CHESTERTOWN — Appropriately, there was much tea drinking going on, on the afternoon of Saturday, May 25, for the commemoration of the 250th year since — legend has it — some of the good citizenry of Chestertown boarded the British brigantine, Geddes, on the Chester River and unceremoniously dumped a shipment of King George’s sanctioned tea for the Colonies, overboard.
This act of rebellious defiance, likened regularly to that of its Eastern Seaboard counterpart, Boston, Massachusetts, was devised to protest the closing of that historic port in May of 1774 by British Parliament. Oppressive taxes levied on tea and many other commodities coming from the homeland had the 18th-century Colonists up in arms and discussing revolution.
Unlike that event 250 years ago, the tea on Saturday was most decidedly iced, as temperatures for the second of the three-day-long festival soared well into the eighties under mostly sunny skies.
The heat, fortunately had no measurable effect on the turn-out, as the streets in and along historic Chestertown were teeming with residents and out-of-towners alike reveling in a wide variety of fun activities, demonstrations, strolling musical acts, and vendors of crafts, treats, and eats.
The day started early with a festival staple, the Tea Party Distance Classic Run to benefit the Radcliffe Creek School, at 8 a.m., and before long the shuttle service was dropping festival go-ers into town so they could stake out early positions along the Tea Party Parade route on High Street.
Early risers and regular attendees also had the option and benefit of strolling Chestertown’s Saturday morning Farmers’ Market to kick off the day’s events, as many did, with a coffee and breakfast sandwich.
The parade, which began at 10 a.m., was the formal start of the day’s festivities, as noted by an 18th-century town crier in full regalia and followed by the representation of the Colonel Tench Tilghman Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and members of Chesapeake Caledonian Pipe & Drum.
Additional musical participants included the Delmarva United Marching Band, Queen Anne’s County High School Marching Lions Band, Kent County High School’s “Brigade of Blue”, the Centreville Middle School Marching Band, and the Washington Scottish Pipe Band.
And a series of decorative floats and groups represented the event’s many sponsors, as well as, the Chestertown Tea Party Grand Marshals Past and Present, the ShoreRivers Organization, the Sultana Educational Foundation, Sumner Hall’s Legacy Days Festival, and Washington College, among others.
Post-parade foot traffic heading back to the vendor tents was dense with festival goers heading to scout out their favorite concessions or to Heritage Village on the Kent County Courthouse lawn where they got a chance to step back in time and experience what daily life in Colonial times looked like. From basket weaving, to pulling flax, to ice cream making where participants could actually sample an 18th-century recipe, this area was also bustling with young families who were partaking in kid-centric activities including face painting and puppet shows.
Area historian, Arthur Malestein, was on-hand in his Colonial attire with a vintage map of Maryland and Virginia to tell the tale of our state and its original boundaries. Over the years, he explained, some significant land mass was lost to territorial disputes due to bouts of Colonial in-fighting. Those areas became what we now know as parts of Virginia and the state of Delaware.
For those who love history, another great lesson, and some well-deserved central air conditioning, was provided by the Kent County Historical Society’s Bordley History Center where rousing renditions of songs from the Revolutionary War era were performed by a pair of Colonial-era players from Hoboken, New Jersey. The spirited husband and wife team of Ridley and Anne Enslow looked the part, he in his tricorn hat and she in her bonnet. The couple, who accompanied their songs with an 18th-century violin and a hammered dulcimer, delivered their history lesson with a harmonious dose of humor and good cheer.
Like all the County’s associated non-profits, the Kent County Historical Society plays a significant role in the Festival annually by assisting with coordination efforts and offering support through mutual cooperation.
“We have always done something special for the Tea Party Festival,” explained Barbara Jorgenson, president of the Kent County Historical Society. “One year we had Benjamin Franklin here,” she said. “This year we have the Colonial singers, who have done a terrific job of laying out the history.”
The Historical Society, she said, is also among the various street vendors offering ice cold beer to the thirsty throng of festival goers.
Amy Meade, a member of the Chestertown Tea Party Merchandising Committee, who was helping to man their booth on High Street said she expected and has seen revelers come from far and wide to attend the event, even if they have to use less conventional means to get here.
“We met someone who said they were living on their boat and sailing around the eastern half of the United States just traveling the Atlantic when they decided to stop in Chestertown on Memorial Day weekend because they heard there was a great festival there they wouldn’t want to miss,” said Meade, who noted the committee anticipated upwards of 8,000 people in attendance that Saturday alone.
A plethora of street vendors offering patriotic, Maryland-themed, hand-crafted, and locally-made items were the order of the day offering something for everyone.
This is the second year that vendor Sam Shoge of the Friendly Goods Company has brought his locally-based line of natural skin and body care products made from goat’s milk to the Tea Party Festival.
“I’m a local. I’m from here; lived here my entire life,” he said. “Tea Party, honestly, is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s a really nice homecoming for everybody who’s from here. And it’s a good, all-around family-oriented, family fun event.”
The humid air was thick with the sounds of bagpipes and the smell of cotton candy, Old Bay, and savory smoked meats as families in the crowd headed down to the waterfront to witness the other signature event of the day, the re-enactment of the tossing of the tea into the harbor from Chestertown’s famous schooner, the Sultana, standing in for the brigantine on that infamous day in May of 1774.
Salisbury resident, Pawel Szczurko, was in attendance with his wife and children for the performance. This was their first trip to the Tea Party Festival which he said he had been hearing good things about for some time. A 17-year resident of the United States and native of Poland, the father of three, described the event as “impressive”.
“I was very surprised. I am not used to seeing such a big crowd,” he said as he surveyed the hundreds of people jockeying for position on the waterfront dock. Szczurko relayed that despite the hectic drive from Salisbury to get his family here, that he was very glad they came and to see them all having such a good time.
Another first-timer, Jobi Curran of Betterton, who was in attendance with her husband, Steve, said while enjoying some crab cake sandwiches, that they were having a great time checking out all the booths, foods, and activities.
“I’m from Washington, D.C., so this is like a real change of pace for me, and he told me I have to see the reenactment. So, we are staying until then,” she said of her husband, who called his native Kent County the most beautiful place he knows.
“And we’re even getting to do some shopping,” he said, as his wife held up her armful of purchases.
“This is definitely my cup of tea!”, she said.
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