ANNAPOLIS, MD — Get ready for a weekend celebrating Maryland's birthday. The Maryland Day Weekend Celebration will kick off Friday, April 6, and lasts until Sunday, April 8, with many events taking place near the Annapolis harbor and downtown area.

Maryland Day 2018 events in Annapolis and Anne Arundel County features more than 40 events that are free or just $1. Celebrate Maryland's Birthday at cultural, heritage and environmental locations in the Fours Rivers Heritage Area of Annapolis, Eastport, Edgewater, Deale and Galesville.

Maryland Day commemorates the formal founding of the colony of Maryland, which historians say took place on March 25, 1634. On that day settlers disembarked from two small sailing ships — the Ark and the Dove — onto Maryland soil.

This is the 11th year that the Maryland Day celebration has been sponsored by the Four Rivers Heritage Area to highlight the areas heritage and cultural sites. The sponsorship allows sites that typically charge an admission fee to either waive the admission fee or only charge $1 for the weekend. Most sites also bring on extra staff for tours, demonstrations and other events for the public to enjoy and enhance their visit during the Maryland Day weekend.

A complimentary Maryland Day shuttle will go to and from select events in downtown Annapolis. It will depart from the 26 West Street Visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, courtesy of Towne Transport. The best part of the day is that all of the activities are either free, or cost $1. Want to know what you can do to celebrate Maryland Day?

The events and activities are all located at sites within the Four Rivers Heritage Area, located between Annapolis and the southern tip of Anne Arundel County.

Tour Historic Homes : Visit and tour the Deale Area Historical Society filled buildings from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Visit a 2-room home, a 1-room school, an African-American beneficial society building, an outhouse a tobacco barn, a Russian Orthodox chapel and other buildings. In Annapolis check out the homes of two signers of the Declaration of Independence, the William Paca House and the Charles Carrol House and see the newest restoration work at the Harwood Hammond House.

Enjoy the Outdoors at Historic London Town with demonstrations and explore their garden, the Paca House garden will have a historic wedding reenactment, watch a flag raising ceremony at the City Dock, and take a history hike in Bacon Ridge and a walking tour of downtown Annapolis or Brewers Hill Cemetery. If you want help creating your own native plant garden then the seminar and shopping specials at Green Street Gardens is a must. You can even play on the docks of the Annapolis Maritime Museum with fresh live oysters.

Take in the Arts at Maryland Hall's annual open house "Art Fest." Events include children's drama and theater showcase, monoprinting, digital photo booth, music, dance, art demonstration and sale, exhibits, food trucks, and free ice cream from Annapolis Ice Cream Company, Cow Tails and Caramel Creams from Maryland's own Goetze's Candy, Popcorn and Much More. If you have the kids with you walk across the ball fields behind Maryland Hall and take the kids to the Chesapeake Children's Museum for more hands on fun.

Kids Activities include the Chesapeake Children's Museum, Annapolis Maritime Museum, Historic London Town, Paca House, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and several local libraries. Also check out the flag raising ceremony at Susan B. Campbell Park with music by the Annapolis Drum and Bugle Corps and flag detail by the award-winning USNA League Cadets of the Training Ship Mercedes.

Learn about African American History at the Banneker Douglas Museum, which is hosting two exhibits, Deep Roots and Rising Waters and Bent But Not Broken: An Artistic Celebration of the Spirit and Legacy of Frederick Douglas. Tour the Brewer Hill Cemetery the final resting place of ancestors from the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and members of the African-American Community and be a part of a drum circle at the Chesapeake Children's Museum. At the Galesville Heritage Society meet a 12th generation farmer and owner of Ivy Neck Farm. His great, great, great grandfather, James Cheston Sr., wrote a will in 1843 freeing 77 slaves upon his death. Learn about the court battle that ensued.

Check out all the Maryland Day events below and visit Maryland Day online at www.MarylandDay.org for event listing updates and shopping discounts. Some events require pre-registration.

Click on the name of the location to connect with the locations website for even more information. Taking Pictures this weekend? Use the hashtag #MarylandDay

VAAAC Visitors Center, 26 West Street and City Dock Annapolis, 9am-5pm: Information Specialists can help you plan activities for your Maryland Day Celebration adventures including a free Maryland Day Program and information about local things to see and do. 410-280-0445

Maryland State House, State Circle, Annapolis, 9 am to 5 pm: Maryland is home to the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use and is the only state house ever to have served as the nation's capitol. Colonial Maryland's capital was moved from St. Mary's City to Annapolis in 1695. Following the American Revolution, the building served as the meeting place for the Continental Congress. A grand marble staircase was added as part of an annex 1902-1906 and leads up to the second level to the present day offices of the governor and lieutenant governor. Historical portraits and other paintings by Charles Willson Peale and other artists adorn the building. The General Assembly will be in session. The general public is allowed in the chambers to view the proceedings, space permitting.

Edgewater Library 25 Stepney Lane, Edgewater, 9:30am Babies at Play: Babies from birth to 18 months (with caring adult) may enjoy books, music, and a variety of developmentally appropriate toys during this hour of unstructured social time in our meeting room. 10am Paws for Reading: Make a new furry friend from Caring Canines as you read aloud. Please register by calling 410-222-1538.

Banneker Douglass Museum, 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, 10am to 4pm: Permanent exhibit: Deep Roots, Rising Waters: A Celebration of African Americans in Maryland. Learn how African Americans throughout Maryland from 1633 through the present day made lasting changes for all Americans. New exhibit: Bent But Not Broken: An Artistic Celebration of the Spirit and Legacy of Frederick Douglass. Maryland artist Ulysses Marshall captures the spirit of Frederick Douglas through his highly expressive mixed media compositions. Colorful and poetic collages are delivered with blunt sincerity. Marshall's work talks of the glory, pain, and hope in the life of Douglass and in the African-American experience.

Historic London Town & Gardens, 839 Londontown Rd. Edgewater, 10am-4:30pm: Throughout Maryland Day weekend, you can visit Historic London Town and Gardens to try making rope, watch musketry demonstrations, smell fresh hearth cooking in a colonial style, buy handmade furniture from a master carpenter, and explore our beautiful decorative gardens.

Deale Library, 5940 Churchton-Deale Road, Deale 10 am: Finger Painting for preschoolers. Encourage your child's artistic side through a process-focused finger painting experience.

Annapolis Maritime Museum, 723 Second St. Annapolis, 11am – 3pm: Did you know most oysters we eat are "Made in Maryland"? If you want, join us on our docks and prepare to get wet and muddy as you discover oysters and learn and touch Chesapeake critters. Free admission, appropriate for kids and adults.

>> Click the Friday, April 6 link above for a full list of activities.

Start your morning off at the Anne Arundel County Farmers Market, 275 Truman Parkway in Annapolis from 7 a.m. to noon. This is the only Maryland producers market in Anne Arundel County, and features everything from fruit, veggies, meat, cheese, soap, honey, flowers, baked goods, cooking demonstrations, furniture, plants and more.

Don't miss the Maryland Day Flag-Raising Ceremony at 10 a.m. at City Dock. Four Rivers Heritage Area and partners will present the flag raising ceremony with music by the Annapolis Drum and Bugle Corps and flag detail by the award-winning USNA League Cadets of the Training Ship Mercedes.

Watch Gov. Larry Hogan aboard Pride of Baltimore II as she crosses the Baltimore Harbor between iconic sites central to Maryland History: Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine and Fells Point. Governor Hogan will leave Fort McHenry at 3 p.m. and arrive at Fells Point at 3:30 p.m.

Don't miss a day celebrating music and food "Made in Maryland" at the Maryland Theatre for the Performing Arts at 1 Park Place in Annapolis. From 12-5 p.m., visitors can enjoy this free outside event featuring performances by the All Children's Chorus of Annapolis, Bumper Jacksons and more. Kids can even climb on the "Lil Nippers" model oyster boat from the Oyster Recovery Partnership and "tong for oysters."

Watermark Tours Susan Campbell Park, City Dock 10:30 am Annapolis in 100 Memorials: Celebrate Maryland Day on this 2.1 mile ramble in the Historic District of Annapolis. Join lifelong Annapolitan and experienced Watermark guide Squire Richard for a journey to outdoor monuments in Annapolis. Copies of "Pause to Remember," the conference brochure, will be shared highlighting 11 local monuments, 100 "memorials" have been identified. Reservations are not required. The ramble will step off immediately after the 10 am flag-raising ceremony. We saunter rain or shine.



Chesapeake Children's Museum 25 Silopanna Road, Annapolis, 10am-4pm, $1 Admission

10-4pm Come and Play Make a Maryland memory with your family. Come and play at the hands-on museum for children of all ages. Meet live animals. Travel the seven seas on a 10-foot boat. Dress up and perform on stage. Shop at a Colombian street market. Take a stroll on the creekside nature trail.

2-4pm Children are sure to be inspired by Fantasy Players. These young musicians, still in middle school, have been "touring" the DC-Baltimore area since 2016 with covers of rock classics as well as some original music.

Historic Annapolis Museum and Store 99 Main St. Annapolis, 10am-4pm Free

German immigrant Frederick Grammar built this substantial brick structure soon after a January 1791 fire destroyed most of the buildings along the waterfront block. Merchant Lewis Neth set up shop here by the end of that year. Explore the exhibit, Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake on the second floor, accessible by elevator. On the ground floor, shop for great specials on items that were "Made in Maryland."

Historic London Town & Gardens 839 Londontown Rd. Edgewater, MD 10am-4:30pm $1 Admission and free for members

Throughout Maryland Day weekend, you can visit Historic London Town and Gardens to try making rope, watch musketry demonstrations, smell fresh hearth cooking in a colonial style, buy handmade furniture from a master carpenter, and explore our beautiful decorative gardens.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis 11 am Free Take a tour of the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's headquarters. The world's first LEED Platinum building is also home to Maryland State offices, an educational cent, and is a popular event venue. The building reflects the mission of the CBF to protect and restore our bay.

Hogshead 43 Pinkney St. Annapolis,MD 12-4pm Free Learn what life was like for the "lower and middling sort" in early Maryland through an interactive experience with guides dressed in colonial attire and the opportunity to see and handle authentic and reproduction artifacts.

Scenic Rivers Land Trust Bacon Ridge Natural Area 1801 Hawkins Road Crownsville 10am (10am hike is now full) & 1230pm Free Learn how humans and nature have interacted to make the landscape we see today, while enjoying the beauty of a 900+ acre protected forest. All ages welcome, but beware it is an unpaved trail through the woods. Dogs on a leash welcome. Length: 2-4 miles. Meet at the trailhead on Hawkins Road just south of the 97 overpass in Crownsville, MD. For Info email sarah@SRLT.org.

William Paca House and Garden 186 Prince George Street Annapolis, MD 10am-4pm $1 Admission Make and keep some of your own "Made in Maryland" crafts.

Annapolis Maritime Museum 723 Second St. Annapolis, MD 11am-3pm Free Did you know most oysters we eat are "Made in Maryland"? If you want, join us on our docks and prepare to get wet and muddy as you discover oysters and learn and touch Chesapeake critters.

Brewer Hill Cemetery 802 West St. Annapolis, MD 11am – 4pm Free Guided tours on the hour of the cemetery. Learn more about the occupants who are interred at the cemetery. They include founders, casualties of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and members of the African-American community. Learn more about research and preservation efforts. Descendants of those interred here are encouraged to bring photos, bible records, and oral histories that will be part of a website memorializing those who are interred here. Help us transcribe information from memorials for use by people researching their family history. Details of tools will be found on the website.

Greenstreet Gardens 391 Bay Front Rd W, Lothian, MD 11am Free We are offering a free seminar regarding Maryland Natives. Also find the perfect tree or shrub for your home that celebrates your Maryland Pride and learn all about our state's natural plants. Followed by shopping specials on native plants.

Charles Carroll House 107 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis 12 noon to 4 pm Explore this grand old home, an essentially intact 18th-century property in the Annapolis Historical District. Charles Carroll of Carrollton was the most famous of the many generations of Carrolls who resided here. The family played a major role in the framing of the governance of Maryland and the emerging United States. Charles was one of four Marylanders to sign the Declaration of Independence and was the only Roman Catholic signer. He and his wife Mary "Molly" Darnall, were given ownership of the house as a wedding present.

Hammond-Harwood House 19 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis 1pm-4:30pm Free to $1 Admission The house, built in 1774, is a fine example of Anglo-Palladian architecture. The museum collection features paintings, furniture, and decorative arts from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Social history of the time covers family life, the enslaved people who worked a the house, and Annapolis traditions. Half-hour guided tours of the museum will be offered for $1. Tours will begin at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Each tour will be limited to 20 (tours are first come). The garden will be open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. There is no charge to visit the garden.

>> Click the Saturday, April 7 link above for a full list of activities.

Deale Area Historical Society 389 Deale Road, Tracy's Landing 1 to 4 pm Free: Get a glimpse into rural life in the late 1800's – early 1900's. Visit a 2-room home, 1-room school, an African-American beneficial society building , an outhouse, a tobacco barn, Russian Orthodox chapel and various smaller buildings needed for life in the country. Life was much simpler and harder than what we experience today. There will a docent available to answer questions of the time period.

Galesville Heritage Society 988 Main Street 1 to 4 pm Free Over 350 years of history of colonists, slaves, mariners, and merchants can be found in this seaside village. At 2 pm John Murray Colhoun, a direct descendent of its Puritan founders will present "The Freeing of the Ivy Neck and Tulip Hill Slaves" at Memorial Hall (952 Main Street). He is a 12th generation farmer and owner of Ivy Neck Farm. His great, great, great grandfather, James Cheston Sr., wrote a will in 1843 freeing 77 slaves upon his death. Learn about the court battle that ensued.



Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, 801 Chase St. Annapolis, MD 1pm-4pm Free Maryland Hall will be hosting its 9th Annual ArtFest Open House. Explore all that Maryland Hall has to offer in this free open house featuring art demonstrations, gallery events, performances, and hands-on activities, including children's crafts. An exciting day of creativity for all ages.

>> Click the Sunday, April 8 link above for a full list of activities.

Photo: MarylandDay.org