Chesapeake Celebrations: Stories from the Shoreline

New for 2026, CBMM’s Chesapeake Celebrations bring the Bay to life, inviting guests of all ages to discover our region’s vibrant history, environment, and culture through hands-on activities, engaging presentations, and on-the-water experiences with staff, volunteers, and community partners. Included with general admission, these campus-wide celebrations include Savor the Shore (Saturday, May 16), Play on the Bay (Saturday, June 27), Stories from the Shoreline (Saturday, July 18), and Love the Bay (Saturday, Aug. 15). Join us to experience our mission in action!

We are excited to invite educators from across the Eastern Shore and beyond to join us for a free day of fun at our Chesapeake Celebrations. All PK-12 teachers, administrators, and support staff—along with their immediate families—are invited to join us as a thank you for the incredible impact they make in the lives of students in our community every day. Use the educator link below to reserve your free tickets! Click here to learn more.

On Saturday, July 18, we’re celebrating the opening of our newest long-term exhibition, Stories from the Shoreline. Join us to explore this immersive exhibition that amplifies the voices and experiences of people and communities connected to the unique Chesapeake Bay landscape.

Located in the Bill Millar Pavilion within CBMM’s Welcome Center, Stories from the Shoreline features dozens of personal stories illuminating pastimes and passions across generations, including shoreline fishing, waterfowling, plein air painting, eco-tourism, community conservation, and more.

For the opening celebration, we’re proud to welcome a diverse group of storytellers and tradition bearers to share their knowledge and experiences throughout the day. Guests of all ages can also enjoy hands-on activities inspired by the new exhibition.

This Chesapeake Celebration is included with general admission, which is always free for CBMM members. Non-members save $2 by buying in advance online.

Join us at 11:30am for our Stories from the Shoreline exhibition dedication outside CBMM’s Welcome Center. Throughout the day, people featured in the exhibition will be on hand to share their stories, including sea glass expert Mary McCarthy (10:30-10:45am & 12:30-12:45pm), dip net maker Kris Turner (10am-3pm, demos on Fogg’s Landing), Nause-Waiwash Chief Donna Abbott (10:45-11am), Annie Oakley interpreter Mary Handley (1:15-1:45pm), CBMM community narrator Niambi Brown Davis (11-11:15am, 1-1:15pm), and representatives from Environmental Concern (12:15-12:30pm). It’s also a great chance to meet members of CBMM’s Curatorial Team who helped bring this years-in-the-making exhibition to life.

In addition, we’re thrilled to welcome community historians from Washington College’s Chesapeake Heartland project, Talbot Historical Society with a collections showcase, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science graduate student Anji Cooper to highlight her on-going research about living shorelines (12:45-1pm in the exhibition), and local archaeologist and food historian Henry Ward and Chief Dennis Coker of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware to explore indigenous foods and native cuisine of the Chesapeake region.

The American Chesapeake Club will be on hand to offer meet and greets with Maryland’s state dog, the Chesapeake Bay retriever, and children’s author Carole Boston Weatherford will share storytime at 11am. There will be food for purchase throughout the day from Gather and Grill BBQ and frozen treats from Kona Ice and live music from Hugh Bennett from 12:30-2:30pm.

Additional festivities include catch-and-release fishing from our docks, model boat racing by CBMM’s Maritime Model Guild, hands-on activities and interactive fun with CBMM’s Education Team, and lawn games.

To complement the new exhibition’s storytelling, we’re presenting the film “High Tide in Dorchester” during featured screenings at 11am and 2pm in the Craig Fuller & Diane Terpeluk Theater.

You can add a creative experience by registering for Paint Night with local artist Nancy Lorentz from 4-6pm in the Van Lennep Auditorium. This edition, we’ll be painting our very own PATRIOT underway on the Miles River. Join us for a fun and relaxed painting class!

Don’t miss the opportunity to get out on the Miles River during the Stories from the Shoreline celebration. Patriot Cruises will be offering its 70-minute Narrated Historical Cruise at 2:30pm. Click here to buy combo tickets for a cruise and general admission. Later, we’re thrilled to welcome Steve Lowe and the Lowe Downs aboard PATRIOT for Live Music Cruises at 5pm and 7pm.

We’re also offering our Historic Workboat Experience cruises at 10:30am, noon, and 1:30pm. These one-hour, interactive cruises offer the chance to try your hand at the traditional tools and techniques used to harvest crabs and oysters aboard a historic workboat in CBMM’s floating fleet on an authentic Chesapeake adventure! Click here to buy combo tickets for the cruise and general admission.

Join us for our Navigating the Chesapeake guided tour at 11am. This one-hour tour shares the incredible history and distinctive culture of the Chesapeake Bay, exploring the connections between the environment and people over time. Click here to buy combo tickets for the tour and CBMM general admission. They are free for CBMM members.

Chesapeake Celebrations are supported from the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council.

Chesapeake Celebrations: Stories from the Shoreline
Date/Time: Saturday, July 18, 10am-5pm
Location: CBMM’s Campus
Cost: Included with CBMM General Admission Save $2 by purchasing your tickets in advance online!