason's, Restaurant Local, Town Dock, Sherwood's Landing at the Inn at Perry Cabin, Bella Luna, Market House Gourmet, Key Lime Café, Mitchum's Café and Steak House, and General Tanukis. Michener, who lived in Talbot County while researching and writing his book, "Chesapeake," enjoyed crab dishes, particularly the crab cakes at the Robert Morris Inn in Oxford.

The Crab Days festival will also include live bands and music, an appearance by the popular Maryland Crab Queens, maritime demonstrations, local artisans, as well as menu options for those less inclined for crustacean fare.

Festival hours are 12:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 28 and 12:00 - 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 29. Price for day-time admission to the festival, which includes admission to the Museum and all its exhibits is $13 for adults, $10 for seniors (62 years old and above), and $5 for children (ages 6 - 17). Children under 6 years old, and all CBMM members, are admitted free. Boat rides and food are an additional cost.

Admission time for the Saturday evening All-U-Can-Eat crab buffet begins at 4:30 p.m. and includes steamed crabs, corn on the cob, watermelon, fried chicken, and an entertaining concert by Bird Dog and the Road Kings. Food will be served until 8:00 p.m. The cost for the Saturday evening portion of the festival will be market-determined. Call the Museum for pricing information.

For more information, please visit the Museum's website at www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

Photographer Bill Burt to Give Talks on "Marshes" Exhibit & Wildlife Photography at CBMM

ST. MICHAELS, MD—Meet Bill Burt, the man behind the camera that shot the exceptional photographs in "Marshes: The Disappearing Edens," a newly opened exhibition at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Burt will be giving two talks at the Museum: one on Thursday, July 26 at 6:00 p.m. about the process, inspiration, and great lengths he went to capturing the stunning images in the "Marshes" exhibit, and a second presentation, Friday, July 27 at 10:00 a.m. geared for photographers and photography enthusiasts about wildlife and outdoor photography.

Burt's talk on Thursday July 26 will include a slide lecture, question and answer session, and a book signing after the talk. He has published three books on wildlife and the environment, "Rare and Elusive Birds of North America," "Shadowbirds," and the just released book, "Marshes: The Disappearing Edens," from Yale University Press, from which the exhibit draws photographs and excerpts. Burt will draw on his experiences mucking through marshes with his photography equipment and the lengths and process he went through to capture the various images that chronicle a fast-disappearing natural environment and its inhabitants. The cost for the talk is $5 for CBMM members and $10 for non-members. Copies of Burt's "Marshes" and "Shadowbirds" books will be available for purchase.

On Friday morning, July 27, Burt will focus his discussion on the photographic techniques, equipment, and processes he uses while photographing wildlife outdoors in its natural environment. This workshop will be geared for photographers and photography enthusiasts. The cost for the workshop is $15 for CBMM members and $25 for non-members.

Burt divides the images he shot for the Marshes book and exhibit into two categories, "those that can fly, swim, run, hop, or slink away, and those that can't," and prides himself in capturing the former in as natural a state as possible.

"None of the photographs are of captive birds or of birds restrained or baited in any way, except for the careful use of tape-recorded calls in one instance (the black rail)," writes Burt. "No props or perches were placed in the pictures, nor vegetation pulled back or cut away for a clear view; all scenes are just as they occurred in nature, except that at certain nests (American bittern, black rail) the foreground cover was held back temporarily, then brushed back into place."

Burt's photographs and stories can also be seen in Smithsonian, Audubon, National Wildlife and other magazines. His photographs have been exhibited in museums across the United States and Canada. The "Marshes" exhibit comes to CBMM from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh and after its 6-month stay in St. Michaels, the show will travel to the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas.

The "Marshes" exhibition is on display at the Museum through December 16. The exhibit, Burt's talks, and other programming is made possible in part through grants from the Choptank Electric Trust, Inc., the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, the Town Creek Foundation and Verizon Maryland.

For more information on the Marshes exhibit, Burt's talks, or other programs, please visit the Museum's website at www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

July 21 is Birding Day at CBMM's Saturdays for Kids!

ST. MICHAELS, MD—Saturday, July 21 is birding day for kids at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum! As part of the twice-a-month, Saturdays for Kids family program, children can hear a story about the area's most common birds such as starlings, sparrows, chickadees, cardinals, and robins at 10:30 a.m., then at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 3:00 p.m., they can make their backyard a better bird habitat by learning how to make a bird bath and a bird feeder.

The Saturdays for Kids program invites children and their families to visit the Museum on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month for storytelling, special tours, and hands-on art activities designed just for them. On July 21, children will explore the local population of backyard birds and learn how to identify some of the most common species by sight and call.

Each 1st and 3rd Saturday, at 10:30 young CBMM visitors (targeted for ages 3 to 7 years old) can enjoy Tidewater Tales by listening to an exciting story about the Chesapeake region in one of the Museum's exhibitions. Boys and girls will learn about Bay animals, local legends, history, and more. Drawing, exploration of objects, and other activities will be part of these programs. Tidewater Tales is free with admission.

In addition, children can participate in an art making or hands-on activity inspired by one of CBMM's exhibitions. During special guided tours exploring the Museum's collections, participants will learn about the different ways that the Chesapeake Bay has shaped the lives of local people. At 11:30, 1:00, or 3:00 children (ages 6 to 12) can drop by to take part in a unique hands-on experience. The program materials fee is $3 per child.

For more information about Saturdays for Kids or other children of family activities at the Museum, visit their website at www.cbmm.org, or call 410-745-2916.

August 4 is Lighthouse Day at
CBMM's Saturdays for Kids!

ST. MICHAELS, MD—On Saturday, August 4, kids can learn about lighthouses and the keepers who tended them at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum! As part of the twice-a-month, Saturdays for Kids family program, children can hear a story about life working and living in a lighthouse at 10:30 a.m., then at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., or 3:00 p.m., they can act as assistant lighthouse keepers, perform tasks of traditional keepers, and make their own journal in order to keep a log of what is going on around them.

The Saturdays for Kids program invites children and their families to visit the Museum on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month for storytelling, special tours, and hands-on art activities designed just for them.

Each 1st and 3rd Saturday, at 10:30 young CBMM visitors (targeted for ages 3 to 7 years old) can enjoy Tidewater Tales by listening to an exciting story about the Chesapeake region in one of the Museum's exhibitions. Boys and girls will learn about Bay animals, local legends, history, and more. Drawing, exploration of objects, and other activities will be part of these programs. Tidewater Tales is free with admission.

In addition, children can participate in an art making or hands-on activity inspired by one of CBMM's exhibitions. During special guided tours exploring the Museum's collections, participants will learn about the different ways that the Chesapeake Bay has shaped the lives of local people. At 11:30, 1:00, or 3:00 children can drop by to take part in a unique hands-on experience. The program materials fee is $3 per child.

For more information about Saturdays for Kids or other children of family activities at the Museum, visit their website at www.cbmm.org, or call 410-745-2916.

CBMM's 10th Annual Boat Auction is September 1

ST. MICHAELS, MD—If you've been awaiting the prime opportunity to buy an affordable boat, then the 10th annual Boat Auction held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is just for you. This live auction will be held on Saturday, September 1, beginning at 1:00 p.m., and will have bluegrass music by Chester River Runoff and barbeque for sale to spice things up.

Ranging in size and performance from sailing dinghies to cabin cruisers, more than 40 boats will be available to the highest bidder at the 1:00pm boat auction. For the past 10 years, Labor Day weekend has meant great deals on boats to boating aficionados and first-time boat buyers.

CBMM Boat Donations Program Manager Lad Mills takes donations and resells boats throughout the year, holding aside some of his inventory for the annual auction. Mills travels up and down the east coast working with boat owners and potential buyers. The auction is the highlight of the year.

"Beyond taking an unused or unwanted boat off of people's hands, and their receiving a nice tax deduction, the revenue generated by the auction goes directly to help the Museum do work like maintaining its fleet of historic vessels," says Mills. "The boat auction is great fun and does great things for the organization."

To celebrate the auction's 10th anniversary, bluegrass music and barbeque to eat will complement the boats for sale. Local favorites Chester River Runoff will encompass the bluegrass portion of this boats, bluegrass, and barbeque day.

Established in the fall of 2004, Chester River Runoff has grown from a small town bluegrass band, to a professional and cutting edge string band with an attitude, a message, and a devoted following. With mostly original material, and carefully arranged traditional songs, the band has honed its own sound they call "Chesapeake Newgrass."

The band includes Samuel Miles Guthridge on five-string banjo, guitar, and vocals, Ben Armiger on guitar, vocals, and banjo, Ian Trushiem and Marc Dykman on bass and vocals, Nate Grower on fiddle, and Ryan Catterton on percussion. Chester River Runoff will play from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., just following the live auction. Barbeque to accompany the boats and bluegrass will be available for purchase from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Returning this to the auction this year is a flea market-style tag sale to be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., where visitors will be able to purchase a variety of boating gear, including ground tackle, electrical equipment, hardware, rope or chain, ladders, fishing tackle, and motors.

A selection of the boats to be auctioned can currently be viewed on the Museum's website at www.cbmm.org (click on the "Donate or Buy a Boat" link located on the sidebar). All boats are subject to sale prior to the auction. The vessels will also be available for inspection at the Museum several days prior to the auction.

"We are still looking for more boats as well as items for the tag sale," says Mills. "So rummage around your boat lockers, sheds, and garages for things that might like a new owner. The bigger the auction, the better for those looking to buy boats or boating items and the better for the Museum."

To donate a boat or items for the tag sale, or for fully updated listings of the boats up for auction, please contact Lad Mills at 410-745-2916, ext. 112 or via email at lmills@cbmm.org.

"Clones of Funk" to Perform at CBMM on August 18

ST. MICHAELS, MD—"Parliament" front-man George Clinton is a fan of the "Clones of Funk" band. A big enough fan that he performed with them on stage. A big enough fan that he went into the studio with them to produce their album. The band that began as a tribute to Clinton and his "Parliament-Funkadelic" collective, the "Clones of Funk" will be performing at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum on Saturday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m.

The Clones were conceived by founder Wesley Beann in 1989 as a reunion of fans and musicians who were dedicated to the music of the bands "Parliament" and "Funkadelic." This reunion went on to become an annual function. In 1990, the following year, George Clinton having heard of the band, came to witness his clones. He was moved by the talent of the band and joined in the performance. Later he went into the studio with the band to help them lay tracks and produce their album.

The Clones have played the Annapolis Eastport Clipper and Maryland Creative Arts Hall, as well as various venues including college functions and clubs from New York City to Virginia. Beann handles lead and background vocals and the band is rounded out by Gerard "Hot Rod" Butler on lead guitar, Lamont Randall on lead and background vocals, Mark Brown on drums, Terre Holland on bass guitar, as well as a horn section. Talbot County business owners and residents may recognize Holland from his alter ego as a driver for FedEx.

The August 18 concert is the third and final "Moonlight Mixer" concert for the Museum this summer. Other performers for the season included reggae band "Mama Jama" and Eastern Shore stand-outs "Bird Dog and the Road Kings."

The "Clones of Funk" will begin playing at 7:30 p.m. under the Tolchester Beach Bandstand on the Museum's Navy Point waterfront campus. The concert is open to the public for a suggested donation of $5. Bring chairs and a picnic to enjoy the Clones' funkadelic sounds under the stars. Beer and wine will be available for purchase at the concert, and state law prohibits alcohol from being brought onto the grounds by concert-goers.

For more information visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916. The concert will be held rain or shine.

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