Kent County Arts and Entertainment - September 2010

Kent County has been recognized by the Maryland State Arts Council as one of the significant arts communities in the state. With this in mind, we have designed the Arts & Entertainment site to provide you with information on what the county has to offer in relation to its arts, entertainment, and cultural heritage. Hopefully, this will help you plan a fun-filled stay, enabling you to take full advantage of places to go and people to see. For more information, call the Kent County Tourism Development Office at 410-778-0416 or email tourism@kentcounty.com.

For other events throughout the county, please click here.
Click here to add, modify or delete an event.

  • The Artists' Gallery First Friday
  • Wednesday, September 1   |  5-8pm Reception on the 1st Friday of the
  • This event runs Sept. 1st - 30th
  • Location: 239 High Street, Chestertown
  • Contact:
  • Phone: 410-778-2425
  • Email:
  • URL:
  • Featuring Jeanne Salisbury's new oils
  • Chestertown's 1st Fridays
  • Friday, September 3   |  5-8pm
  • Location: Downtown Chestertown
  • Contact:
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • URL: www.kentcounty.com/artsentertainment
  • Meander the red-brick, tree-lined sidewalks of Historic Chestertown, while enjoying extended shop hours and arts and entertainment throughout Downtown. For a list of activities, please check this calendar for specific listings.
  • Creative Designs in Mosaics, Paint and Pottery
  • Friday, September 3   |  Wed-Fri 12-3pm, Sat 9am-3pm
  • This event runs Sept. 3rd-28th, 2010
  • Location: Art Works, 306 Park Row, Chestertown
  • Contact:
  • Phone: 410-778-6300
  • Email: artworkschestertown@gmail.com
  • URL: www.artworkschestertown.org
  • Artworks celebrates the beauty of both traditional and contemporary clay and mosaic work represented by several of Artworks‚ skilled and talented Clay Studio instructors. This show features an eclectic selection of functional and decorative pieces demonstrating the diversity and artistic creativity that can be coaxed from mosaics and ceramics. New work from noted local and regional artists will be shown, including Jen Wagner, Susan Stockman, Kay Jones, and Megan Van Wagoner, all of whom will be giving workshops at Artworks Clay Studio in the near future.
  • Chestertown Farmers' & Artisans' Market
  • Saturday, September 4   |  8am-1pm
  • This event runs Saturdays April 10-Dec 18, 2010
  • Location: Fountain Park, at High and Cross Streets
  • Contact:
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • URL: http://www.chestertown.com\market
  • This longest running market in the state of Maryland, is open every Saturday morning from the beginning of April until Christmas. Lots of fresh produce and hand made goods and crafts displayed throughout Fountain Park, in the heart of Downtown Historic Chestertown.
  • Banjo Man & Bill with Tom Anthony
  • Saturday, September 4   |  7pm
  • Location: Outddors in Oyster Court behind The Mainstay, 5753 Main Street, Rock Hall
  • Contact: The Mainstay
  • Phone: 410-639-9133
  • Email:
  • URL: www.mainstayrockhall.org
  • Free outdoor concert with Mainstay founder and director Tom McHugh on banjo, blues harp, vocals and kazoo, Bill Matthews on vocals and guitar, and Tom Anthony on the upright bass. Their music is a blend of old jazz, blues, a sprinkling of folk classics and a bit of what have you. These old friends have been playing together for fifteen years or so. You‚ll sing along, tap your feet, and maybe grab a partner for a dance or two. Bring a lawn chair and sit back and enjoy the music. In case of rain or extreme heat, the concert will move indoors to the air-conditioned Mainstay. Free.
  • Chestertown, Maryland -The Movie
  • Saturday, September 4   |  7:30pm
  • Location: Fountain Park
  • Contact: Gordon Chapman
  • Phone: 410-708-2126
  • Email: janechapman@usa.net
  • URL:
  • The 1998 film, 'Chestertown, Maryland: An American Home Town for more than 350 Years'. Contains interviews and scenes from the 1940 film, 'The Way We Were'.
  • Poetry and Project Runway, or How to Take Criticism
  • Wednesday, September 8   |  7pm
  • Location: Tawes Theatre, Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts at Washington College
  • Contact: Kathryn Bursick
  • Phone: 410-778-7899
  • Email: kbursick2@washcoll.edu
  • URL: www.lithouse.washcoll.edu/
  • Join the Rose O'Neill Literary House in a playful, poetic and practical look at how to take criticism. Fashion designer Andrae Gonzalo, star of Bravo TV's Project Runway (Season 2) will be bringing his new line to Washington College, and will be joined by Harvard University Professor Stephen Burt (author of the recently published essay "Poetry and Project Runway: Should book critics take their cues from Tim Gunn?") in an evening where runway walks collide with the creative writing workshop. Haute couture meets half rhyme . . . only in Chestertown.
  • Chestertown Art in the Park
  • Saturday, September 11   |  9am-4:30pm
  • Location: Fountain Park, High Street, Chestertown, MD
  • Contact:
  • Phone: 410-778-5789
  • Email: laniseikaly@me.com
  • URL: www.ChestertownArtInThePark.com
  • The Annual Chestertown Art in the Park features over forty artists and crafters selling quality works of art. This celebration of the arts is a perfect time to begin or finish your holiday shopping.
  • Annapolis Blue Grass
  • Saturday, September 11   |  7-8:30pm
  • Location: Fountain Park, Downtown Chestertown
  • Contact:
  • Phone: 410-778-0500
  • Email:
  • URL: www.chestertown.com/events_calendar.php
  • Hand-clappin', Knee-slappin' & Toe-tappin' tunes.
    The 16th season of Music in Fountain Park by the fountain in Historic Downtown Chestertown. Bring a blanket or chair. 7-8:30 pm. Concerts every other Saturday night. June through the fourth weekend in September. Remaining dates Sep.11 & 25. These free concerts are sponsored by the Town of Chestertown with support from The Kent County Arts Council and Community Contributors. Donations may be sent to Music in Fountain Park, Town of Chestertown, 118 N. Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620.
  • Chestertown Farmers' & Artisans' Market
  • Saturday, September 11   |  8am-1pm
  • This event runs Saturdays April 10-Dec 18, 2010
  • Location: Fountain Park, at High and Cross Streets
  • Contact:
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • URL: www.chestertown.com\market
  • This longest running market in the state of Maryland, is open every Saturday morning from the beginning of April until Christmas. Lots of fresh produce and hand made goods and crafts displayed throughout Fountain Park, in the heart of Downtown Historic Chestertown.
  • Max's Mainstay All-Stars: Steve Abshire, John Doughten & the Redds
  • Thursday, September 16   |  7:30pm
  • Location: The Mainstay, 5753 Main Street, Rock Hall
  • Contact: The Mainstay
  • Phone: 410-639-9133
  • Email:
  • URL: www.mainstayrockhall.org
  • Max's Mainstay All-Stars mix it up again for another magical evening of sensational jazz from members of the Mainstay house band. This time with John Doughten on sax and clarinet, Steve Abshire on guitar, Chuck Redd on vibes and drums, Robert Redd on piano and Tom Anthony on bass. Expect the unexpected when the House Band All-Stars cut loose! Call for reservations. Tickets are $15.
  • Colum McCann; Fiction Reading
  • Thursday, September 16   |  5pm
  • Location: Tawes Theatre, Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts at Washington College
  • Contact: Kathryn Bursick
  • Phone: 410-778-7899
  • Email: kbursick2@washcoll.edu
  • URL: www.english.washcoll.edu/sophiekerrlegacy/
  • In August 2009, Colum McCann released "Let the Great World Spin," an "emotional tour de force" (The New York Times) that became, instantly, one of the most talked about books of the decade. By the end of the year, it had entered the pantheon of Great American Novels. A polyphonic work set in the New York of the 1970's, but serving as an allegory of the city's resilient post-9/11 self, "Spin" was Chose as Amazon's #1 Book of the Year and won the National Book Award. It placed McCann - whose remarkable previous books include "Zoli" and "Dancer" - at the very top rank of contemporary novelists.
    Born in Dublin in 1965, McCann currently teaches at Hunter College in New York.
  • Chestertown Farmers' & Artisans' Market
  • Saturday, September 18   |  8am-1pm
  • This event runs Saturdays April 10-Dec 18, 2010
  • Location: Fountain Park, at High and Cross Streets
  • Contact:
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • URL: http://www.chestertown.com\market
  • This longest running market in the state of Maryland, is open every Saturday morning from the beginning of April until Christmas. Lots of fresh produce and hand made goods and crafts displayed throughout Fountain Park, in the heart of Downtown Historic Chestertown.
  • Washington College Concert Series, Thomas Pandolfi, piano
  • Sunday, September 19   |  4pm
  • Location: Decker Theatre, Gibson Center for the Arts, Washington College
  • Contact: Kate Bennett
  • Phone: 410-778-7839
  • Email: kbennett2@washcoll.edu
  • URL: www.washcoll.edu
  • Piano concert featuring the works of George Gershwin.
  • Ned Sublette: Patrick Henry Fellow
  • Tuesday, September 21   |  6:30pm
  • Location: The Egg, Hodson Hall Commons, Washington College
  • Contact: Kathryn Bursick
  • Phone: 410-778-7899
  • Email: kbursick2@washcoll.edu
  • URL: www.starrcenter.washcoll.edu/ ; www.lithouse.wash
  • Ned Sublette, the 2010-2011 Patrick Henry Fellow, is an internationally renowned guitarist, musicologist, writer and historian. His books include "The Year Before the Flood: A Story of New Orleans," "The World that Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square" and "Cuba and Its Music: From the First Drums to the Mambo." His time at Washington College will be spent working on a history of the American slave coast.
    Patrick Henry Fellowship aims to encourage reflection on the links between American history and contemporary culture, and to foster the literary art of historical writing.
  • Toby Walker - a FallFest concert
  • Friday, September 24   |  8:00pm
  • Location: The Mainstay, 5753 Main Street, Rock Hall
  • Contact: The Mainstay
  • Phone: 410-639-9133
  • Email:
  • URL: www.mainstayrockhall.org
  • Walker's blues, rags and flashy country picking, his great vocals and his very entertaining stories were a hit at the Mainstay back in March, so he's been invited to return for FallFest. Whether it is telling the humorous and heartwarming tales of his teachers, blues masters like Eugene Powell, James "Son" Thomas, Etta Baker and R.L Burnside, talking about his inspirations and his travels, or astounding audiences with his playing, his performances are a rich banquet of the blues. Call for reservations. Tickets are $15.
  • Rock Hall FallFest
  • Saturday, September 25   |  10am-5pm
  • Location: Rock Hall
  • Contact:
  • Phone: 410-778-0416
  • Email: tourism@kentcounty.com
  • URL: www.mainstayrockhall.org/fallfest
  • A celebration of family and community. ON MAIN STREET: A carnival atmosphere... 60 craft vendors... Two stages with continuous music... Clowns, jugglers, & other roving entertainment... Fun Run for kids at 1:30pm... Food, food, food. Around town- Boats on display to reflect Rock hall's unique heritage on the Bay. . AT KID’S KOURT: Clowns, magic shows, mime, kid-made craft, homemade baked goods, Giant Slide and Moon Bounce, goat milking, and pony rides. Visit the nearby Tolchester Beach Revisited Museum. AT THE MAINSTAY: Evening concert (admission). 10am-5pm.
  • Chestertown Farmers' & Artisans' Market
  • Saturday, September 25   |  8am-1pm
  • This event runs Saturdays April 10-Dec 18, 2010
  • Location: Fountain Park, at High and Cross Streets
  • Contact:
  • Phone:
  • Email:
  • URL: http://www.chestertown.com\market
  • This longest running market in the state of Maryland, is open every Saturday morning from the beginning of April until Christmas. Lots of fresh produce and hand made goods and crafts displayed throughout Fountain Park, in the heart of Downtown Historic Chestertown.
  • US Naval Academy Jazz Band
  • Saturday, September 25   |  7-8:30pm
  • Location: Fountain Park, Downtown Chestertown
  • Contact:
  • Phone: 410-778-0500 Town Hall
  • Email:
  • URL: www.chestertown.com/events/musicpark/
  • 'The Next Wave', one of the Navy's two premier big bands, is comprised of seventeen of our nation's finest musicians. The band continues the time honored tradition of fostering one of America‚s musical treasures: JAZZ. The Next Wave plays big band repertoire from the earliest to the most contemporary."

    16th season of Music in Fountain Park by the fountain in Historic Downtown Chestertown. Bring a blanket or chair. 7-8:30 pm. Concerts every other Saturday night, June through the fourth weekend in September. Remaining Date: Sept. 25. These free programs are sponsored by the Town of Chestertown with support from The Kent County Arts Council and Community Contributors. Donations may be sent to Music in Fountain Park, Town of Chestertown, 118 N. Cross Street, Chestertown, MD 21620.
  • Chesapeake Scenes - a FallFest concert
  • Saturday, September 25   |  8pm
  • Location: The Mainstay, 5753 Main Street, Rock Hall
  • Contact: The Mainstay
  • Phone: 410-639-9133
  • Email:
  • URL:
  • Tom McHugh, Andy McCown, Bill Matthews and Tom Anthony celebrate the beauty and majesty of the Chesapeake Bay, paying musical and literary tribute to the people who live on its shores and work the waters. Expect some old favorites, some new music and spoken word pieces and some hearty sing-alongs. Sponsored by Echo Hill Outdoor School and Penn State University. Call for reservations. Tickets are $15.
  • Improv Night Showcase
  • Saturday, September 25   |  8pm
  • Location: Prince Theatre
  • Contact: Prince Theatre
  • Phone: 410-810-2060
  • Email: info@princetheatre.org
  • URL: www.princetheatre.org
  • Enjoy an evening of improvisational comedy - you never know what might happen!
  • Open Mic Night
  • Wednesday, September 29   |  7:30pm
  • Location: Prince Theatre
  • Contact: Box Office
  • Phone: 410-810-2060
  • Email: boxoffice@princetheatre.org
  • URL: www.princetheatre.org
  • Open Mic Night with Ford Schumman at the Prince! E-mail Ford at fordo1@aol.com for information and to sign up.
  • The Galway Girls
  • Thursday, September 30   |  7:30pm
  • Location: The Mainstay, 5753 Main Street, Rock Hall
  • Contact: The Mainstay
  • Phone: 410-639-9133
  • Email:
  • URL: www.mainstayrockhall.org/
  • Irish music and dance from County Galway with vocals, button accordion, percussion and two master Irish dancers. Admission is $15. Call for reservations.
  • Erika Meitner: Poetry Reading
  • Thursday, September 30   |  7pm
  • Location: Rose O'Neill Literary House, Washington College
  • Contact: Kathryn Bursick
  • Phone: 410-778-7899
  • Email: kbursick2@washcoll.edu
  • URL: www.english.washcoll.edu/sophiekerrlegacy/
  • Erika Meitner's first collection of poems, "Inventory at the All-night Drugstore," won the 2002 Anhinga Prize for Poetry, and was published in 2003 by Anhinga Press. Her second book, "Ideal Cities," was a 2009 National Poetry Series winner, and was published in August 2010 by Harper Collins. Her third book, "Makeshift Instructions for Vigilant Girls," is forthcoming from Anhinga Press in 2011. Meitner's poems have appeared in journals including The Virginia Quarterly Review, The New Republic, The Kenyon review and on Slate.com. Meitner is currently an Assistant Professor of English at Virginia Tech, where she teaches in the MFA program, and is simultaneously completing her doctorate in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, where she was the Morgenstern Fellow in Jewish Studies.