The Mid-Shore Constitution Alliance will host their annual celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Week on Wednesday, September 17. Renowned actors Darius Wallace as Frederick Douglass and Kurt Smith as Thomas Jefferson will be featured, performing a conversation between the two. The event will be held from 4:30-6:00PM at the Academy Art Museum in Easton. Admission is free.
New this year, local actor Casey Rauch will portray Tench Tilghman to share the little-known history of Talbot County’s Mathew Tilghman, the “father” of the revolution in Maryland who helped lead the development of the Maryland Constitution.
In addition, local drama club students will portray Eastern Shore Women Patriots Nannie V. Melvin and Mary Bartlett Dixon Cullen to share their work toward women’s suffrage.
The event will also include members of the Colonel Tench Tilghman Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution in period costumes for the color guard and a town crier to announce the Signing of the Constitution. State Senator Johnny Mautz will welcome attendees and introduce new U.S. Citizens in Talbot County who have achieved their citizenship credentials.
The event is especially meaningful this year as we celebrate the beginning of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence throughout Maryland and the United States. The Constitution Alliance is working closely with the Colonel Tench Tilghman Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Talbot250 Commission.
The celebration is part of several events the Constitution Alliance will be hosting during Constitution & Citizenship Week, September 14-20. September 18, the Constitution Alliance will host an event for Easton High School students to watch a similar reenactment of the conversation between Frederick Douglass and Thomas Jefferson and engage directly with the actors. Then on September 20 will be the inaugural U.S. Constitution Scholastic Competition at the Talbot County Free Library where students throughout the Mid-shore will test their constitutional knowledge.
The Constitution Alliance event is made possible by a special educational grant from the Talbot County Public Schools Education Foundation, in addition to sponsorships by Shore United Bank, Easton Utilities, Talbot Historical Society, Holiday Inn Express – Cambridge, Bridges Land Management, The Tidewater Inn, Shore United Bank, and Talbot County Economic Development and Tourism.
The Mid-Shore Constitution Alliance, in partnership with the Washington College Institute for Religion, Politics & Culture and Operation Frederick Douglass on the Hill, works to promote civic engagement through education and a commitment to uphold constitutional values and the founding principles of freedom. In addition to educational programming and events, the Constitution Alliance Fund awards annual $1000 higher education scholarships to deserving Mid-Shore students who are interested in careers that require an oath to the Constitution. To make a donation, or for more information, contact Michelle Ewing at mpewing@hotmail.com, 410-200-5571 or Julie Quick, juliejoquick@gmail.com or 410-924-0904.
