If you live in our state, particularly in Anne Arundel County, you have probably heard of Maryland Day, but may not know exactly what it entails or why we commemorate this unique day. In fact, Maryland "Day" is not a day at all, but rather a full weekend of events! Maryland Day 2022 will be taking place throughout the weekend of Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27.
The local community has marked Maryland Day since 1903, to remember the founding of the Maryland colony in 1633. In contrast to its colonialist roots, this year's theme for the celebration is "Discover New Stories", and indeed, there are many events and fun locales to visit that present stories of Maryland's heritage in novel, lively ways.
Specifically, there are over 20 locations that are honoring Maryland Day by offering free or $1 admission to educational events. These include Annapolis Maritime Museum, Anne Arundel County Recreation & Parks, Banneker Douglas Museum, Chesapeake Children’s Museum, Historic London Town and Gardens, the Maryland Center for History and Culture, Maryland Hall, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Pride of Baltimore II and many more! We recommend you visit the official website for more details on participating locations and the wide variety of family-friendly events.
Meanwhile, AACPL is offering library-specific events related to local people and history, during Maryland Day weekend and throughout springtime, including the following:
- Women on the Chesapeake – Elktonia, Carr’s Beach & Sparrow Beaches, Annapolis, MD - Saturday, March 19 from 2-4 PM (Busch Annapolis Library)
- Where in Maryland is Carmen Sandiego? Trivia Night – Thursday, March 24 at 6 PM (Eastport-Annapolis Neck Library)
- Maryland Day Story Time at London Town – Friday, March 25 AND Saturday, March 26 from noon to 4 PM (London Town & Gardens)
- Maryland Day Colonial Celebration – Saturday, March 26 from 10:30 AM to 2 PM (Busch Annapolis Library)
- Digging Up Discoveries – Saturday, April 2 at 2 PM (Discoveries: the Library at the Mall)
- Lost Faces, Forgotten Heroes: Finding Photos for Marylanders on the Vietnam Wall – Saturday, May 7 from 2-4 PM (Edgewater Library)
- Meet Maryland’s Dinosaurs – Saturday, May 14 from 11 AM to 3 PM (Edgewater Library)
- Author Talk with Scott D. Seligman – Tuesday, June 7 from 6:30-8 PM (Zoom)
- Sandy Toes – 69 Chesapeake Bay Beaches in 10 Days – Thursday, June 9 at 7 PM (Online)
We also recommend browsing through our curated Maryland-focused repositories of resources, namely the Joan Cass Beck Collection (1,400 titles specific to Anne Arundel County and housed off-site), our Local History Collection in the Maryland Room at Busch Annapolis Library, and the Kuethe Historical & Genealogical Research Center (also off-site). However, in order to encourage curiosity about Maryland history and culture by library customers of all ages, we also carry a wide variety of titles related to our great state in our general collections, which you can find on the following booklists:
Happy Maryland Day 2022! We can't wait to celebrate and learn with you.