FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Pride of Baltimore: Kate Cwiek kate@pride2.org 410-539-1170
Maryland Historical Society: Laura Rodini lrodini@mdhs.org 410-685-3750 Ext. 322

BALTIMORE, March 17, 2013 — The Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) is partnering with Pride of Baltimore II to celebrate Maryland Day with special events in Baltimore and Annapolis on Monday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 25, 2013.

On board “The Pride II” will be the 30 x 42 foot Star-Spangled Banner flag that over 1,000 Maryland Historical Society volunteers created in the summer of 2013 using authentic fabric and hand stitching techniques. The flag gained international media attention for The Maryland Historical Society and its partners in commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

Burt Kummerow, President of the Maryland Historical Society, said that this March 25th has double importance. “Maryland sets aside March 25th every year to celebrate the founding of Maryland in 1634. This year, Maryland Day also points to the beginnings of a Star Spangled Banner events remembering the War of 1812 and the writing of the country’s national anthem.”

Following the voyage, beginning at 12:15 PM on Tuesday, March 25, the Pride of Baltimore II and the Maryland Historical Society will join forces with several other partners commemorating Maryland’s Star Spangled 200 events.

A procession featuring the recreated Star-Spangled Banner will take place from the Annapolis City Dock to the steps of the Statehouse .

A ceremony with elected officials and volunteer stitchers will follow. At 12:30PM, the recreated Star-Spangled Banner will be unfurled for the first time at the Statehouse before returning to be hoisted on the  “The Pride II” later that afternoon. The general public is welcome and invited to attend the ceremony. Free tours of Pride II will also be offered between 2:00 & 4:00 PM.

The complete schedule of Maryland Day events is as follows:

Monday, March 24

Details to come.

Tuesday, March 25

Baltimore
10:00 AM: Society of Colonial Wars wreath laying event
Location: Baltimore Courthouse, Cecilius Calvert Statue

Annapolis
12:15 PM: Procession of recreated Star-Spangled Banner flag to State House
Location: Annapolis City Dock

12:30 PM-1:30 PM: The recreated Star-Spangled Banner glad will be unfurled on the steps of the west (modern) end of the State House. Flag stitchers and local school children will display the Flag in a short ceremony
Location: Annapolis State House

1:15 PM: The Maryland Governor attends a 1812 Bicentennial Commission Award Ceremony
Location: Annapolis State House

1:30 PM: Return procession to City Dock with our SSB
Location: Annapolis Statehouse

2:00 – 4:00 PM: Tours of Pride of Baltimore II will be free and available to the general public. Flag Talks will be given by National Park Service staff
Location: Annapolis City Dock

4:30 – 6:30 PM
Private reception at City Dock on Pride of Baltimore II for General Assembly
Location: Annapolis City Dock

5:00 PM
Former State Archivist Dr. Ed Papenfuse keynote remarks about the meaning of Maryland Day
Location: Annapolis City Dock

What Is Maryland Day?

Img: Ark and Dove, John Moll, MdHS, M1955.44.1

In March, 1634, after a long, difficult Atlantic winter crossing, the ships Ark and Dove sailed up the Potomac River.  The March 25, 1634 mass on St. Clements Island celebrated the beginning of spring and the planting season, the Feast of the Annunciation and a fragile but hopeful escape from the religious bigotry that was rampant in 17th century Europe. In 1903, Maryland leaders set aside March 25 as a day devoted to remembering Maryland history. In 1916, as the United States entered a world war, the Old Line State turned Maryland History Day into an official holiday.

The Star-Spangled Banner’s Bicentennial Celebrations Continue

Img: The recreated Star-Spangled Banner flag with its stitchers and Education Director Kristin Schenning

Maryland Historical Society President Burt Kummerow said, “We can’t think of a better way to begin our Star Spangled Year than to unfurl our authentic recreation of the historic flag on the steps of the Maryland Statehouse.”

The Maryland Day celebration marks the second time the recreated Star-Spangled Banner will be on view to the public. On Defenders Day, 2013, the recreated Star-Spangled Banner flew for the first time at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore. The recreated Star-Spangled Banner will be featured this summer as part of Flag Day festivities at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. The original manuscript of The Star-Spangled Banner, penned in Francis Scott Key’s hand, will be on loan to the National Museum of American History from June 14-July 6, 2014.

The Maryland Historical Society is partnering with the following organizations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812; Pride of Baltimore II, Fort McHenry national Monument and Historic Shrine, the General Assembly and the Statehouse Trust, the 1812 Bicentennial Commission, Star Spangled 200, the Ark and Dove Society, the Society of Colonial Wars and Historic Annapolis. The festivities will culminate in September, 2014 with a statewide “Star-Spangled Spectacular” celebration. For full details visit: http://www.starspangled200.com/.

For details about Pride II’s voyage from Baltimore to Annapolis, contact Marketing Manager Kate Cwiek at 410-539-1170 or kate@pride1.org.

For details about the recreated Star-Spangled Banner and Maryland Day events with The Maryland Historical Society, contact Marketing Director Laura Rodini at lrodini@mdhs.org or by phone: 410-685-3750 ext. 322.

About the Pride of Baltimore

Pride of Baltimore II represents early 19th Century Baltimore-built, topsail schooners – the sleek, fast, and maneuverable vessels famous during the War of 1812.  These schooners were privately owned, well-armed privateers that ran the British blockade of the U.S. ports. Chasseur was the largest, most successful of these privateers, and in a daring voyage to Great Britain, captured 17 British ships earning the nickname “Pride of Baltimore.” Since her commissioning in October of 1988, Pride has traveled over 250,000 nautical miles, visited 40 countries, and docked in over 200 ports of call. For more information on Pride’s 2014 sailing schedule, education initiatives, or membership program, please visit www.pride2.org.

About the Maryland Historical Society

Founded in 1844, The Maryland Historical Society Museum and Library occupies an entire city block in the Mount Vernon district of Baltimore. The society’s mission is to “collect, preserve, and interpret the objects and materials that reflect Maryland’s diverse cultural heritage.” The Society is home to the original manuscript of the Star-Spangled Banner and publishes a quarterly titled “Maryland Historical Magazine.” Visit www.mdhs.org.