Lots of ways to celebrate Maryland Day

The Third Annual Maryland Day Celebration 2010 will be held tomorrow through Sunday, and area museums, cultural sites, National Historic Landmarks, vintage homes, organizations and conservation groups will open their doors for discovery of all the heritage that makes the Four Rivers Heritage Area so unforgettable.

And all admission fees will be slashed or absolutely free.

"This celebration commemorates an event that took place 376 years ago," said Dr. Jean Russo, the state's archivist.

The event? A trans-Atlantic crossing to what eventually would become the province of Maryland.

By March 1634, two ships - the Ark and the Dove - along with 100+ intrepid men and women, all sent by England's Lord Baltimore, had made their way across the Atlantic to a new world founded on Yaocomico Indian land along a tributary of the Potomac River. This settlement became St. Mary's City, Maryland's first capital.

Beginning in 1903, residents of Maryland regularly observed this historic happening. In 1916, Maryland's General Assembly declared the celebration of Maryland Day a state holiday.

"Today, we are fortunate to live in a destination that provides a great venue for annual visits from friends and relatives," said Connie Del Signore, president and CEO of the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference & Visitors Bureau. "Maryland Day Celebration 2010 not only gives local residents an opportunity to explore our rich heritage on their own, but another opportunity to invite their out-of-town friends and family to join them."

"This is the time to bring your whole family to Annapolis and southern Anne Arundel County," said Dr. Carol Benson, Four Rivers Heritage Area executive director. "We will have walking tours, new exhibits, special living history performers, a remarkable story quilt, an ArtFest and close encounters with our unique heritage: boats, crabs, fish, gardens, archaeology, architecture, genealogy and much more.

"Our museums, historic homes and heritage sites are so much fun; you'll be delighted that you stepped inside. This is a perfect way to feel the excitement and become familiar with your own history."

Maryland Day Celebration promises a good time will be had by all.

"I don't know who has more fun - the participating organizations, the locals or the visitors," said Judith Cabral, vice president of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. "It reminds me of one big block party where the tourist sites open their doors to the neighborhood and share in the experience.

"Best of all, this is the chance for locals to act like tourists in their own backyards, getting to see for themselves what the out-of-towners already know: Annapolis and south county are great heritage destinations."

Here's a look at where to go and what to do this weekend:

Friday

Exploring Your Genealogy with the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation, Sojourner-Douglass College, 135 Stepney's Lane, Edgewater:

From 3 to 7 p.m., genealogists will be ready to help solve those elusive family tree mysteries. Whether you're trying to find out where Uncle Henry and Auntie Em went after they left Oz in 1939 or the sobering truth about good-old cousin Al when things didn't work out in Chicago, they will lead you down the right path. Adults and children also can enjoy opportunities to decipher old-fashioned handwriting curiosities and have fun writing with quill and ink pens.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-956-9090 or visit www.kintehaley.org.

Saturday

Annapolis Heritage Stride:

From 8 to 9 a.m., the whole family is encouraged to join this fun-filled Four Rivers Heritage Area-sponsored experience: a one-mile trek through downtown Annapolis, beginning and ending at City Dock. Along the way, there will be games and prizes. Everyone is invited to come in costumes (think Maryland, think history).

Free for all. For more information, call 410-222-1805.

Four Rivers Four-Mile Annapolis Heritage Run:

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., a four-mile run - at your own pace - will be sponsored by Fleet Feet and the Downtown Annapolis Partnership. Register at Fleet Feet, located at 318 Sixth St. Here, participants will be given their entry forms and course map.

Free for all. For more information, call 410-268-6290.

Banneker-Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin St., Annapolis:

"The Maryland Day Celebration will be a great way to experience our state's unique history and culture from a variety of angles," said Genevieve Kaplan, the museum's manager of Education and Public Programs. "And, with this year's event providing more programs and activities than in the past, it will make for an unforgettable experience."

From 1 to 3 p.m., the museum will offer visitors the chance to see fiber artist Dr. Joan Gaither's documentary story quilt titled "Black Watermen of the Chesapeake."

Additionally, there will be a screening of a documentary film that focuses on the history of African American watermen who work on the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the "stars" of this show will be present at the museum to tell their personal stories.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-216-6180 or visit www.bdmuseum.com.

Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second St., Eastport:

Beginning at 10 a.m., a variety of docent-guided tours will lead to discovery of Eastport's diverse history, maritime heritage and charm. Included among the museum's offerings will be two different walking tours around Eastport; African American heritage and Colonial history tours; an ECruiser electric car tour; and a special dog walk. Note: Space is limited so advance reservations are necessary.

All tours are free. For more information, reservations and tour times, call 410-295-0104 or visit www.amaritime.org.

Chesapeake Children's Museum, 25 Silopanna Road, Annapolis:

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors of all ages can learn about the dinosaurs that roamed Maryland. Make-and-take craft activities will add to the fun.

Admission is $1. For more information, call 410-990-1993 or visit www.theccm.org.

Galesville Heritage Museum, 988 Main St., Galesville:

From noon to 5 p.m., visitors will be welcomed into a re-created plantation parlor where they can join a historic interpreter portraying Susan Mathiot Gale (born in 1831) as she recounts her life and views on motherhood, slavery and religion and what it was like to be widowed overseer of an estate during the mid-19th century.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-867-9499 or visit www.galesvilleheritagesociety.org.

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater:

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the center will offer two special family-friendly, hands-on programs: Blue Crabs with live blue crabs (10 to 11 a.m.); and Jellyfish with live jellies (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.). Space is limited so reservations are strongly suggested and can be made by calling 301-238-2737. In addition to the talks, the Java History Trail will be open to hikers.

Admission is free. For more information, call 443-482-2200 or visit www.serc.si.edu.

Saturday-Sunday

Hammond-Harwood House, 19 Maryland Ave., Annapolis:

From noon to 5 p.m., visitors can tour this circa 1774 mansion, "William Buckland's Maryland Masterpiece, best described stylistically as an Anglo-Palladian villa." Docents' narrations will bring the historic site to life during the tours of its fully-furnished interior. The video "Jewel of Annapolis" will be available for viewing as will the home's charming rear garden.

Admission into video screening and garden will be free. House tours: $6 for adults, $5.50 for seniors, $3 for children. For more information, call 410-263-4683 or visit www.hammondharwoodhouse.org.

William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George St., Annapolis:

From noon to 5 p.m., costumed re-enactors will be around the exterior of this magnificent Georgian mansion, telling visitors about Annapolis' social affairs and politics of the 1700s. Tales also will be told of the terrible winter and the hopes for a warm spring in the Colonial city. A fun-filled scavenger hunt will take place in Paca's awakening garden and special craft activities will add to the merriment.

Admission is $1.

The Paca House opens for the season on Sunday. Regular admission prices for the hour-long docent-led tour of the mansion's interior, will go into effect: $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for children ages 6 and older.

For more information, call 410-267-7619 or visit www.annapolis.org.

Hogshead, 43 Pinkney St., Annapolis:

From noon to 5 p.m., history will come to life at this traditional 18th-century middle-class house as Historic Annapolis Foundation costumed interpreters portray Colonial frontiersmen and women. Meet these characters and spend some time listening to their colorful stories.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-267-7619 or visit www.annapolis.org.

Sands House, 130 Prince George St., Annapolis:

From 1 to 3 p.m., explore centuries of local history and learn about the archaeological discoveries that have surfaced at this circa 1700 dwelling - one of the oldest and most significant frame residences still standing in Annapolis. The stories this old house will tell about the family that occupied it for nearly 240 years will fascinate every age.

Admission is $1. For more information, call 410-295-9715 or visit www.sandshouse.org.

Charles Carroll House, 107 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis (behind St. Mary's Church):

From noon to 4 p.m., visitors can tour this historic house and fine garden, learning about its past and various members of the Carroll family. Highlighting the experience will be a fun-filled scavenger hunt for clues about Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and what life was like in Annapolis during these revolutionary times.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-269-1737 or visit www.charlescarrollhouse.com.

Maynard-Burgess House, 163 Duke of Gloucester St., Annapolis:

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors should wander into the rear yard of this weathered frame residence to see the interpretive panels - developed by the Archaeology in Annapolis Program of the University of Maryland - describing the residence's complex architectural history. Learn about the dwelling's link to two black Annapolis families and discover rare insight into the lives of free African Americans living here between 1847 and 1900.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-280-0445.

Jonas Green House, 124 Charles St., Annapolis:

From noon to 6 p.m., visitors will be welcome into the 1738 home of Jonas and Anne Green, Colonial patriots, printers and publishers of the Maryland Gazette in 1745. Randall Brown, a direct descendant of the Greens and the current resident, will provide an informative narration and tour through this historic property, which is not normally open to the public.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-295-9715 or visit www.capitalcitycolonials.com.

Sunday

ArtFest at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St., Annapolis:

Linnell Bowen, the hall's executive director, hopes everyone will come by for their show-and-tell.

"We will be showcasing all the great cultural resources available in the community," she said. "Additionally, this will be an opportunity for the public to participate in hands-on activities, hear concerts and see demonstrations, all led by the art organizations and artists that make our area so unique."

From 1 to 4 p.m., ArtFest will spotlight a variety of activities conducted by: the Hall's instructors; resident companies, including the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra; and resident programs such as the Peabody Preparatory and Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Artists-in-residence also will be on hand and studios will be open to view. Members of the Digital Photography Club of Annapolis will provide tips on composition as well an exhibit. Every visitor, along with participating in exciting scavenger hunts and enjoying free ice cream, can lend their own artistic talent to the creation of the special Maryland Day mural, "Faces of Maryland."

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-263-5544 or visit www.marylandhall.org.

Historic London Town and Gardens, 839 Londontown Road, Edgewater:

From noon to 4 p.m., tours of this beautifully-preserved 23-acre museum and park will be available for all visitors. The historic circa 1760 William Brown House, a National Historic Landmark, as well as reconstructed Colonial buildings, archaeological projects and woodland gardens await discovery. A demonstration of open hearth cooking will add to the experience.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-222-1919 or visit www.historiclondontown.org.

Deale Area Historical Society's Historic Village, 389 Deale Road (Route 256), Tracys Landing:

"This event is such a good way to learn about the past and how every-day people lived and conducted their business in this area," said Ruth Hazen, Deale area chairman of the Maryland Day Celebration 2010 Committee.

From noon to 5 p.m., visitors can interact with costumed village residents as they go about performing their daily chores. Everyone can visit the museum to see boat models crafted in Deale; examine archaeological finds; talk with a farmer at a log tobacco barn; see period furnishings in one of the residences; play old-fashioned children's games; even attend a class at the one-room school house.

Admission is free. For more information, call 410-867-4911 or visit www.dahs.us.

Captain Salem Avery Museum, 1418 East West Shady Side Road, Shady Side:

At 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., the Shady Side Rural Heritage Society, the owners and operators of this historic waterman's home, will present a costumed docent-led tour of the house with a narration about the social, economic and environmental changes that have occurred on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. This tour will be followed by a presentation on the history of tea and a demonstration of proper tea service.

Admission is free.

A mother-daughter tea will be offered at 1 and 3 p.m. Pre-paid reservations are required.

For more information about the museum and tea reservations, call 410-867-4486 or visit www.shadysidemuseum.org.

Southern Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce open house, 5503 Muddy Creek Road, Churchton:

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the chamber invites visitors to stop-by for free refreshments and to pick up a coupon book featuring special offers from south county area merchants.

For more information, visit www.southcounty.org.

All weekend

Over the weekend, a variety of restaurants will be offering specially-themed menus for Maryland Day Celebration 2010. Here's a sampling of participating eateries:

Rams Head Tavern, 33 West St., Annapolis: 410-268-4545; www.ramsheadtavern.com

Reynolds Tavern, Church Circle, Annapolis: 410-295-9555; www.reynoldstavern.org

Atwater's, Market House at the Annapolis City Dock: 410-268-2074; www.atwaters.biz

For more information on the heritage programs, visit www.fourriversheritage.org or call 410-222-1805.

For more information about Maryland Day Celebration 2010, visit www.marylandday.org.

Remember: During the Maryland Day Celebration, information specialists at the Visitors Center for the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau, 26 West St., are standing by to help. Be it historic sites, museums, tours, brochures, maps and directions, even restaurant options, they are the best kind of know-it-alls.

The center is open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 410-280-0445 or visit www.visitannapolis.org.

Margaret Horton Edsall is a nationally-known writer who resides in Edgewater.