Celebration Calendar - May & June
Annapolis Alive! events run the gamut from performances of the Annapolis Symphony to sailboat races, to children's events, to lectures on historic topics and on the future of our City... and more. There is something for everyone. Events will make you think, make you laugh, and make you ever more appreciative of our fair town. Check the listing for something that interests you.
We need volunteers and energy to bring these events to life. Check the Participate page for more information on which events need leadership.
May • June • Ongoing Events This Quarter
Jan. - April • May - June • July - Sept. • Oct. - Dec. • Ongoing Events
Calendar ArchiveMay
Thursday, May 15 - Screening of The Great Gatsby
7 p.m. St. John's College, Francis Scott Key Auditorium
1974 edition of the film, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.
Free event, no registration is required.
Information: 410 295-5544.Saturday, May 17 - History Hike
Stops include Alex Haley memorial, Banneker-Douglass Museum and more
Chesapeake Children's Museum, 25 Silopanna Road
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
There is so much of the past to discover in present-day Annapolis! Take a short hike through the downtown area to visit sites including the Banneker-Douglass Museum and the William Paca House and Garden. Participants receive a copy of the guidebook “Long Ago is Closer Than You Think.”
Recommended for ages 8 and up. $15 / $12 CCM members. One adult free for up to 5 children.
Info: 410 990-1993 or info@theccm.orgSunday, May 18 - Music Fest
Noon - 4 p.m.
Let’s sing about freedom! We’ll join our voices with voices of the past in the continuing struggle for human rights. Musicologists, Jeff Glassie and Julie Littell will teach and perform songs from our history. All ages. Free with museum admission.
Info: 410 990-1993 or info@theccm.orgTuesday & Wednesday, May 20 & 21 - Blue Angels Fight Demonstrations
approximately 2 p.m.
Severn River environs
Thrill to the Navy’s top notch flight team as they fill the skies of Annapolis with low level aerobatics in celebration of the US Naval Academy's Commissioning Week.
Visible from the shores of the Severn River and Annapolis Harbor.
Check local news media for exact time. Subject to weather conditions. Photo by Rich Malm
Wednesday, May 21 - Annapolis in the Revolutionary Era
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Schmidt Conference Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater
Refreshments at 6:30 p.m., lecture at 7 p.m.
Boston and Philadelphia rightfully attract interest as important cities during the American Revolution, but the smaller town of Annapolis also played a key role in the conflict. Local historian Glenn E. Campbell (Vice President of Preservation and Education, Historic Annapolis Foundation) will trace Annapolis’s history from 1765 to 1784, highlighting the key people and events that make the city’s revolutionary story uniquely Annapolitan. Attendees will hear about the little-known background circumstances that contributed to the well-known story of the burning of the Peggy Stewart and the roles played by the celebrated Four Signers of the Declaration of Independence – Paca, Chase, Carroll, and Stone – as Maryland moved reluctantly toward independence in 1776.
Information: 301 238-2737 | Directions | Flyer
Thursday, May 22 - The Archaeology of Annapolis and African American Religious Practices
Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street
7 - 8:30 p.m.
Archaeologist Alexandra Jones visits the museum to speak about the archaeological findings at locations throughout Annapolis including Brice House and the Charles Carroll House. Come hear about the connections between objects discovered at digs throughout Annapolis and African American spiritual practices. This lecture is being held in conjunction with the exhibition Seeking Liberty: Annapolis, An Imagined Community.
Free. Registration encouraged.
To register, call 410 216-6186 or email BDMPrograms@mdp.state.md.us
Monday, May 26 - Blessing of the Fleet
Annapolis Yacht Club
11 a.m.
Ceremonial laying of a wreath in the water to guide the Fleet safely throughout the year. Music, prayers and boats.
Best viewing is from the Spa Creek Bridge.
More information to come.Monday, May 26 - Memorial Day Parade
Honoring 300 years of veterans' service to country and community. City Dock ceremony at 11 a.m. Free.
More information to come
Friday - Sunday, May 29 - June 1 - Art Between the Creeks 2008 Spring Show: Other...
Annapolis Yacht Club’s Sailing Center (6th Street at Severn Avenue)
Artists' Reception Friday, 6 - 9 p.m.
The cutting edge Art Between the Creeks artists will bring new and exciting work to their temporary gallery space in Eastport for their 2008 spring show: Other...
Known for challenging themselves and their audience ... and doing the unexpected ... the ABTC artists' 2008 spring show will feature the work of local artists, most of whom live and work between Spa and Back Creeks – hence, Art Between the Creeks. Free.
Information about the show and the artists will be posted at the Art Between the Creeks' website.Saturday & Sunday, May 31 & June 1 - Secret Garden Tour of Annapolis
Hammond Harwood House to host
10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The 2008 Secret Garden Tour expands to two days and will explore Annapolis’ Historic District’s charming and seldom seen gardens of homes that were built before 1800. The homes include signers of the Declaration of Independence as well as other prominent Annapolitans. It will also open the gardens of the 18th century working population, giving the tour attendees a complete experience of the gardens during that period of Annapolis’ history. The unique gardens on this tour will each demonstrate the personality and needs of the individual garden owners in the context of their historically significant homes.
Refreshments will be provided by local pastry shops and the kitchens of our volunteers.
Information: 410 263-4683 x 15 or officemanager@hammondharwoodhouse.orgSaturday, May 31 - The Coconut Ball
Annapolis Maritime Museum Campus, Second Street at Back Creek
6 - 10 p.m.
The Coconut Ball is a fundraiser for breast cancer research benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation via Team Save The Coconuts, a group of local women who will take place in the Komen Walk in October. The Ball features live music by The Tiki Barbarians with the grand drawing for the Pink Bike Raffle. There will be food, drink, give-aways, auctions and fun... all for a good cause.
Tickets: $60, two or more, $50 each; buy online or from Marie Dall'Acqua, 410 353-1552 or Nicole Weaver, 410 263-8947.
Information: www.savethecoconuts.org | flyer
June
Thursday - Sunday, June 5 - 8 - Colonial Players Presents The Busie Body
108 East Street (just off State Circle), Annapolis
Showtimes: 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Free forum about colonial theater after the matinee on Sunday, approx. 4:30 p.m.
Susanna Centlivre’s comedy, The Busie Body, which Colonial Players will present in 18c. style, is funny and swift moving. It tells the story of two young women’s efforts to win the husbands of their choice despite the obstacles placed by their parents’ arranging matches for them. It is suitable for older children as well as adults.
The play appeared in England in 1709, the year after the granting of the charter to Annapolis by Queen Anne, and was probably performed in 1753 in Annapolis by touring bands of English players. Mrs. Centlivre wrote many such comedies of manners between 1700 and 1723, and well into the 19th century, she was the most frequently produced playwright after Shakespeare in England and America. This presentation is funded in part by a special projects grant from the Cultural Foundation of Anne Arundel County.
Tickets: $7, available now on the Colonial Players website, www.cplayers.com or 410-268-7373.
Information: Carol Youmans, Director, 410 263-5625.
Friday & Saturday, June 6 & 7 - Historical Public Symposium - Looking Back, Planning Ahead: 300 Years of Annapolis History
7 p.m.
Nationally known scholars converge on St. John’s College for a symposium to explore how Annapolis’ Royal Charter and history changed our nation. Dr. Joseph Meany is heading this project. An international selection of scholars has been invited to share their research with the community.
The conversations series, enVISIONing Annapolis culminates with a public symposium bringing together nationally recognized humanities scholars — historians, archeologists, architects, preservationists, city planners — with community leaders and insightful regional professionals with a deep understanding of local conditions to inform and stimulate civic discourse on the role of citizens and culture in creating a dynamic and self sustaining 21st century city in Annapolis.
Papers will present an historic perspective on Annapolis’s role in building national democracy.
The wrap-up speaker, on June 7, will be Paul Goldberger, architecture/urban critic of The New Yorker magazine and dean of Parson’s New School. Presentation of final products of the Annapolis Design Charrette will be on display in the Key Auditorium Lobby at St. John's College. The symposium engages a wide variety of public and private partners from many sectors of Annapolis and beyond; it is fully accessible. Annapolis books will be on display by Annapolis Bookstore and the Anne Arundel County Library System.
Free. More information to come.Saturday, June 7 - Seaworthy Lecture by Commander Jim Jackson
Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street
1 -3 p.m.
Come hear guest curator Commander Jim Jackson speak on the exhibit "Seaworthy" which celebrates the 35 African American Navy Admirals. Commander Jackson will speak about African Americans in the Navy and at the US Naval Academy including Wesley Brown, the Naval Academy's first African American graduate.
Prior to World War II, laws prohibited African-Americans from serving as officers in the United States Navy. It was the combined pressures of World War II, with its growing requirement for talented manpower, and the efforts of many civil rights organizations, that finally convinced President Franklin D. Roosevelt to establish a new policy to enable African Americans to earn a commission in the armed forces. In the spring of 1944, 13 African Americans were commissioned as naval officers and soon became known as the "Golden 13" because of the gold Ensign stripe they wore so proudly on their uniforms.
Within a few months, the "Golden 13" were joined by Francis Wills and Harriet Pickens, the Navy's first African-American women officers. In the years to follow many more African-American college graduates would gain their commissions through the Navy V-12 Cadet Program, Officer Candidate School, the NROTC Program, and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. In 1971, after 27 years of dedicated service to the nation and exceptional performance as a leader on ships at sea and in many high visibility assignments abroad, Samuel L. Gravely, a native of Richmond, Virginia, was selected for promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral. Since then, a small but distinguished group of African-American officers have followed in his footsteps.
Free lecture. Registration not required.Saturday, June 7 - “enVISIONing Annapolis” Conversations Series Presentation of Findings
Public Engagement: Which Future Do We Want and How Do We Get It?
“The Public in Public Process and Public Interest” and Presentation of the Findings of the EnVISIONing Annapolis Design Charrette
Paul Goldberger, Architecture/Urban Critic of The New Yorker, Dean of Parsons the New School of Design
Renowned critic Paul Goldberger will review the year's Conversations and identify ideas that Annapolis government and citizens might wish to pursue to make the city a more vital and vibrant urban place.Free. St. John’s College, Annapolis, 4 p.m.
All “Conversations” are free and open to the public. This series of public Conversations is sponsored by the Envisioning Annapolis Foundation, St. John’s College, and Annapolis Charter 300.Saturday, June 14 - Kids ‘n’ Kaboodle
Noon - 4 p.m.
Free fair for all kids in Annapolis featuring live entertainment, crafts and games, ponies, career exhibits, face painters and more.
Information: 410 990-1993 or info@theccm.orgSunday, June 22 - Eastport Home & Garden Tour
1 - 5 p.m.
The 3rd Annual Home & Garden Tour will focus on the area of Eastport near the Annapolis Maritime Museum, where Second Street meets Back Creek. The Museum will serve as tour headquarters. Participating homes and gardens will encompass the museum’s surrounding areas - Chester, Eastern, Second and Third Streets. Featured homes and gardens will reflect the unique mix of architectural styles found in Eastport and recognize the unique maritime culture of this historic neighborhood.
Sponsored by the Eastport Civic Association sponsors this annual event to further its mission of safeguarding the residential and maritime quality of Eastport and engaging in activities that promote, improve and protect the civic interest and well being of the community. Proceeds from the tour benefit local charities and community improvement projects.
InformationSaturday & Sunday, June 28 & 29 - 12th Annual Build-a-Boat & Sika Challenge Cup
Boat Construction: Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Junior Sailing Center
Race: Sunday, 1:22 p.m., Spa Creek, in front of AYC Clubhouse
Refreshments available. Best viewing is from the Spa Creek Bridge.
Open to the public.
The Annapolis Yacht Club will sponsor its 12th annual Sika Build-A-Boat Challenge. Teams, called Syndicates, will compete for the coveted Sika Challenge Cup and other awards.Each team, consisting of eight members, is challenged to design, build, and sail or paddle a small boat using a limited set of materials and an unlimited quantity of fast-curing Sikaflex®-291 Sealant. The teams will be allotted up to six hours to complete their boats using identical supplied materials. There are specific rules that must be followed in building and paddling or sailing the boats. The competition begins with the construction phase and ends with the race to the finish on Sunday, June 29, starting at 1:22 p.m. It's a fun event for the whole family! Photos by Don Dement
Information
Ongoing Events This Quarter
At The Annapolis Bookstore, 68 Maryland Avenue, they know there are many ways to approach a great story. Dust Jacket art is one. Francis Cugat's painting for the cover of The Great Gatsby is arguably the most notable dust jacket of the 20th century. In a 1924 letter to his editor, Fitzgerald said that he had 'written it [the painting] into' his story. Local artists are invited to submit a new dust jacket design for Gatsby and include a brief paragraph (a sentence or two will suffice) writing their design into Gatsby's story. There will be a $200 prize for the winner. Deadline for submissions is April 25 to the The Annapolis Bookstore, Info: 410 280-2339
More about The Big ReadApril 1 to September 30 - Annapolis Yacht Club Evening Colors - American Flag Ceremony
daily except Mondays
Visible from the Spa Creek Bridge. Photo by Don Dement
April 23 - September 3 - Annapolis Yacht Club Wednesday Night Races
Enjoy the “Only Annapolis Sailboat Race With Finish Line View,”
visible from the Spa Creek Bridge. Photo by Elvia Thompson
Sunday, April 27 - Sunday, May 11 - “Americana” Art Exhibition
McBride Gallery, 215 Main Street
Opening Artists' Reception, Sunday, April 27, 1 - 3 p.m.
Artists:
Carol Dyer, a celebrated Maryland folk artist paints the vignettes of Annapolis’ history in her unique style: City Dock, Eastern Shore beaches and harbor views across the country. (Ballooning Over Annapolis at top left).
Lou Messa is a Virginia painter of landscape and country themes painting barns with ‘Coca- Cola’emblems to old hay rakes, tobacco barns and even the occasional outhouse. (One Horse Plow at bottom left).
Information: www.mcbridegallery.comMay 17 - September 28 - Step Aboard the Icon of the Bay: Tour the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
available two weekends each month; three three-hour tours each day
Take a once-in-a-lifetime tour aboard the most recognizable image of the Chesapeake Bay and learn: how lighthouse keepers lived, about other lighthouses on the Bay and how many met their demise, how the U.S. Lighthouse Society is restoring and preserving the lighthouse, and more.
The tour begins and ends at the Annapolis Maritime Museum with an orientation and safety check-in. Then guests board a boat for the 30- minute cruise to the lighthouse, an on-board docent-led tour, and a 30-minute return boat ride. Allow three hours for the excursion. Only 18 guests can be accommodated on each tour. Reservations are required and any tour may be canceled due to weather and sea conditions at the discretion of the Captain. There are age and certain physical restrictions. Admission is charged.
InformationFriday - Sunday, May 29 - June 1 - Art Between the Creeks 2008 Spring Show: Other...
Artists' Reception Friday, 6 - 9 p.m.
The cutting edge Art Between the Creeks artists will bring new and exciting work to their temporary gallery space in Eastport for their 2008 spring show: Other...
Known for challenging themselves and their audience ... and doing the unexpected ... the ABTC artists' 2008 spring show will feature the work of local artists, most of whom live and work between Spa and Back Creeks – hence, Art Between the Creeks. Free.
Information about the show and the artists will be posted at the Art Between the Creeks' website.All Summer - Historic Vessels on City Dock
To celebrate our maritime heritage, we will have visits from historic vessels including sail training vessels, historical vessels and modern naval and maritime ships. Go aboard historic vessels from around the world throughout the summer.
More information to come.
