Annapolis, Eastern Shore Offer Festive Antidotes to Winter
By • March 7, 2019 0 451
Bored with winter? Fear not. Festive antidotes are happening in Annapolis and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, all helping to ring in spring.
Lights, cameras and plenty of action will take place at the Annapolis Film Festival, running from March 21 to 24. The seventh annual event will screen more than 70 films — shorts, documentaries and feature films from over 25 countries — in venues throughout town. Attendees can go to Q&As, coffee talks, parties and panels and socialize with local and international artists and filmmakers. This year’s theme, “Truth in Storytelling,” honors storytellers and journalists in pursuit of the truth with a stellar slate of films.
The opening-night film, “The Public,” written and directed by Emilio Estevez, has a cast of stars topped by Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin. Famous actors headline movies throughout all four days, including Kristin Scott Thomas in “In Your Hands” and Kyra Sedgwick in “Villains.” For tickets, visit annapolisfilmfestival.com.
Everything’s coming up daffodils at the second annual St. Michaels Daffodil Festival, on Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to noon. Grab a map for a self-guided tour of tens of thousands of daffodils throughout the historic Eastern Shore town or purchase potted daffodils at the Daffodil Marketplace to bring a touch of springtime home. The event also features live music, garden tours and fun contests such as a
Daffy Dog Costume Contest and a Best Daffodil Hat Contest. Why not get in the spirit by dressing up Fido or creating your best bonnet and heading over the bridge? For details, visit stmichaelsinbloom.org.
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- CBMM Sea Glass Festival. Mary McCarthy.
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- Croquet match.
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- Croquet match.
Chesapeake Film After Hours in Easton on the Eastern Shore welcomes film lovers to “Discriminating Tastes” at Piazza Italian Market on April 2 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. At the event, you can nibble hors d’oeuvres, sip wine and mingle with Chesapeake Film Festival Artistic Director Cid Collins Walker. Walker will be talking about her experience at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and how it relates to the growth of Easton’s boutique film festival. It will be a delicious taste of what’s to come at the festival, to be held Oct. 3 to 6. More information is available at chesapeakefilmfestival.com.
Bring out your inner author at the Annapolis Book Festival, on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 15-acre campus of Key School. Nationally- renowned authors will discuss their books and the craft of writing at one of the region’s premiere private schools. Children’s activities, live music, refreshments and used book sales make it a family-friendly day. Admission is free. Visit keyschool.org to learnmore.
More than 70 artisans from the Delmarva area and beyond will exhibit and sell coastal art and sea glass at the annual Sea Glass and Coastal Arts Festival in St. Michaels, taking place on April 6 and 7 at the Chesapeake
Bay Maritime Museum’s scenic 18-acre waterfront campus. Other festival offerings: live music, libations, educational lectures about sea glass and its history and Miles River cruises aboard the museum’s 1920s- era Winnie Estelle. Ticket information is available at cmbb.org.
An annual rite of spring, the 37th annual Annapolis Cup Croquet Match brings together two vastly different schools — St. John’s College and the U.S. Naval Academy — for a croquet match like no other on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (rain or shine). Put your glad rags on, pack a picnic lunch and people-watch on the college’s front lawn. Outrageous outfits will abound, as will old-fashioned picnics, swing dancing and (of course) the croquet competition. Details can be found at sjc. edu/croquet.
Gardeners take note: You can snag a plant of history for your very own garden at the
William Paca Garden Plant Sale on May 11 and 12 in Annapolis (enter at 1 Martin St.). Over 8,000 perennials, annuals, trees, vines and vegetable starts — including heirloom tomatoes, Thomas Jefferson’s favorite snail vine and the newly developed conef lower, “Butterfly Kisses” — will be offered for purchase, with expert staffers on hand to answer gardening questions. Admission is free. For details, visit annapolis.org.
Snap up your favorite dockside seat in Annapolis — often called America’s Sailing Capital — every Wednesday from May 1 to Aug. 28. Well over 100 crews will compete in midweek races that involve sailing around several marks in the Chesapeake Bay before heading back to Spa Creek for the grand finale, when colorful, picture-perfect spinnakers are raised in front of the Annapolis Yacht Club. First gun is approximately 6:10 p.m. at Annapolis Harbor. To find out more, visit annapolisyc.com.
