04/24/2026
Each year on the third Saturday in May the Kent Island Heritage Societycelebrates the heritage, life, and culture of Kent Island. The celebration this year will be on Saturday, May 16, and will highlight the celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The Kent Island Day tradition began in 1977 with the signing of a proclamation by Acting Governor Blair Lee, recognizing Kent Island as the first permanent English settlement within Maryland.
The family friendly community festival takes place in one of Kent Island’s oldest and most picturesque communities, the “Mayberry-like” village of HHistoric Stevensville listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and an official Maryland Arts and Entertainment District. It will feature the Heritage Society’s Historic sites, all of which will be opened with period docents, a working blacksmith, local authors, artists, vendors, great local food, kids’ activities, an old fashioned parade, and great on-stage entertainment.
The opening ceremony will be at 10:15 a.m. with the National Anthem, salute to the flag, and a reading of the original Kent Island Day Proclamation. The parade will step out at Kent Island Elementary School at 10:30 and will flow down Main Street through downtown Stevensville. “The parade will feature a great hometown mix of old cars, boats, historic costumes, music, scouts, civic groups, horses, fire engines, and elected officials and candidates.”, said Jack Broderick, Kent Island Heritage Society President and KI Day Parade Chair. “There’s always room in the parade, so if you want to be part of it, give us a call”.
There will be an expanded food court area featuring local specialties, a large area of plants and gardening information, next to the Historic Cray House, including plants and displays by The Kent Island Garden Club. Military reenactors, the Chesapeake Independent Blues, the Fort McHenry Guards, and the Sons of the American Revolution, will be encamped near the Cray House. A National Park Service Mobile History van will also be set up near the Cray House. A model train display will be operating next to the Historic Train Station. Kids’ activities will include games, crafts, face painting, and bounce house. A mini Kent Island Farmers’ Market will be set up on the Green with information and samples from this unique weekly Farmers’ Market.
Entertainment will begin at 11:00 on stage in the Stevensville Pocket Park next to the Historic Bank and continue throughout the day. The entertainment will include The Chesapeake Bay Community Band and special local guest entertainers.
A landmark special event will take place at 1:00, the Grand Opening of the new Kent Island Heritage Center in the heart of Stevensville. Made possible by the estate of Lynne Riley-Coleman, former Heritage Society Treasurer, the Heritage Center will feature a museum with many unique and fascinating artifacts and stories bringing Kent Island’s famous history to life.
Kent Island Day offers an informative and entertaining day for the whole family, spiced with good food, fun, and friendship, celebrating Kent Island’s heritage and our Nations’s birthday. For more information on Kent Island Day, visit the Heritage Society’s website at kentislandheritagesociety.org.
