Blessing of the Fleet

On October 3 and 4, come out to the St. Clement's Island Museum for the Blessing of the Fleet! The Blessing of the Fleet is a religious celebration of Maryland's birthplace, the landmark of St. Clement's Island, and a blessing of the boats, or fleet, as October 1 generally begins the oyster harvesting season in Maryland.

This is the 42nd year that the Blessing of the Fleet has been held. During the festival, enjoy a classic car show on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, Catholic mass on Sunday, arts and crafts, livestock and a petting zoo, an oyster tonging demonstration, hourly $100 cash giveaways, wine tastings, boxing robots, and pony rides. Plus, on Saturday night, watch as beautiful fireworks light up the sky over the Potomac River! The 2009 Blessing of the Fleet will also feature music by local bands, a parade on Sunday, and lots of fun childrens activities.

In honor of Maryland's 375th birthday, the 2009 Blessing of the Fleet will include a special cover on the event program that features Maryland's 375th birthday along with a picture of the cross and the Blackistone Lighthouse. There will also be a short story in the book that will describe the connection between St. Clement's Island and the founding of Maryland.

On Saturday, October 3, the event will run from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. and on Sunday, October 4, the event will run from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information about the event, please contact the 7th District Optimist's Club at 301-769-2763 or rspogue@aol.com. To visit their website, click here. To download the event flyer, click here.

Culinary Arts Students Will Face-Off at Celebrate 375 Cake Decorating Contest

In honor of Maryland’s 375th birthday, the Culinary Arts program at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center will hold a cake decorating contest at the St. Mary’s County Fair in the new auditorium building on Friday, September 25 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. The Culinary Arts students will work in teams of two, with a total of 12 teams competing. Cakes will be decorated using the theme of Maryland’s 375th Birthday and St. Mary’s County.

The cakes will be judged by Doris Jenkins of Carroll County, a judge of the Pillsbury Bake-off Contest at the Maryland State Fair; Anita Kriner, wedding cake designer and owner of Anita's Cakes in Great Mills; and Peter Schmitter, owner and pastry chef of Wildewood Pastry shop in California.

The cakes will be on display in the new auditorium building at the fair through Saturday. The newly crowned Queen of Tolerance and her court will be cutting and serving samples of the cake to the public on Sunday at 1:00 PM, also in the new auditorium building, during Maryland’s 375th Birthday Party.

The idea for the contest was that of Fair Director John Richards who approached school personnel with the idea. Culinary Arts instructor Amanda Garnados is coordinating the contest and working with the student teams. The St. Mary's County Division of Tourism is helping to sponsor the contest.

For more information about the St. Mary's County Fair, visit www.smcfair.somd.com.

St. Mary's County Fair Will Celebrate Maryland's 375th!

The 2009 St. Mary’s County Fair is hosting a variety of events to celebrate Maryland’s 375th birthday, including a cake decorating contest, an essay reading, and Maryland’s 375th Birthday Party!

On Friday, September 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., students from the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center will face-off in a birthday cake decorating contest. The winning birthday cake will be chosen by a panel of judges including Doris Jenkins, of Carroll County, a judge of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest at the Maryland State Fair; Anita Kriner, wedding cake designer and owner of Anita’s Cakes in Great Mills; and Peter Schmitter, owner and pastry chef of Wildewood Pastry Shop in California.

Then, the winner of the Turning Points in St. Mary’s County Historical Paper Contest will be announced and will read his/her essay on Friday at 2 p.m. The essay contest encouraged middle and high school students to think about local history by asking students to write an essay on a turning point that caused change within St. Mary’s County. The contest was sponsored by the St. Mary’s County Department of Economic & Community Development and St. Mary’s County Public Schools. The winner will receive a savings bond from the St. Mary’s County Historical Society.

The festivities will continue on Saturday, September 26, with nearly a dozen songwriters, including Robin Guyther, Ben Connelly, Gary Rue, Krys Baker, Patty Dorsch, Scott Harshna, Catfish Joe, David Flood, Lissie Deere, David Norris, Carol Schachter, and Joe Norris performing original songs about Southern Maryland. The musical performances will start at the parade reviewing stand in front of the auditorium at 11:30 a.m.

On Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 p.m., the 2009 Queen of Tolerance and her court will be hosting Maryland’s 375th Birthday Party in the new auditorium. The Queen and her court will cut and serve samples of the birthday cakes from the cake decorating contest.

The cover of the 2009 St. Mary’s County Fair Guide also highlights Maryland’s 375th birthday with a composite of some of the student drawings entered into the cover contest that portray symbols of Maryland. The students who contributed were Becca Frazier and Robert Raley, from Margaret Brent Middle School; Chris Sydnor, Jenifer Schmidt, Stephanie Machina, and Kate Hardman, from Little Flower School; and Chris Forte, from Father Andrew White School. To see an online version of the Fair Guide, click here or on the image.

So come out to the St. Mary's County Fair this weekend and enjoy the special Maryland's 375th Birthday festivities! The St. Mary's County Fair is open from Thursday, September 24 through Sunday, September 27. For more information, please visit http://www.smcfair.somd.com/.