The Folk Fest at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum on Saturday was a well-attended and fun filled family event, with music all day long, hand crafted art objects, opportunities to try a hand at old Bay traditions, films, group discussions, games and food demonstrations.
Titled “Treasures of the Bay…Hidden in Plain Sight”, the festival focused on highlighting Chesapeake traditions from off the beaten path. As usual, the Maritime Museum showed its depth by including Bay traditions from all sectors – with a look at women’s roles and the shared skill set of sewing, quilting and net-making, to African American and Latin American traditions. Featuring tugboats as well as native tribes of Delmarva, the event held something for everyone, even locals, to learn about Bay traditions.
A highlight was a spirited conversation by the friends and family of Captain Denny Berg, father of the tugboat industry on the Bay. Former crew members and other fishermen shared harrowing stories and tales of days gone by on Berg’s tugboats.
A public art piece was created by paper maiche folk artist “Mama Girl” (Mary Onley) , wood carver Eric Applegarth, mosaic artists Sue Stockman and Bobby Malzone, along with members of the public who contributed to the piece by hand painting paper maiche figures. The piece will be installed in the entry building of the Maritime Museum.
The Northern Neck Chantey Singers wowed the crowd with their deep, a cappella harmonies; used for generations to help regulate the pulling-in of fish nets. The Zen Monkeys, Karen Somerville and Daryl Davis, and the Royal Oak Musicians kept music alive on the museum campus all day long.
Let’s Be Shore, the public engagement project of the Maryland Humanities Council held a public forum during the festival, drawing visitors and Shore stakeholders into conversations about water quality.
From homemade tortillas and posole to eel-pot making, story telling, river cruises, and big, fat crabcake sandwiches, the Folk Fest was great fun for everyone.
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