Leonardtown, MD: St. Mary’s County Division of Tourism and the Town of
Leonardtown announce a full roster of family activities set for Raiders &
Invaders weekend, a 3-day, multi-component experience for all ages taking place
in Leonardtown and throughout St. Mary’s County June 6-8, 2014. Activities
include performances, music, hands-on activities and contests.
The
event begins on June 6, with Raiders & Invaders First Friday in Leonardtown
from 5PM to 8PM. Family activities include 1812-themed hands-on fun for
children at Yellow Door Art Studios presented by St. Mary’s Macaroni Kid,
traditional games at Ye Olde Town Café, and a performance of 1812-inspired
songs and stories in the square by musician Gary Rue and historian Dan
Shomette. The Newtowne Players will perform street theater throughout the
town as various period characters both Friday and Saturday.
The
Saturday Festival on June 7 begins at the College of Southern Maryland,
Leonardtown Campus. Visitors can park at the CSM parking lot and
participate before walking or taking the event shuttle into town. Outdoor
activities start at 10AM and continue throughout the day and include obstacle
courses and geo-caching games based on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles
of Narnia, and The Hunger Games.
In
Leonardtown proper, visitors can watch circus performers and participate in
circus arts workshops by the Old Bay Circus, see a children’s variety show by
family entertainers Nicolo Whimsey, listen to master 1812 storyteller Ming
Diaz, learn about what life was like in 1812 from demonstrators offering
spinning and weaving, blacksmithing and lace-making, and see period encampments
by the Brooke’s Company, and swordplay by the Calvert-Arundel Swordsmen.
Musical
acts feature traditional maritime chanteys by the Ship’s Company Chantymen,
acoustic folk by Baltimore-based ILYAIMY, and a performance by Downrange US
Army Band. Maritime activities include “Invasion Route” boat tours on
Breton Bay with oyster buy-boats and other historic craft docked at the
Wharf. The festival concludes with a free evening concert for all ages at
the Wharf, featuring the music of Justin Myles and The British Invasion
Tribute, playing favorites of the 60s British Invasion Era, including the
Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Who.
Kids
can get involved prior to the event by participating in two contests. The
first, organized through St. Mary’s County Library, is a “Finish the Story”
Contest. Details can be found at www.RaidersandInvaders.com.
Middle School students can also participate in the War of 1812-Inspired
Illustration Contest sponsored by Big Larry's and The St. Mary's Arts
Council. Details can be found at www.StMarysArtsCouncil.com.
Raiders
& Invaders is part of the State of Maryland’s War of 1812 Chesapeake
Campaign – a year of bicentennial events and activities that follow the 1814
British push up the Chesapeake and Patuxent to Washington D.C. and
Baltimore. Though there were few battles in Southern Maryland, the
British continually harassed coastline residents and subsequently invaded the
tiny Town of Leonardtown – population approximately 300. But victory was
not as easy as it seemed. The Town residents convinced the British
commander with his force of 1,500 not to burn the courthouse, but to move on
out of town. And that, say event organizers, is worth commemorating.
For
the most current event information, the public can log on to the event website www.RaidersandInvaders.com.
Event
Information Contacts:
Andrew
M. Ponti,
Tourism Coordinator, St. Mary’s County Tourism: 301-475-4200 X1404
or Andrew.Ponti@stmarysmd.com
Maria
Fleming,
Leonardtown Event Coordinator: 301-475-9791 or maria.fleming2@verizon.net
