Speaker Events - Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

CBMM will welcome Peter Panyon and Big Tribe to campus on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7pm for “Songs about the Water,” an acoustic concert of songs and stories with a dose of science.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Sept. 13, 2023 – Back in the early 1990s, Peter Panyon was taking part in a weeklong workshop for college professors focused on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries when inspiration struck while cruising the Patuxent River.

“It occurred to me: Wait a minute, there’s a story to tell here,” Panyon remembered. “I was thinking, ‘Man, somebody should write a song about that, and nobody’s going to do it if it’s not me.’”

A biology professor by trade, Panyon would write and re-write the song over the years on the way to perfecting “Can’t Work the River.” The ballad tracing a watermen’s struggles was included on his band Big Tribe’s debut album in 2014, and its music video is now part of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s special exhibition The Changing Chesapeake.

On Sept. 28 at 7pm, Panyon and his Big Tribe bandmates Bonnie Eyler and Joe Huette will present “Songs About the Water,” an evening of songs and stories with a dose of science at CBMM’s Van Lennep Auditorium.

This “Changing Chesapeake Coffeehouse” concert will feature fare provided by Blue Heron Coffee of St. Michaels and highlight songs drawing inspiration from local rivers to the Gulf oil spill and hurricane disasters.

The suggested ticket price is $15 per participant for this event, which is sponsored by the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center. To register and get more information, visit cbmm.org/SongsAboutWater.

Panyon has married two of his passions in coming up with a catalog to fill a concert like this.

The Calvert County resident is now retired after a lengthy career teaching biology at the University of Maryland, Catholic University, and Prince George’s Community College.

As a musician, Panyon has written hundreds of songs, dating back to his teenage years. Recently, he’s catalyzed Big Tribe, which has released two albums of eclectic rock tracks with a new one, “Postcards from the Mission,” due out later this year.

Those experiences have helped Panyon carve out a unique lane as a songwriter with something to say.

“Your normal rock and roll about cars and girls, that’s not what we do,” Panyon said. “What we’re really up to is trying to hit people with music that, while they’re having fun with it, there’s a message in there that hopefully we get them to think about.”

The “Can’t Work the River” video debuted in 2016 at a conference on teaching science through alternative media at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

Now, the 5-minute, 25-second video that features two watermen from different generations grappling with the realities of working the Patuxent River is finding a new audience as part of The Changing Chesapeake, which is on exhibit through next March.

“I want to at least crack open the door that leads to thinking about this scientifically,” Panyon said. “Yes, it’s a story about a guy, and he lost his woman, and he’s having trouble making a living, but when you dive beneath the surface of that story, there’s this other story about what’s actually going wrong. Why is this way of life that’s millennia old getting more and more iffy?”

In concert, Panyon aims to expand on these important themes.

While Big Tribe’s albums feature big sound from a full band with bass drums, electric guitars, and an array of complementary instruments, its acoustic shows with Panyon, Eyler, and Huette are more easygoing, free-flowing, and even interactive.

“It’s not just music,” Panyon said. “We’re going to throw a little science in, and we’re totally open to having a dialogue.”

The set list for these live shows goes in different directions with various meditations on the importance of valuing our waterways, including another track with roots in the 1990s and a literal earnestness to its title, “We Are the River.”

As he prepares for his CBMM gig, Panyon is excited that he’s found a perfect partner to help him share these songs that mean so much to him.

“Most bands are looking to play big venues like stadiums,” Panyon said with a chuckle. “For us, it’s museums. We want to do as many museums as possible, and once we’ve conquered the museum world, then we’re going for the stadiums.”

CBMM and Temple B’nai Israel are partnering on an Oct. 11 Speaker Event to share the story of a Chesapeake packet steamship with a symbolic role in the formation of Israel 75 years ago. British Admiralty photo, 1947, Collection of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Sept. 8, 2023 – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is partnering with Temple B’nai Israel of Easton on Wednesday, Oct. 11 to present “S.S. President Warfield to Exodus 1947: The Chesapeake Steamship That Launched Israel.”

During this Speaker Event hosted in the Van Lennep Auditorium, CBMM’s Chief Historian Pete Lesher and University of Maryland Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Herf share the story of a Chesapeake packet steamship with a symbolic role in the formation of Israel 75 years ago. Light refreshments will be served at 5pm, and the talk will begin promptly at 5:30pm.

The suggested ticket price is $8 per participant with both in-person and virtual options available. To register and get more information, visit cbmm.org/ShipThatLaunchedIsrael.

This program is made possible in part through the generosity of Marlene and Phil Feldman.

“The history of this steamship is familiar to many of us—its story was made famous both in books and in the movies,” Temple B’nai Israel Rabbi Peter Hyman said. “What may be less well known is that Exodus first sailed on the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. This, for many of us living here, intensifies and makes more poignant our connection to this ship and to the role it played in post-World War II history.”

This program will trace the vessel’s interesting journey to its place in history.

S.S. President Warfield was the largest and last steamboat built for the Baltimore Steam Packet Company, nicknamed the “Old Bay Line.” The luxury liner ran overnight express service between Baltimore and Norfolk beginning in 1928.

Like several other Bay steamboats, President Warfield was requisitioned for service in World War II, and after surviving the war, it was ultimately sold via auction to a Zionist organization seeking to take European Jewish refugees displaced by the war to Palestine.

Despite opposition from the British government that controlled Palestine, President Warfield recrossed the Atlantic Ocean, took refugees aboard in southern France, and headed on.

British naval vessels followed and ultimately stopped the steamship just short of its destination. Amid the melee, new nameboards were revealed, dubbing the vessel Exodus 1947.

The international attention that ensued around the plight of the Jewish refugees ultimately led to the establishment of the State of Israel. While the venerable steamship saw no more use, it was called by some “the ship that launched a nation” and its story inspired Leon Uris’ novel “Exodus.”

CBMM’s collection features two models of the steamship, numerous historic photographs, and several related artifacts, including a brass state room key and a dinner menu from its maiden voyage.

During next month’s program, Lesher will share the history of the vessel through World War II, while Herf, an authority on modern European history, will speak about the international impact of the Exodus 1947 incident.

“It’s an extraordinary story, and because of its international dimensions, President Warfield was among the best-known Chesapeake Bay steamboats,” Lesher said. “We think this program will appeal both to those interested in Chesapeake Bay maritime history and 20^th century Jewish history, the founding of the State of Israel, and international relations in the aftermath of World War II.”

Find more information about CBMM’s fall series of Speaker Events at cbmm.org/speakerseries and all of its upcoming events at cbmm.org/events.

CBMM’s upcoming Speaker Event schedule features six events that will be hosted in the Van Lennep Auditorium and also available virtually, including programming built around CBMM’s special exhibitions The Changing Chesapeake and Her Helm.

ST. MICHAELS, Md., Aug. 25, 2023 – The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has a wide range of opportunities for lifelong learners to engage with the region’s history, environment, and culture over the coming months through its Speaker Event programming. The upcoming schedule features six events that will be hosted in the Van Lennep Auditorium and also available virtually.

The offerings, including programs built around CBMM’s special exhibitions The Changing Chesapeake and Her Helm, are designed to spark important conversations while fostering connections between the past, present, and future of the Bay. They are supported by the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council.

The suggested ticket cost is $8 per session, except for the “Changing Chesapeake Coffeehouse” concert, which is $15. To sign up, and get more information, visit cbmm.org/SpeakerSeries.

“CBMM is pleased to host such a wide range of events this fall, including scholars, community leaders, and artists,” Vice President of Education & Interpretation Jill Ferris said. “We hope you will join us throughout this series, which explores so many facets of Chesapeake life, including the inspiration of art and music, climate change in the region, and local connections to significant historical events.”

The fall series begins Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30pm, with an exhibition-opening artist talk with Her Helm photographer Kristin Rutkowski.

With her two-year “Her Helm” portrait project, Rutkowski sought to challenge gendered stereotypes by highlighting more than 50 women who captain vessels on the Chesapeake Bay. In this talk, the Maryland-based photographer will share how the project started, what it meant to the women who participated, what it means to society, and some of the insights she learned along the way.

CBMM will welcome acoustic-electric trio Big Tribe to campus on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7pm for “Songs about the Water,” a concert of songs and stories with a dose of science.

Big Tribe is catalyzed by singer-songwriter and retired biology professor Peter Panyon alongside Bonnie Eyler and Joe Heutte. The group’s music video for the song “Can’t Work the River” is currently on view in CBMM’s special exhibition, The Changing Chesapeake.

On Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5:30pm, CBMM will partner with Temple B’nai Israel to present “S.S. President Warfield to Exodus 1947: The Chesapeake Steamship That Launched Israel.”

CBMM’s Chief Historian Pete Lesher and University of Maryland Distinguished Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Herf will share the story of a Chesapeake vessel with a symbolic role in the formation of Israel 75 years ago. S.S. President Warfield was a luxury liner carrying passengers between Baltimore and Norfolk, Va., until it was called into service in World War II. Afterward, a Zionist organization attempted to use the ship, renamed Exodus 1947, to bring Jewish refugees to Palestine.

Light refreshments will be available starting at 5pm. This event is made possible in part through the generosity of Marlene and Phil Feldman.

The Speaker Event series continues Monday, Oct. 23 at 5:30pm with another Her Helm program, this time featuring Capt. Judy Bixler.

During “Her Helm: The Oxford-Bellevue Ferry Tale,” Bixler will share her experiences operating the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry—believed to be the oldest privately owned ferry service in the U.S.— over the past two decades.

On Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 5:30pm, CBMM, in collaboration with the Maryland Geographic Alliance, hosts Chesapeake Bay Foundation President & CEO Hilary Harp Falk for “Facing Our Unfinished Challenge: Saving the Bay in the 21st Century.”

Since January 2022, Falk has been the leader of the Annapolis-based conservation organization whose motto, “Save the Bay,” has become a regional rallying cry for pollution reduction throughout the Chesapeake’s six-state watershed. This talk will cover CBF’s continuing efforts to create understanding of the Bay’s poor health, engage public leaders, and maintain a cleanup approach that features real accountability through the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint.

Also, mark your calendar for CBMM’s first Speaker Event in the new year. Prof. Laura Guertin presents “Quilting Climate Science & Solutions” on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, at 3pm.

A distinguished professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State Brandywine, Guertin has turned to a unique medium to connect new audiences with science stories: quilting. In this program, she will present an overview of climate science, and highlight examples of actions we can take in addressing these changes – all communicated via quilts. One example, “Looking Out at the Ghosts of the Coast,” is on exhibit as part of CBMM’s The Changing Chesapeake.

Stay tuned for more Speaker Events coming in early 2024. Find more information about all of CBMM’s upcoming events at cbmm.org/events.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is offering a unique look inside the world of lighthouse maintenance and preservation with a Speaker Event, “The Loyal Lampist: Adventures from the Top of a Lighthouse,” on June 8 at 3pm in Van Lennep Auditorium. (Photo courtesy David Zapatka, USLHS)

ST. MICHAELS, Md., May 23, 2023 – In conjunction with exhibit installation in its new Welcome Center, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is offering a unique look inside the world of lighthouse maintenance and preservation.

U.S. Coast Guard certified lampist Kurt Fosburg will detail his work with Fresnel lenses in lighthouses around the globe in a CBMM Speaker Event, “The Loyal Lampist: Adventures from the Top of a Lighthouse,” on Thursday, June 8, at 3pm in the Van Lennep Auditorium.

One of just a handful of certified professional lampists, Fosburg is visiting CBMM to move one of the Fresnel lenses currently on display in the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse and install it in the new Welcome Center.

In this public talk, Fosburg will share his journey to become an expert in this specialized field and offer stories from a fascinating career working on some of the nation’s most iconic lights. The suggested ticket cost is $8 per person, with both in-person and virtual options available. Registration is now open here.

The event and the relocation of the third-order Fresnel lens are generously supported by Choptank Electric Cooperative.

“We are happy to support this event and relocation of a historic Fresnel lens at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum,” said Mike Malandro, President and CEO of Choptank Electric Cooperative. “Our co-op has served the campus for many years and is proud to continue lighting up the Miles River through this partnership.”

CBMM has three Fresnel lenses currently on display in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, and, with the assistance of lampist Kurt Fosburg, this one will be moving one to greet guests upon their entrance to CBMM’s new Welcome Center. On loan from the United States Coast Guard.

The Fresnel lens, designed by French physicist Anthony Fresnel in 1822, revolutionized maritime navigation around the world in the 19^th century by offering the ability to cast lighthouse beacons miles farther than was ever possible before thanks to the refraction from hundreds of pieces of specially cut glass.

These lenses were vital for generations on the Chesapeake Bay, lighting the way for boats passing through its shallow, dangerous shoals. The Hooper Strait Lighthouse relied on a smaller, fourth-order Fresnel lens to guide vessels on the Bay in its original location, and since moving to CBMM’s Navy Point in 1966, the historic screwpile lighthouse has illuminated the Miles River at the entrance to St. Michaels harbor nightly.

CBMM currently has three Fresnel lenses on display in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse. With Fosburg’s assistance, the largest of these lenses, a third-order revolving lens on loan from the U.S. Coast Guard, will be moved from the second floor of the lighthouse to greet guests upon their entrance to CBMM’s new Welcome Center, which is slated to open this fall.

Situated at the mouth of an expansive floor map of the Bay in its new home near the Welcome Center reception desk, the lens will be part of an orientation exhibition, introducing guests to the stories and artifacts they will find across campus. The fully ADA-accessible building will also house two additional new exhibition spaces and the museum store, plus a terrace overlooking Fogg’s Cove.

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization that preserves and explores the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and makes this resource available to all.

Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevance, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. For more information, visit cbmm.org or call 410-745-2916.

Choptank Electric is a non-profit, member-owned electric distribution co-op on Maryland’s Eastern Shore serving over 56,000 members. Choptank Electric Cooperative exists to provide reliable and cost-effective electricity that improves the quality of life for our member-owners.

CBMM welcomes Big Tribe for ‘Songs About the Water’

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