37th Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair

To be held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St, Michaels, Maryland -- June 13-15, 2025

ST MICHAELS, MD, UNITED STATES, May 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Boats Made Popular through TV and Film’’ is the theme of this year’s 37th Annual Antique & Classic Boat Festival and Coastal Arts Fair at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum (CBMM). Vintage sport boats such as Glastron Scimitar (Moonraker), Chris Craft (On Golden Pond), Thunderbird (Flipper), Hacker (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), and many more classic and antique boats will be on display at this year’s festival.

Traditionally held on Father’s Day weekend, this three-day event to take place June 13-15, 2025 is sponsored by The Antique & Classic Boat Society (ACBS)-Chesapeake Bay Chapter. It is one of the largest classic boat shows in the Mid-Atlantic region.

More than 100 cruisers, runabouts and racers (wood as well as pre-1997 fiberglass and metal boats) will be displayed both in water and on land. Additionally, there will be a Field of Dreams of classic or antique boats for sale.

Throughout the day, families can stroll the 17-acre CBMM campus to view these extraordinary boats and talk with their captains, as well as purchase unique works of maritime arts at the juried Coastal Arts Fair. In addition, there will be a nautical flea market, children’s activities, free boat rides on Sunday, and a variety of boating history talks and exhibits from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Topics on Friday are: “Army & Navy Rescue Boats of WWII – Legacy of McHale’s Navy & Sea Hunt”; “Coastal Contraband: Prohibition and Rum Running Off Chesapeake Bay”; “Boats for Spies and Secret Agents: Glastron’s Scimitar and Siblings”; “SHOW BOATs: From Chesapeake Floating Theaters to the Movies!”; and “Chesapeake Boats on Screen – Owens (Donna Reed) & CruisAlong (I Love Lucy).”

Saturday’s topics are: “Boats of James Bond Movies – Lyman to Glastron and More!”; “World War II PT Boats – Elco, Huckins, and Higgins”; “A Place in the Sun – Gar Wood, Chris-Craft & Century in Movies”; Rare & Interesting Classic Inboard Boats that are Flying Under Your Radar”; and “Donzi vs. Bertram – Giants of Offshore Racing.”

On Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at CBMM's Fogg's Landing, there will be a special exhibit, “Before and After Boats: Side-By-Side,” featuring unrestored boats next to finished classics of the same type. Restorers will offer advice on how to turn a daunting boat project into a cherished classic. There also will be a special presentation and tasting on “Today’s Bay Seafood” from 1-2 p.m. by Nick Hargrove, owner and president of Tilghman Island Seafood.

Boat owners are encouraged to register their boats in all phases of restoration in the following classes: historic (up to 1918), antique (1919-1942), classic (1943-1975), late classic (1976-1997) and contemporary (any wooden boat). Space is limited; register before May 15 at chesapeakebayacbs.org/participants-2/

Juried artists and craftsmen who want to reserve a 10x10 vendor space may register by May 15 at chesapeakebayacbs.org/vendors The cost is $100-$125 for the three-day event. For more information, contact Kathy Jones at whitebird1955@gmail.com, 302-803-9159.

Businesses that wish to advertise in the program journal, distributed to thousands of festival-goers, may register online at chesapeakebayacbs.org/sponsorship-advertising-order-form

To pre-purchase your tickets to the festival, visit cbmm.org or click here. CBMM is located at 213 N. Talbot St., St. Michaels, Md.

For more information about the show, email chesapeakebayacbs@gmail.com or call Boat Show Chairperson Kathy Jones at (302) 803-9159.

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ACBS-Chesapeake Bay is one of the 57 U.S. & Canadian chapters of The Antique and Classic Boat Society, Inc. and has more than 200 members enrolled representing more than six states. The Chesapeake Bay Chapter welcomes individuals and families who share a common interest in antique and classic boats. It hosts numerous member activities and sponsors the Antique and Classic Boat Festival in St. Michaels, Md., every June so members can meet, share experiences, exchange information and expand their knowledge of historic, antique and classic boats – both wood and fiberglass. Its objective is to generate enthusiasm for all aspects of members’ interest in sustaining, maintaining and preserving antique and classic boats. To learn more about ACBS-Chesapeake Bay, visit the website and follow the chapter on Facebook.

Kathy Jones
ACBS-Chesapeake Bay
+1 302-803-9159
whitebird1955@gmail.com
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