Celebrate 375 Events Still Going Strong!

Even as colder winter weather sets in, the Celebrate 375 events are still going strong!  Coming up this winter, enjoy great events such as the Veterans Day Parade, Christmas on the Square, and the 23rd Annual Christmas Doll and Train Exhibit.

Veterans Day Parade

On November 11, head down to Leonardtown Square for the Veterans Day Parade!  Starting at 10 a.m., veterans, dignitaries, military units, drill teams, marching bands, floats, beauty queens, Native American dancers, bagpipers, and more will parade through Leonardtown in honor of America's veterans.  Following the parade, a Memorial Ceremony with the placing of wreaths to honor our veterans will be held in the Town Square accompanied by patriotic music.  After the parade, use your Discover St. Mary's County Card at participating businesses to receive great deals and special offers on dining, shopping, and more!

The annual parade is sponsored by the St. Mary's County Commissioners and the Commissioners of Leonardtown, in cooperation with VFW Post 2632.  For more information, call 301-863-5868 or 301-475-9791.

Christmas on the Square
Leonardtown will hold its Christmas on the Square and Annual Tree Lighting on November 27 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.  Enjoy holiday music and entertainment, a live Nativity, costumed characters, horse-drawn carriage rides, sleigh and hay rides, and more!  The Tree Lighting Ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. and the tree will be lit by Santa Claus.  Then, bring the kids to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus on the Town Square.  While you're in town, be sure to use your Discover St. Mary's County Card to get great deals from participating businesses throughout Leonardtown. 

This is also a good opportunity to get raffle tickets to enter to win the Fuji Crosstown Bike!  Raffle tickets are free.  Just ask for one at participating businesses throughout Leonardtown.  The winner will be chosen during the Leonardtown First Friday on December 4.

For more information, contact the Town of Leonardtown at 301-475-9791 or visit Leonardtown.somd.com.

23rd Annual Christmas Doll and Train Exhibit

The St. Clement's Island Museum will hold its 23rd Annual Christmas Doll & Train Exhibit from December 2, 2009 through January 3, 2010.  In honor of Maryland's 375th Birthday, the theme of the exhibit will be "Christmas in Maryland" and will showcase the official symbols of Maryland!  Get into the spirit of the holidays by visiting this exciting exhibit of antique and collectible dolls, toys, and miniature working trains.

For more information, contact the St. Clement's Island Museum at 301-769-2222 or visit www.stmarysmd.com/recreate/museums.

Riverside WineFest at Sotterley 2009!

Come to the place where wine flows freely, music is jamming, kids are playing, artists are selling, food is scrumptious, and everyone is having a blast! Sotterley Plantation will “Celebrate the Best of Maryland in a Breathtaking Setting” at the Riverside WineFest at Sotterley 2009. For two days, guests will have the chance to taste the offerings of 17 highly acclaimed Maryland wineries (with no tasting tickets). For those who have always wanted to learn about wine making and wine testing, you will enjoy the informative demonstrations and exhibits. Promoting goods from our local farming community and introducing fine local chefs, visit the So. Maryland, So Good tent and enjoy the full schedule of events. Hungry? Dash over to the food vendors for crab cakes, fried oysters, pit-roasted meats, stuffed ham, wraps, freshly made ice-cream and more. There is no such thing as a bored child here at Sotterley, as we offer free face painting and colonial games. Ready to dance? Go for it! Move and groove to a spectrum of music – from Jazz to1950’s classics to Rock & Roll to International Folk. Let’s talk Art – not crafts, but ART. Artists from The Color & Light Society will be painting, displaying, and selling their treasures in the Customs Warehouse. Down on the field, make a point of supporting other Maryland Artists, many of whom sell their creations nationally and internationally. As an added bonus, 98.3 Star FM celebs T-bone & Heather will be here with t-shirts and prizes for the crowd on Saturday from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

NEW for 2009: Promising to make this year’s event even better, we will have an Antique Show in the barn with experienced local antique dealers selling favorites from days gone by. Since we aim to please, diehard football fans will be able to watch the Washington Redskins play (and beat) the Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. down on the field on a big screen television.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for a discounted price of $17 prior to September 25th, and at the gate tickets will be $20. Designated drivers are $15, those between the ages of 6 – 20 years old are $5, and children under 6 are free of charge. To purchase tickets in advance (VISA or MasterCard only) or to find out more information, visit http://www.sotterley.org/ or call 301-373-2280 or 800-681-0850.

Crab Lovers Delight

If you love crabs, then you definitely don't want to miss the St. Mary's Crab Festival on Sunday, June 14. The festival runs from 11 AM until 5 PM and is being held at the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds in Leonardtown. An annual tradition for 23 years, the crab festival is one of those great events that no summer would be complete without. You can get crabs any way you like 'em - steamed crabs, boiled crabs, breaded crabs, crab soup, and crab cakes plus other seafood dishes!

The festival also features regional crafters selling their hand-made pieces and lots of local entertainment to enjoy while you sit back and savor those crabs. Local dance studio teams, the crowd-pleasing Chesapeake Country Cruisers line dance team, and live country music by local legends "Southbound" will make you want to get up and dance!

There is a $5 general admission fee and food purchases cost extra. For more information, please contact the Leonardtown Lions Club at 301-885-8926 or visit www.StMarysCrabFestival.com.

This Week in St. Mary's County (Jan. 5 - Jan. 12)

Between January 5 and January 12, you won't want to miss:

• Opening of Maryland Geocache Trail
• Genticorum Concert - Playing January 10 at St. Mary's Ryken High School
• Leonardtown First Fridays
• Political Memorabilia Exhibit at Piney Point Lighthouse, Museum and Historic Park

Geocache Trail
January marks the opening of a geocache trail that will take cachers on a journey throughout the state of Maryland. Sponsored by the Maryland Municipal League, the trail's theme is Maryland's Cities and Towns. The trail is comprised of all participating cities and towns in the 11 Maryland Municipal League Districts, which includes a total of 78 city/town caches. One of the participating towns is Leonardtown. Stop by the St. Mary's County Welcome Center to pick up your Geocache Trail passport and embark on your journey! For more information, please visit www.geocaching.com, www.mdmunicipal.org or call 410-268-5514.

Genticorum Concert
The Celtic Society of Southern Maryland, in collaboration with St. Mary's Ryken High School, will present afternoon workshops and an evening concert with the Montreal-based Quebecois trio, Genticorum. Genticorum is known for its energetic, uplifting and even soulful music, which is all sung in the Quebecois language. Don't worry if you don't know the Quebecois language though. All of Genticorum's songs are prefaced with an English translation. For more information, please visit http://www.cssm.org/ or call 301-904-7303.

Leonardtown First Fridays
Great deals and an emphasis on local culture are at the forefront of Leonardtown First Fridays. Every month, Leonardtown businesses stay open late and offer their patrons special offers and experiences. Stroll the quaint streets of Leonardtown this Friday and discover the town's art galleries, restaurants, cafes, gift shops, antique stores and more! For more information, please visit http://www.leonardtownfirstfridays.com./

Political Memorabilia Exhibit
With the Presidential Inauguration approaching and the hope of change in the air, there's no better time to look back into America's political past! Visit the Piney Point Lighthouse, Museum and Historic Park on weekends through January 19 to see political relics ranging from Abraham Lincoln to our president elect, Barrack Obama. The exhibit includes posters, buttons, magazines, photographs, newspapers, White House Christmas cards, and more. For more information, please visit http://www.stmarysmd.com/recreate/museums/ or call 301-994-1471.