MARYLAND DAY CELEBRATION 2014!

Four Rivers Heritage Area Sponsors 7th Annual Maryland Day Celebration at Annapolis and Southern Anne Arundel County Heritage Sites

Maryland Day marks the formal founding of the colony of Maryland, when settlers from England celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving on St. Clement’s Island in what is now St. Mary’s County, Maryland. The Maryland settlement was authorized under a charter granted on June 20, 1632 by Charles I of England to Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron of Baltimore. On March 25th, the English settlers held a day of thanksgiving on the island for the safe end to their voyage. In 1916, the Maryland General Assembly authorized Maryland Day as a legal holiday devoted to Maryland history.

For the seventh year in a row, Four Rivers Heritage Area is partnering with regional heritage organizations and businesses to showcase the area’s historical, cultural and natural heritage. Events and activities will take place throughout the Maryland Day Celebration weekend of March 21, 22, and 23 for one dollar or less; many of the activities are FREE!

Participants include:

• Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau: 26 West Street and Annapolis City Dock

• Annapolis Maritime Museum: 723 Second Street and Creek View Drive, Eastport

• Annapolis Tours by Watermark®

• Anne Arundel County Trust for Preservation (ACT, Inc.) with the Lost Towns Project: Galesville Community Center, 922 West Benning Road, Galesville, MD

• Annapolis Commission on Maryland's Constitution of 1864 and the Abolishment of Slavery with Our Legacy Tours; Susan Campbell Park, City Dock, Annapolis

• Banneker-Douglass Museum: 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis

• Captain Avery Museum: 1418 East West Shady Side Road, Shady Side

• Charles Carroll House: 107 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis

• Chase-Lloyd House: 22 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Philip Merrill Environmental Center, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, and 4800 Atwell Road, Shady Side

• Chesapeake Children’s Museum: 25 Silopanna Road, Annapolis

• Courthouse Museum in the Anne Arundel County Courthouse: 7 Church Circle, Annapolis

• Deale Area Historical Society at Historic Village Museum, 389 Deale Road, Tracey’s Landing

• Galesville Heritage Museum: 988 Main Street, Galesville

• Hammond-Harwood House: 19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis

• Historic Annapolis Museum: 99 Main Street, Annapolis

• Historic London Town and Gardens: 839 Londontown Road, Edgewater

• Hogshead: 43 Pinkney Street, Annapolis

• Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts: 801 Chase Street, Annapolis

• Maryland State Archives: 350 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis

• Maryland State House: 100 State Circle, Annapolis

• Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College: 60 College Ave, Annapolis

• St. John’s College: 60 College Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401

• United States Naval Academy Armel-Leftwich Visitor Center: 52 King George Street, Annapolis

• West Annapolis Heritage Partnership with MainStreets Annapolis Partnership: Wimsey Cove    Maps & Art, 103 Annapolis Street, Annapolis

• William Paca House: 186 Prince George Street, Annapolis

Bring the whole family to Annapolis and Southern Anne Arundel County for three days of fun, interactive and educational activities that celebrate the best of Maryland’s unique history, natural resources, and culture. New this year: Maryland Day Passports! Pick up your Four Rivers Maryland Day Passport and start exploring the heritage area. This special activity allows visitors with a passport to receive a free stamp from participating sites throughout Maryland Day weekend. Also NEW this year will be free transportation services, courtesy of Towne Transport, from Downtown Annapolis to West Annapolis on Saturday, March 22, and from Downtown Annapolis to South County sites on Sunday, March 23.

Four Rivers, one of Maryland’s 12 certified state heritage areas, is a nonprofit organization operating in partnership with the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, Anne Arundel County, the City of Annapolis, the Town of Highland Beach, and heritage-related organizations and businesses. Its mission is to stimulate preservation and economic development of the region by supporting and promoting its natural, historic and cultural resources. Our website URL is www.fourriversheritage.org. For more information about the Maryland Day Celebration event, please visit the event website, www.marylandday.org, or call Carol Benson at 410-222-1805. E-mail contact: Heritage_Area@aacounty.org.

Comprehensive List of Maryland Day Celebration 2014 Events:

Friday, March 21, 2014

AAACCVB Visitors Center, 26 West Street, and City Dock Information Booth, Annapolis. Volunteer Information Specialists can help you plan activities for your Maryland Day Celebration adventures. Free, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Stop by to pick up your copy of the Maryland Day Passport!

Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second Street, Annapolis. Visitors can join one of our trained docents for a guided tour of the historic McNasby oyster packing plant. The exhibit features an 850 gallon aquarium filled with Chesapeake Bay critters as well as a waterman workboat “Miss Lonesome.” The interactive exhibit allows visitors to participate in activities such as hand tonging from the washboards of our workboat, dressing as a waterman, and culling oysters. Event is free, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 4800 Atwell Road, Shady Side. Help restore the native oyster population by constructing concrete reef balls that will serve as habitat for oysters, fish, blue crabs, and other critters. Dress appropriately – gloves, boots, and warm clothes that can get wet and dirty – as this is an outdoor event. Tour the Oyster Restoration Center afterwards to learn all that CBF is doing to restore the native oyster population in the Bay. Limited to 25 people. Children and teenagers welcome with adult supervision Event is Free, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Advanced registration is required, contactmhoffman@cbf.org or call 410-268-8816.

Courthouse Museum, Anne Arundel County Courthouse, 7 Church Circle, Annapolis. If you like the shows CSI or Law and Order, this exhibit is for you! Come to the Courthouse to see the exhibition Crossroads of the Community that illustrates the history that happened right here in Annapolis. Members of the team who created the exhibit will be on hand to provide more details. There is no need to go through the Courthouse security to visit this exhibit. Free, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Hammond-Harwood House, 19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis. In 1906, Hester
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