Special Events Calendar 2008
We will be open daily, 10am - 5pm, from May 24 through October 30, 2008. All special events held rain or shine 10am to 5pm, unless otherwise noted. All special event activities are included with regular museum admission, unless otherwise noted.
Exhibit buildings and performance areas at the museum are wheelchair accessible. Access to activities at the museum's North Harbor waterfront is limited for people with mobility challenges. For ASL interpretation of performances, please contact the museum five days in advance.
May 22 |
Champlain Longboats Launch Day |
May 24 |
Opening Day (Memorial Day Weekend) |
May 31-June 1 |
Season Preview Weekend - Member Days |
| Spring Wave Rowing Competition | |
June 14-15 |
Kids Pirate Festival |
June 20 - July 6 |
In Their Own Words - Special Exhibit from VT Folklife Center |
June 28 |
Gala Raffle Fundraiser |
July 3-6 |
Independence Day Celebration |
July 12-13 |
Abenaki Encampment & Craft Show |
July 19-20 |
Messing About With Boats Small Boat Festival |
| Challenge Race | |
August 16-17 |
“Rabble In Arms” Living History Weekend |
Sept. 1 - Oct. 14 |
"Thru The Lens" Photo Show |
Sept. 13-14 |
Archaeology Weekend |
| James Wakefield Rescue Row in Burlington | |
Oct. 11-12 |
Maritime Storytelling Festival |
Oct. 14 |
Season Closing |
Champlain Longboats Launch Day May 22
LCMM’s on-water season officially begins with the launching of a 25-foot pilot gig, just named Bowfin. Built at the LCMM Boat Shop from January to May by students and staff from the Diversified Occupations Program of the Patricia Hannaford Career Center. Student boat builders speak about their experiences and then lead an on-water “parade” of student-built pilot gigs.
Season Preview Weekend/Members Days May 31-June 1
New this year, the weekend will feature previews of each upcoming Special Event; gallery tours of new exhibits, promotions of courses and workshops; member specials; volunteer recognition; and a preview of Schooner Lois McClure’s journey to Quebec City.
Kids Pirate Festival - ARGGGGH!
Kids Pirate Festival June 14-15
The ever-popular weekend of kid-friendly, pirate-themed activities, crafts, and live performances. This year’s festival will feature a Marionette Theater, fiddling, a capella singing, a drumming circle, and LCMM’s Champlain Troubadour Matthew Witten. Come in costume and board schooner Lois McClure and gunboat Philadelphia II, test pirate skills on Maritime Machines, and help a shipwrecked crew of LCMM pirates rescue their treasure!
"In Their Own Words" Special Photo Exhibit from the VT Folklife Center
June 20—July 20
A special photographic exhibition on loan from the Vermont Folklife Center brings the perspective of some of the newest arrivals in the Champlain Valley. In Their Own Words: Stories from Refugees Settled in Vermont Communities is a collection of photographs and personal histories that offer a glimpse into the remarkable diversity of life experiences that these individuals bring to our community. Viewing the exhibit leaves no doubt that the values expressed in the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence reflect timeless human aspirations.
Gala Raffle Fundraiser June 28
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Annual Gala Raffle is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Museum! This event raises over $40,000 each year for one of the Museum’s greatest needs, operational support. Without the generous and faithful support of local businesses and museum members and guests, this would not be possible!
Independence Day Celebration July 3-6
Take a special tour of the museum’s Key to Liberty Exhibit and the replica revolutionary war gunboat Philadelphia II. Share the remarkable experiences of some recent arrivals in the Champlain Valley in the Vermont Folk Life Center traveling exhibit In Their Own Words: Stories from Refugees Settled in Vermont.
Abenaki Encampment
& Craft Show
July 12-13
Members of the El-Nu Abenaki dressed in 17th-century garb will demonstrate singing, dancing, and life skills, joining visitors, artisans and tribal dignitaries in LCMM’s second annual celebration of Native American heritage.
Messing About in Boats Small Watercraft Festival July 19-20
This perennial LCMM favorite features LCMM’s small watercraft collection, the Duct Tape Regatta, the Champlain Challenge Race, this year’s new “Really, Really Small Boat Regatta, other great kids activities, music, food, and boatbuilders from Vermont, New York, and New England showing their wares.
Reenactors aboard Philadelphia II.
Rabble-In-Arms Living History Weekend August 16-17
Perhaps the most famous of all LCMM events, this year’s Rabble will include demonstrations of maritime machines, re-enactors, construction and use of a traditional field kitchen, and special eighteenth-century-themed workshops.
"Thru the Lens" Photo Exhibit
September 1 - October 14
The many seasons and moods of Lake Champlain are beautifully reflected in this exhibit of outstanding work by professional and amateur photographers. Comments from the panel of judges illuminate the details. Want to get involved? The Call for Entries goes out in June and ready-to-hang photographs are delivered to the museum in August. Come and cast your vote for the “People’s Choice Award.”
Archaeology Weekend September 13-14
New this year, Archaeology Weekend features on-water workshops including Native American Archaeology Workshop and Sloop Island ROV/ Shipwreck Excursion, special tours of LCMM exhibits and archaeology lab, and archaeology-themed speakers.
Maritime Storytelling Festival October 11-12
The first annual Lake Champlain Storytelling Festival will showcase the region’s best storytellers, historians, and fireside yarn-spinners and give them a chance to share their knowledge of the lake and its environs.
