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| The Bay Net Photo by Anna Bedford |
Historic St. Mary’s City, a museum on the site of the Maryland’s first capital, commemorated the 372nd anniversary of the founding on Sunday.
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| Photo courtesy of HSMC |
At 10:00 a.m. the second annual Kite Festival began. While they were being flown just for fun on Sunday, kites have historically been used for military purposes, for hoisting fireworks into the sky, and staging experiments, in addition to leisurely enjoyment.
The official Maryland Day program kicked off at 1:30 p.m. in Town Center with speeches, awards, and the Ceremony of the Flags, where children representing each Maryland jurisdiction presented their county colors to the crowd. Key note speaker was sociologist Dr. Gabrielle Tayac. Dr.Tayac, a member of the Piscataway tribe, has published widely on American Indian issues. Her interest in maintaining the cultural identity of the Piscataway continues the work of her grandfather, the late traditional Piscataway chief and medicine man, Turkey Tayac. She is a Curator for the National Museum of the American Indian, where she consults on exhibitions and educational projects. On Sunday she talked about the heritage of Southern Maryland’s native people, and what happened to their communities after the colony was founded.
The Cross Bottony award was presented to John Krugler, author of English and Catholic (the Calvert vision for Maryland), and to Melvin Price, who retired in 2005 after 32 years on the staff of HSMC.
Color guards from the St. Maries Citty Milita and the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and patriotic music from the Great Mills High School Symphonic Band contributed pomp and pageantry to the annual observance of Maryland’s founding.
At 4 p.m., St. Mary’s College of Maryland Orchestra, members of the Chesapeake Orchestra, and the St. Mary’s County High School Orchestra Ensemble, featuring students from Chopticon, Great Mills, and Leonardtown High Schools, performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Mozart’s Requiem.