May 22-25, 2009

 

Date	Start Time	Event	Locations
Friday, 5/22/2009	6:00 PM	Kickoff COCKTAIL RECEPTION, Musical entertainment by B Natural.	Hynson Pavillion (Wilmer Park)
		SNEAKER CREEPER Footrace for children ages 2-11 (for information or to register: 410-778-4179)  We will be holding the 21st annual Sneaker Creeper at the Washington College's Roy Kirby Stadium - organized by the H.H. Garnett  PTA,family & friends	Washington College - Roy Kirby Stadium
	8:00 PM	LIBERTY OR...?-Prince Theatre commissioned play about life in colonial times in Kent  County, written by award winning playwright, Norman Allen. This production is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, Inc	Prince Theatre
Saturday, 5/23/2009	8:00 AM	ANNUAL TEA PARTY CLASSIC DISTANCE RUN	Wilmer Park
	9:00 AM	100 VOICE CHOIR	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
		BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Play chess with the master	White Swan Tavern Portico
	9:30 AM	COLONEL LEONARD'S IRREGULARS Irish, Celtic, & Folk Music	Courthouse Green
	10:00 AM	AJ KOLODZIEJSKI - LUTHIER handmade stringed instruments	Foot of High Street
		Children's Colonial Floor Cloth Demonstration	Foot of High Street
		COLONIAL PARADE	High Street (In historic district)
		DR. BILL - Colonial Medical and Surgical demonstrations	Foot of High Street
		Periwigs & Petticoats Colonial Dress-up	Foot of High Street
		SCALES & TALES - Tuckahoe State Park Animal Exhibit	Courthouse Green
	10:30 AM	STORYTELLING & CHILDREN'S FOLK MUSIC, Miss Jackie	Courthouse Green
	10:45 AM	David & Ginger Hildebrand Colonial Music	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	11:00 AM	CHILDREN'S COLONIAL GAMES 11am-3pm	White Swan Tavern Portico
		KILTIE BAND OF YORK	Custom House
		SCHOONER SULTANA PUBLIC SAIL - on the Chester River, Reservations Required! Call 410-778-5954	Cannon at Town Dock
		SWORDMASTERS History & skills of the colonial swordsman - lessons and demonstrations throughout the day	Foot of High Street
		WASHINGTON COLLEGE ARCHAEOLOGY LAB Open for Tours- the Revolution continues!	Custom House
	11:15 AM	AWARDING OF PRIZES FOR TEA PARTY CLASSIC RUN	Wilmer Park
		CHESAPEAKE CALEDONIA PIPE BAND	Courthouse Green
		FLAG RAISING CEREMONIES Kent County Community Marching Band	Cross and High Streets
	11:30 AM	DOVER ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCERS 18th c. Dancing	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
		FIFES & DRUMS OF THE DELAWARE MILITIA	Custom House
		STACY ROTH - Revolutionary Tea -- the story of the tea protest in song, poetry, and prose	Prince Theatre
		TUCKER'S TALES - PUNCH & JUDY PUPPET SHOW Tuckers Tales	Courthouse Green
		WALKING TOURS OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, & 3:00	from Information Booth
	12:00 PM	Beaten Biscuit Contest	Foot of High Street
		DAVID EMERSON - SEA STORIES David Emerson	Custom House
		DR. BILL - Colonial Medical and Surgical demonstrations	Foot of High Street
		SLIM HARRISON - strolling musician GOOD TIME MOUNTAIN MUSIC Slim Harrison
		STORYTELLING & CHILDREN'S FOLK MUSIC, Miss Jackie	Courthouse Green
		WALKING TOURS OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, & 3:00	from Information Booth
	12:15 PM	COLONEL LEONARD'S IRREGULARS Irish, Celtic, & Folk Music	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	12:30 PM	CHESAPEAKE CALEDONIA PIPE BAND	Foot of High Street
		LIBERTY OR...?-Prince Theatre commissioned play about life in colonial times in Kent County, written by award winning playwright, Norman Allen. This production is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, Inc.	Prince Theatre
		STEPHEN CHRISTOFF - strolling set of Colonial Music: Octave Mandolin, Bowed Musical Saw, Hand Flute
		TUCKER'S TALES - PUNCH & JUDY PUPPET SHOW Tuckers Tales	Courthouse Green
		WALKING TOURS OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, & 3:00	from Information Booth
	12:45 PM	FIFES & DRUMS OF THE DELAWARE MILITIA	Courthouse Green
	1:00 PM	DOVER ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCERS 18th c. Dancing	Custom House
		FIDDLESTYX and STEP JAM Clogging, flatfooting & country music	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
		SLIM HARRISON - GOOD TIME MOUNTAIN MUSIC Slim Harrison	Courthouse Green
		WALKING TOURS OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, & 3:00	from Information Booth
	1:30 PM	DRILL DEMONSTRATION 1st Battalion of Maryland Loyalists	Custom House
		KILTIE BAND OF YORK	Courthouse Green
		NANTICOKE INDIANS, Dances and Stories	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	1:45 PM	David & Ginger Hildebrand Colonial Music	Prince Theatre
	2:00 PM	TEA PARTY REENACTMENT	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	2:30 PM	SPICED PUNCH Colonial Music	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
		STEPHEN CHRISTOFF Colonial Music: Octave Mandolin, Bowed Musical Saw, Hand Flute	Prince Theatre
	2:45 PM	DR. BILL - Colonial Medical and Surgical demonstrations	Foot of High Street
		DRILL DEMONSTRATION lst MD Regiment, 6th MD Regiment	Courthouse Green
	3:00 PM	SQUARE DANCING PepperSteppers	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
		WALKING TOURS OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 1:00, & 3:00	from Information Booth
	3:15 PM	STACY ROTH "The Distaff Muse - songs by and about 18th Century women	Prince Theatre
	3:45 PM	STEPHEN CHRISTOFF Colonial Music: Octave Mandolin, Bowed Musical Saw, Hand Flute	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	4:00 PM	SPICED PUNCH Colonial Music	Prince Theatre
		AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION SQUARE DANCING PepperSteppers	Foot of High Street
	4:15 PM	SLIM HARRISON and the Children's Jug Band	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	4:30 PM	SCHOONER SULTANA PUBLIC SAIL - on the Chester River, Reservations Required! Call 410-778-5954	Cannon at Town Dock
	4:45 PM	DAVID EMERSON - SEA STORIES David Emerson	Custom House
		FLAG FOLDING CEREMONY - Vietnam Veterans of America	Main Stage (near Stams clock tower)
	5:00 PM	LIBERTY OR...?-Prince Theatre commissioned play about life in colonial times in Kent County, written by award winning playwright, Norman Allen. This production is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Stories of the Chesapeake Heritage Area, Inc.	Prince Theatre
Sunday, 5/24/2009	11:00 AM	SCHOONER SULTANA PUBLIC SAIL - on the Chester River, Reservations Required! Call 410-778-5954	Cannon at Town Dock
	12:30 PM	INTER-FAITH SERVICE & FLAG RAISING  The service will feature soloist Betsy Beals.  Rev. Gross, Cantor Schiff, and guest speaker Dr. J. David Newell who will be reflecting on "Social Disobedience of Colonial America and Today".  Dr. Newell is the retired Chair of the Dept. of Philosophy and Religion from Washingto9n College.	Cross and High Streets
		TUCKER'S TALES -  It's the Wolf! puppet show	Wilmer Park
		WALKING TOUR OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - Also tour at 1:30pm	from Information Booth
	1:00 PM	BAY COUNTRY GENTLEMEN, Bluegrass Music	Wilmer Park
		SLIM HARRISON Mountain music & children's instrument making	Wilmer Park
	1:30 PM	TOSS THE TORY! - the guilty shall be tossed!	Wilmer Park
		WALKING TOUR OF HISTORIC CHESTERTOWN - Also tour at 12:30pm	from Information Booth
	2:00 PM	BAY COUNTRY GENTLEMEN	Wilmer Park
		SCHOONER SULTANA PUBLIC SAIL - on the Chester River, Reservations Required! Call 410-778-5954	Cannon at Town Dock
	2:30 PM	RAFT RACE	Wilmer Park
	3:30 PM	BAY COUNTRY GENTLEMEN - HOEDOWN & SQUARE DANCING (participation) Bay Country Gentlemen	Wilmer Park
	5:00 PM	SCHOONER SULTANA PUBLIC SAIL - on the Chester River, Reservations Required! Call 410-778-5954	Cannon at Town Dock
5/25/2009	10:00 AM	MEMORIAL DAY PARADE	High Street (In historic district)

If you are a re-enactor of American colonial life and would like to be part of the festival's programming please contact programming@chestertownteaparty.com.

Please note that pets are not welcome at the Tea Party for the welfare of all.

For more information, contact contact@chestertownteaparty.com

The Reenactment | Walking Tours | Colonial Parade | Classic Run | Raft Race

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The Reenactment
In response to British Parliament's closing of the port of Boston, the citizens of Chestertown met in May of 1774 and set forth "Resolves" forbidding importing, selling, or consuming tea in Chestertown.

According to local legend, residents then gathered at the town center, marched down High Street to the brigantine Geddes, which was anchored in the Chester River, and tossed her cargo of tea overboard. The annual reenactment of that event is the centerpiece of the Chestertown Tea Party Festival.

The Schooner Sultana, built in Chestertown and launched in March 2001, plays the role of the brigantine Geddes during the reenactment.

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Walking Tours: 
HISTORIC WALKING TOUR OF 18TH CENTURY CHESTERTOWN AT THE TEA PARTY FESTIVAL
As part of the annual celebration of the Chestertown Tea Party, a walking tour of the historic district is offered to visitors and local residents. The tour is conducted by trained docents who are residents of the community of Kent County. The tour lasts approximately one and one-half hours, depending upon the interest and curiosity of the participants. The guides describe the architecture and the historical facts related to twenty one major 18th Century buildings and structures as well as answer questions related to town and county development since 1774. The tour strolls past such renowned buildings as Widehall, River House, the White Swan Tavern and the Hynson-Ringgold House in a setting of springtime in Maryland with the atmosphere of craftsmen in colonial dress and celebrations of the heritage of the area. Guides point out the distinction between Georgian and Federal homes and describe, in detail, the bonding of the predominately brick structures that make up the tour. Tour participants also have the opportunity to tour the interior the Geddes-Piper House, home to the Kent County Historical Society in order to gain an understanding of the interior furnishings and decor along with life styles of the people who lived in Chestertown in the 18th Century.

Walking Tour Times

Saturday: 11:30 12:00 12:30 1:00 3:00

Sunday: 12:30 1:30

For tickets please visit the festival's information booth.

For more information, contact walkingtour@chestertownteaparty.com

Town ordinance prohibits dogs at the festival.

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photos in opening FLASH sequence courtesy of Geoff Demeritt
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