The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is celebrating 50 years with a Party on the Point May 23.
The 18-acre waterfront campus in St. Michaels will be transformed into festival grounds with boat rides, live music, family activities, craft vendors and the opening of a new exhibition. The event will kick off a yearlong 50th anniversary celebration.
The festival will also launch #Snapshots2Selfies and a time capsule community project that will wrap up this month. Both projects encourage museum guests to share their memories of the Chesapeake Bay and CBMM over the past 50 years through photographs and other memorabilia.
During the festival, visitors can take a cruise on the museum’s 1920 buyboat “Winnie Estelle,” as well as other historic boats in the fleet. Dockside tours will be given of the 1888 classic yacht “Elf.”
Music will begin at 10 a.m. and the XPDs will perform Motown sounds at the Tolchester Beach Bandstand from 1 to 5 p.m.
Established in 1965, the museum originated in three historic houses along the St. Michael’s harbor, which now serve as administrative buildings. Currently, there are 12 exhibition buildings, including the historic 1879 Hooper Straight Lighthouse. The new exhibition opening for the anniversary, “A Broach Reach: 50 Years of Collecting,” will feature the top 50 objects from the museum’s collection over the past 50 years.
Entry to the festival is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, $6 for children 6-17 and free for members. The first 500 festival guests will receive complimentary bags with a small gift and other goodies. For details visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum website.
