The 37th Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair is coming to CBMM on June 13-15. (Photo by George Sass)
ST. MICHAELS, MD – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is set to welcome the Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair to its waterfront campus on June 13-15 for a Father’s Day weekend celebration of the history and artistry of timeless vessels and the people who care for them.
Now in its 37th year, the festival, organized by the Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society, offers one of the largest classic boat shows in the Mid-Atlantic region and more fun for the whole family. Highlighting this year’s theme of “Boats in Movies and Television,” a variety of sport boats that have memorably been featured on screen will be on display throughout the weekend.
This edition of the Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair runs from 10am-5pm on Friday and Saturday and 10am-3pm on Sunday. Two-day festival tickets—for Friday/Saturday and Saturday/Sunday—are on sale now. Get more info at cbmm.org/ACBF.
Guests are invited to take a step back in time while perusing more than 100 vessels displayed on land and in the water. (Photo by George Sass)
A Father’s Day weekend tradition, the three-day festival celebrates antique and classic boating with more than 100 cruisers, runabouts and racers representing a wide range of makers and eras spread across CBMM’s 18-acre campus and docks. Boat enthusiasts of all ages will enjoy exploring the unique collection of visiting vessels and meeting their owners.
This year’s highlights include a collection of sport boats made famous by Hollywood, with Glastron Scimitar (“Moonraker”), Chris Craft (“On Golden Pond”), Thunderbird (“Flipper”), and Hacker (“Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”) among the notable examples.
The festival annually showcases wood, fiberglass, and metal vessels in all phases of restoration representing the historic (up to 1918), antique (1919-1942), classic (1943-1975), late classic (1976-1997), and contemporary (any wooden boat built since 1997) classes.
The Antique & Classic Boat Festival is accompanied by a juried Coastal Arts Fair with vendors exhibiting and selling a variety of unique artworks and merchandise that celebrates boating and life on and around the water. The festivities also include a Field of Dreams for those looking to buy, a nautical flea market, and children’s activities.
Food and beverages from several regional vendors will be available for purchase all three days, including a beer truck offering domestic and craft selections.
A 1980 Glastron Scimitar will be one of the featured boats at the festival. The vessel’s owner, Randy Cunningham, will speak about Glastrons during a boating history talk on Friday, June 13 at 1 pm.
Throughout the festival in the Van Lennep Auditorium, the local chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society will present a series of boating history talks highlighting experts, historians, and authors sharing their knowledge on a range of topics, with many of them exploring this year’s festival theme of vessels featured in movies and TV shows.
The lineup includes a presentation from CBMM’s Chief Historian Pete Lesher titled “Coastal Contraband: Prohibition and Rum Running Off Chesapeake Bay” on Friday at noon and a special talk and tasting with Tilghman Island Seafood’s Nick Hargrove on Sunday at 1pm.
On Sunday from 11am to 3pm on Fogg’s Landing, there will be a special exhibit, “Before and After Boats: Side-By-Side,” featuring unrestored boats next to finished classics of the same type. Restorers will offer advice on how to turn a daunting boat project into a cherished classic.
Two-day tickets for the Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair can be purchased in advance online or at the door. No single-day tickets will be sold to this rain-or-shine event.
Festival admission is set at $22 for adults, $19 for seniors (65+) and students (17+), $10 for active and retired military members, and $9 for children ages 6-to-17, with all children 5-and-younger admitted free.
CBMM members receive discounted pricing for this annual festival and others throughout the year. Adult member tickets are $10, and all children of members (17-and-younger) receive free admission. To support CBMM’s mission as a member and discover all the terrific benefits of membership, visit cbmm.org/memberships or contact Membership Services Coordinator Debbie Ruzicka at 410-745-4991 or druzicka@cbmm.org.
Additional free event parking for Saturday’s festivities will be available at St. Michaels Middle/High School, with a complimentary shuttle service to and from CBMM.
For information on how to register a boat, become a vendor, or sign up to sell in the Field of Dreams or nautical flea market, visit chesapeakebayacbs.org.
For safety reasons, non-service dogs must be kept at home during CBMM festivals, including the Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair. Carry-on alcohol from dock or land is prohibited.
