Celebrate America's

239th Birthday in Style

Fireworks, flags, food and fun make up Calvert County's Independence Day celebration and this year you can celebrate two nights in a row!

On Friday, July 3, visit Chesapeake Beach for one of the largest fireworks displays on the Chesapeake Bay. Fireworks can be viewed from any spot along the water in Chesapeake Beach, North Beach and Breezy Point. Spend the afternoon playing at the Chesapeake Beach Waterpark or at one of the public beaches. Join family, neighbors and friends for a special fireworks display at dusk. The Chesapeake Beach Water Park is open until 10 p.m. for this event. 

On Saturday, July 4, the Solomons Business Association (SBA) proudly sponsors the Solomons fireworks display beginning around 9 p.m. Given the height of this spectacular show, people located anywhere on the island will have a good view. Vehicular traffic on the island will be restricted. Parking will be available in the grassy area of Glascock Field for $10/car; proceeds go to Boy Scout Troop 451 and SBA Fireworks.

 

It's bigger and better than ever and one of the region's most popular events. Join the fun at SHARKFEST! Saturday, July 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sharks are one of the world's most fascinating creatures and this is a chance to learn more about them.

 

Live sharks and sturgeon will be featured in the Corbin Pavilion. The museum will be full of hands-on opportunities to explore the diversity of sharks and their remarkable history. Learn fascinating shark-toids, examine evidence of prehistoric sharks, paint a shark mural, make a shark craft, get your face painted, play for prizes in the Shark Game Show and take your picture in the life-size jaws of a Megalodon shark.

 

See Rocknoceros performing original rock music for children with performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The award-winning Museum Store will be stocked with new "shark" items. Regular museum admission applies; CMM members are free. Complimentary museum passes will not be honored and strollers are not allowed in the museum. There will be food vendors on site. Visit online for full details.

Solomons welcomes the 22nd annual Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge July 17-19. The Screwpile is an annual, three-day sailing event that attracts sailors from around the region. More than 100 boats along with sailors, shore support and race committee members flock to Solomons Island for this premier regatta with activities both on and off the water. The regatta is named for the screwpile-style lighthouse that once guarded the mouth of the Patuxent River at Drum Point, and now stands proudly at the Calvert Marine Museum.

Each morning features a 9 a.m. harbor-start parade. Imagine 100 race boats headed for the river with battle flags flying! Watch the parade from any waterfront position along Back Creek. Regatta camaraderie prevails at the post-race parties hosted at the waterfront Holiday Inn Solomons. The parties are open to racers, supporters and all those looking for a good time.

Experience the race in the historic Solomons Island community named one of America's "15 Happiest Seaside Towns" by Coastal Living Magazine. For more information visit online.

Did you know that the largest exposed seam of Miocene fossils in North America is at Calvert Cliffs here in Calvert County? To help explorers learn more about the rich treasures that can be found along western shores of the Chesapeake Bay, the Calvert Marine Museum hosts Fossil Field Experience programs once a month through the fall.

Learn where to find fossils, how to identify them and what they tell us about the past. The program begins at Cove Point Lighthouse at 9 a.m. where a trained guide will teach about Miocene fossils as you comb the beach until 11:30 a.m. You will then have free time to enjoy lunch on your own and travel to the Calvert Marine Museum. At 1 p.m. meet your guide to discuss your finds and utilize the Paleo Hall to learn about the ancient Miocene sea and the formation of the Calvert Cliffs.

The fee for the Fossil Field Experience is $20 per person, ages 8 and older and includes museum admission. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. For more information, contact Melissa McCormick at 410-326-2042, ext. 41 or visit online.

Summer Rocks in Calvert County

Calvert County may be the smallest county in the state, but its music scene is getting bigger by the day. From big-name acts at the Calvert Marine Museum and the St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department to regional favorites at local wineries and restaurants, there is great music being made all the time. You can catch weekly acts performing in a band shell on the Chesapeake Bay or from the porch of the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum.

This year the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa is presenting major acts in its 2015 Rock the Dock music series with music seven days a week from a variety of genres. Headliners include Lee Greenwood, Marty Stuart and Deanna Carter. For a complete listing, visit online.

For a sampling of concerts, see the events listing at left and check out these upcoming shows:

Thursday, July 23
The Drive Train
6 p.m.
North Beach Pavilion
301-855-6681

Thursday, July 23
"The President's Own" United States Marine Jazz Combo
6:45 p.m.
College of Southern Maryland Prince Frederick Campus

Thursday, July 30
The United States Navy Band Cruisers
6:45 p.m.
College of Southern Maryland Prince Frederick Campus

Saturday, Aug. 1
Little Big Town, with special guests
David Nail and Ashley Monroe
Gates open at 5 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m.
St. Leonard Volunteer Fire Department

Saturday, Aug. 1
Southern Maryland Wine, Jazz, R&B and Funk Festival
12 p.m.
Calvert County Fairgrounds

Calvert County is proud to participate in the annual Buy Local Challenge, a statewide summer initiative that aims to get Marylanders eating healthier while supporting our local farmers. When you buy local, you help ensure that the benefits of our farms survive for many years to come. In fact, if every household in Maryland purchased just $12 a week worth of farm products for eight weeks (basically the summer season), more than $200 million would be put back into the pockets of our farmers.

Take the pledge to eat at least one thing from a local farmer every day during Buy Local Week the last week in July. For more information about the local farmers markets, roadside produce stands, and restaurants that purchase fresh from local farms, visit online.