Events in Dorchester

  

Here is what's coming up in Dorchester County on Maryland's Eastern Shore.   GOOD NEWS Be part of a world-class endurance race!  Join in on the action of IRONMAN Maryland, one of the world's most grueling endurance events, which happens right here in Dorchester County in September! The IRONMAN Maryland triathlon challenges participants from all over the world to show their grit by making it through 140.6 miles all in one day: A 2.4-mile swim in the Choptank River, a 112-mile bike ride around Dorchester County, and a 26.2-mile run (the same as a full marathon!) in Cambridge. On race day, Sept. 18, spectators are welcome to cheer on the triathletes along the courses (where safe), at the transitions of swim to bike and bike to run at Gerry Boyle Park at Great Marsh in Cambridge, and at the finish line at Long Wharf Park (High and Water Streets). (Here's the Spectator Guide.) Sign up to volunteer – hundreds of volunteers are needed on the days leading up to the race, on race day, and after the race. Triathletes who come here from all over the world rave about our community spirit, and volunteers are a huge part of that! More volunteers are still needed for everything from packet stuffing to registration to aid stations. See the open slots and register here. Be ready to be patient on race day, since some roads will have delays to allow for the triathletes on the bike and run courses. Plan accordingly by checking out the course maps. VOLUNTEER FOR IMMD Great blue heron at Blackwater Refuge - Photo by Jill Jasuta Nature watch for September!  Here's what's happening in September with the flora and fauna around Dorchester County: Seashore mallow is blooming now; look for lovely pink blooms in and around the marshes.  Ospreys are heading back to Central and South America. We'll see them again in March. Waterfowl numbers will gradually increase, including egrets and herons.  The happy yellow faces of tickseed sunflowers will be blooming. Cattails will go to seed.  Songbird migration peaks in late September and early October. Toads are abundant.  A great place to see all this is Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Experience the four-mile Wildlife Drive by bicycle or car, or take to the water and go kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding on the water trails. (For bike, kayak, and SUP rentals, try Blackwater Adventures.)   PLAN YOUR TRIP TO DORCHESTER COUNTY Dorchester County in the spotlight We love it when magazines and other media help celebrate the things that make Dorchester County a wonderful place to visit and to live. And we've had a good amount of that coverage this summer! Here are some examples: "Wild Wonders - Six Stunning Places to Experience the East Coast’s Greatest Great Outdoors This Fall" – Baltimore magazine "America in Miniature - 75 Places to Road Trip in Maryland!" – Baltimore magazine "Cambridge – A Textbook Example of Everything Best About the Bay" -– Chesapeake Bay Magazine's Weekends on the Water special edition (see pages 40-52) "The Tucked Away Keepsake Campus in Cambridge" – Cambridge Spy – story about the Heritage Museums and Gardens of Dorchester "20 Best Day Trips to Take in Maryland” – Money Inc. Featuring the road to Hoopers Island and the Harriet Tubman Byway Underground Railroad Byway "A Weaverly Wonderland Looms in Downtown Cambridge" – Cambridge Spy – Featuring Michelle Follett's Textile Teachings Mandala Pies Brings Community Together One Pie at a Time – 47ABC 5 Things We Love About Cambridge – Blog from medical cannabis company Culta HARRIET TUBMAN NEWS Photo re-enactment by Chrystal O'Flaherty. Details September is Underground Railroad Month For the third year, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has declared September as International Underground Railroad Month, recognizing the state as the "most powerful Underground Railroad storytelling destination in the world." It’s also the month when Harriet Tubman made her first attempt to escape slavery (Sept. 17) and when Frederick Douglass self-liberated himself in Baltimore (Sept. 3). One way to mark the month is to take the road trip known as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. This self-guided, scenic driving tour includes more than 30 sites, many of them with outdoor markers or interpretive signs that share the story of that place. Find out more at HarrietTubmanByway.org.   Day of Resilience is Sept. 11-12 in Cambridge, MD The Third Annual Day of Resilience on Sept. 11-12 in Cambridge, Maryland, will commemorate the theme, “Honoring our Ancestors by Reconnecting with Our Roots,” and will feature Ambassador Sidique Wai of Sierra Leone as the keynote speaker during a Town Hall Meeting on Africa. The event happens along the Harriet Tubman Byway. There's a fashion show, live music, and more. Details   Emancipation Day is Sept. 19 at Tubman Visitor Center Honor Harriet Tubman's self-emancipation on Sept. 19 at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park & Visitor Center (Stop #13 along the Tubman Byway). The day includes birding, storytelling, talks on the Underground Railroad and the archaeology of the Ben Ross homesite, family fun, Junior Ranger activities, and more. 10am-3pm. Watch for more details at HarrietTubmanByway.org.   Exploring the byway by boat, kayak, and on foot  In celebration of Underground Railroad Month, Harriet Tubman Tours and Delmarva Birding Weekends are partnering with local outfitters to explore the Tubman Byway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Southern Delaware by boat, kayak and on foot. September is also a great month for experiencing fall migration, so the birding on these trips should be spectacular. Check out the tours happening on Sept. 10, Sept. 15, Sept. 16, and Sept. 30. Get details and sign up before they sell out. Walking tour of Frederick Douglass in Cambridge is Sept. 4 Join a walking tour that will share the importance of two visits Frederick Douglass made to Cambridge, Maryland in 1877 and 1878. The tour will start at Long Wharf and conclude on Pine Street in front of Bethel AME Church. There are two tours set for Sept. 4: 10am to 12pm and 1:30 to 3:30pm. Details   Underground Railroad cycling event Oct. 16 to benefit new Harriet Tubman sculpture A new cycling event in October 2021 in Dorchester County, Maryland will raise money for a new Harriet Tubman sculpture. The Bike the UGRR ride on October 16 will take riders along and near the Tubman Byway on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Choose either a 25-mile or 43-mile ride. Money raised from the event will support the Harriet’s Journey Home project, which seeks to raise $250,000 to commission, purchase, and permanently install a 12-foot bronze statue of Harriet Tubman (created by Wesley Wofford Sculpture Studio) at the Dorchester County Courthouse in Cambridge, MD – Stop #3 along the byway, and a former site of slave auctions. Details and registration Plan your road trip to explore the Harriet Tubman Byway here on Maryland's Eastern Shore at HarrietTubmanByway.org. TOP PICKS FOR SEPTEMBER THE ARTS Throughout September Main Street Gallery features "Other Lands" – Abstract Landscape Paintings by GW Thompson. All are welcome to the free artist reception on Second Saturday, September 11, 5-8 pm.   Dorchester Center for the Arts has "HANDS-ON: Textiles and Techniques — A Community Fiber Show," running Sept. 3-25. Second Saturday Artists’ Reception is September 11, 5-7:30pm. DCA also has lots of art classes and workshops from painting to ceramics and more.  The Blue Awning is hosting several crafting workshops in the coming weeks. See the schedule.  MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT Blue Ruin – Blues Friday with live music each Friday from 7 to 10pm. "Grease"-themed party September 4 at 7pm with music, cocktails, costume contests and more. Trivia and karaoke on Tuesdays at 7pm. On September 21, it's Marvel Movie Trivia and Costume Contest.  Fat Ricky's – Local Music Showcase Thursdays, 7-9pm. Fuzz Box Piranha September 4 at 8pm and the Sweet Water Band September 11 at 8pm. '80s in the Vines – Step back to the '80s and rock that big, crimped hair, Van Halen t-shirt, and stone-washed jeans with Layton's Chance Winery on September 5 starting at 5pm! '80s New Wave music by Gary & The Groove. Prizes for best dressed. Advance tickets only. Savoy Family Cajun Band – Free concert with band from Louisiana at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center September 9 from 3 to 4pm. Part of the kick-off to the National Folk Festival in Salisbury. Jazz at the Mural – Vocalist Reggie Upshaw and TKQ perform jazz, blues, gospel and Brazilian tunes outdoors in front of the Harriet Tubman Mural (weather permitting) September 11 at 7pm. Strumming in the Stalks - Emily's Produce hosts bluegrass music by Flatland Drive on September 19, 12-3pm. For more music, check the Weekend Roundup each Friday on the Dorchester Tourism Facebook page or Instagram.  Dorchester Goes Purple Kick-Off September 1 Join in the kick-off of this ongoing campaign to raise awareness of opioid addiction. Speakers will take about the real life impacts of addiction and the importance of community engagement.  Corn Maze Adventure! September 4-October 31 Wind your way through 5 acres of twists and turns at the Corn Maze at Emily's Produce! The theme is “Farmers Feed Families.” A separate children's maze is also available. Open Saturday and Sundays, 10am to 4pm. For the adults, don't miss Hops in the Crops on September 24! Riverboat Cruises Throughout September Hop aboard one of the Choptank Riverboats for a crab feast, lunch, dinner, or sightseeing cruise.  Cambridge Ghost Walk September 4, 17 Take a walk down Haunted High Street in Historic Cambridge – the most haunted street on the Eastern Shore. Hear about the ghosts who haunt and strange events that have happened in just a few short blocks.  Dorchester Chamber Centennial Celebration  September 11 Celebrate a century of the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce with a party on the lawn of Governor’s Hall at Sailwinds Park. All-you-can-eat buffet plus music by Uprizing. $50 per person; $15 for kids 7-12; free for kids 6 and under.  Wild Goose Virtual Cycling Event September 11 Register and complete your ride between September 11 and 18, 2021. Proceeds benefit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  Boat Docking Contests Watch watermen maneuver their boats in amazing ways! September 12 Hoopers Island Waterman's Rodeo  - Proceeds benefit the Hoopers Island Volunteer Fire Company.  September 26 Suicide Bridge Extreme Boat Docking Native American Festival September 18-19 Join the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians for a festival featuring traditional dancers, singers, drumming, crafts, artists’ demonstrations, authentic Native food, silent auction and more. $5 in advance; $7 at the gate. In Vienna. Choptank Heritage Skipjack Race September 25 See traditional oyster dredging sailboats compete in a race on the Choptank River. Parade of boats at 9am followed by the race at 10am. Best viewing is from Long Wharf Park in Cambridge. Duck Race Festival September 25 At this first-ever festival, winning ducks will get amazing prizes! You'll also find animals from the Salisbury Zoo, face painting, basketball shoot out, corn hole, a moon bounce and music by Mike Elzey.  Dorchester Arts Showcase & Street Festival  September 26 Join the Dorchester Center for the Arts for this annual arts event on Historic High Street in Cambridge. The event features juried fine arts and crafts, Eastern Shore cuisine, music and dance, maritime heritage, and family fun. 12-5pm. Free admission. See all of September's events SUNRISE/SUNSET PHOTO CONTEST Little Choptank River, photo by Victoria Lynn Gann Here's the winner of our latest Sunrise/Sunset photo contest for June/July/August 2021! Captured by Victoria Lynn Gann, this photo received the most votes in our Facebook contest. Thanks to the generosity of Copy Shoppe in Cambridge, she will receive a print (up to 16" x 20") of this photo.  See all the photos that were submitted in this photo album. The next Dorchester Sunrise/Sunset Contest will include photos taken in September, October, and November 2021. Deadline to submit a photo is Nov. 22. Post your photo to the I Love Dorchester Facebook page, tag us on Instagram at @visitdorchester, or email jill@visitdorchester.org.  On Nov. 23, we'll post an album on the Facebook page with all the photo submissions, and that's where people will vote for their favorites.    Order Brochures I Love Dorchester County Visit Dorchester VisitDorchester.org Harriet Tubman Byway Harriet Tubman Byway HarrietTubmanByway.org