Arundel Rivers Community Partner Highlight: Galesville Heritage Society

A message from Galesville Heritage Society:

Celebrate the Chesapeake at the Galesville Maritime Heritage Festival

The Galesville Heritage Society invites the community to celebrate the people, traditions and waterways that have shaped our historic village at the inaugural Galesville Maritime Heritage Festival on Saturday, October 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This free, village-wide festival will offer something for all ages. Visitors can enjoy live music, narrated boat tours, a boat parade, local history exhibits, traditional workboats, talks by Chesapeake authors, a working boatyard tour, food and hands-on activities for children. Events will take place at locations throughout Galesville, including the Galesville Heritage Museum, the County Wharf, West River Sailing Club, Galesville United Methodist Church, Memorial Hall and Hartge Yacht Harbor and Museum.

At the heart of the festival is a shared appreciation for the West River and the Chesapeake Bay. Generations of Galesville residents have made their living on these waters—as watermen, boatbuilders, sailors and maritime tradespeople. The festival will celebrate that heritage while also encouraging today’s families to learn about and care for the rivers that continue to define our community.

We are especially grateful for the support of the Arundel Rivers Federation.

During the festival, the Federation will provide fun, engaging children’s activities that will help young visitors discover more about our local waterways and the wildlife that depends upon them. Their participation adds an important environmental dimension to the day and helps connect Galesville’s maritime past with the future of the West, Rhode, and South Rivers.

Festivalgoers can begin at the Galesville Heritage Museum on Main Street to pick up a map and schedule, then explore the village throughout the afternoon. Parking will be available at designated locations, with transportation assistance connecting the festival venues. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome. Come spend the day along the West River, meet the people who help keep Chesapeake traditions alive and discover why life in a waterfront village is worth celebrating—and preserving.

For festival information and updates, visit galesvillemaritimefestival.org.