Come to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM) in St. Michaels, MD on Sunday, August 12 to celebrate Chesapeake watermen and their heritage at the 3rd Annual Watermen’s Appreciation Day. Festival-goers will enjoy hot crabs, cold beer, a boat docking contest, and live music beginning at noon with Bird Dog and the Road Kings.
Coming back to this year’s event is reality TV star Edgar Hansen, from the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch.” Hansen, of the F/V Northwestern––will be available for autographs throughout the day and plans to be a passenger aboard one of the boats in the docking contest.
The event is hosted by the Talbot County Watermen’s Association in cooperation with the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Beginning at 11am, you can watch professionals in a spirited “Watermen’s Rodeo” boat docking contest along Fogg’s Cove. Following the boat docking contest—which is slated to end around 3:30pm, a jigger-throwing contest entertains event-goers, with winners taking home bragging rights for farthest toss.
Starting at noon, the classic rock, country, and blues sounds of Bird Dog and the Road Kings will have people tapping their toes and dancing along the museum’s waterfront as the region’s favorite band plays live from the historic Tolchester Beach Bandstand. Also beginning at noon, the day’s catch of steamed crabs will be served by Talbot waterman and volunteers in a traditional Maryland crab feast. Beer, water/soda, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, cake, and snow cones will be available throughout the event.
Kids and families can enjoy games and activities throughout the day, including model boat building and more. Free boat rides on the museum’s replica buyboat, Mister Jim, will be available every half hour from 10:30 to 4:30pm.
Bids can be placed on a number of silent auction items—including artwork by Marc Castelli, alongside the museum’s Small Boat Shed. Silent auction bids can be made up until 4:30pm, with proceeds supporting oyster restoration projects on the bay.
Throughout the day, festival-goers can get an up-close view of the museum’s floating fleet of historic Chesapeake vessels, along with a selection of working watermen’s boats. Entrance to all the museum’s exhibits—including the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse and the new “Push and Pull: Life on Chesapeake Bay Tugboats” exhibit, is included with festival admission.
Admission to the 10am to 5pm event will be collected at the gate the day of the event and includes the Bird Dog and the Road Kings concert and crab feast at $25 for adults, $16 for kids 6-17, and under-six admitted for free. Museum members get discounted admission at $15 per adult, and $6 for kids 6-17. Proceeds benefit CBMM and the Talbot County Watermen’s Association. For more information, visit www.cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.
In photo: The “Watermen’s Rodeo” boat docking contest always draws a big crowd at the annual Watermen’s Appreciation Day & crab feast. This year’s event is Sunday, August 12 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, MD.
In photo above: Bay Hundred Seafood and Chesapeake Landing Restaurant owners Guy and Joe Spurry help to serve steamed crabs at last year’s Waterman’s Appreciation Day. This year’s event comes back to CBMM on Sunday, August 12 from 10am to 5pm. Tickets include the crab feast and are available at the door the day of the event.
In photo: Coming to Waterman’s Appreciation Day this August 12 is reality TV star Edgar Hansen, from the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch.” Hansen is pictured here at last year’s event with P. T. Hambleton, a winner in the boat docking contest.
In photo: The region’s favorite band, Bird Dog and the Road Kings will perform live beginning at 12noon at the August 12 Watermen’s Appreciation Day along CBMM’s waterfront campus in St. Michaels, MD.