On Fridays from now through June 18, families are invited to join the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Rising Tide Program for afternoons of FREE fishing off CBMM’s docks.

Both fishing gear and waterfront access are available for participants in Free Fishing Fridays, from 3:30–5:30pm. Individual fishing licenses are not needed, but parental supervision is required for anyone 8-years-old or younger.

“Since 2015, Rising Tide has provided a welcoming, relaxed environment for students in grades six–nine to learn hands-on skills through after school and summer programming,” said Youth Programs Coordinator Nina Graham. “Our Fishing Fridays are just one more way to reach those students and to help keep them engaged with the Bay. We’re always thrilled to be able to provide opportunities like this to expand access to the waterfront for those who may not have it otherwise.”

Registration is required by emailing risingtide@cbmm.org. To learn more about CBMM’s Rising Tide Program, which offers both after-school programming and summer camps, visit cbmm.org/risingtide

PEM’s Board of Trustees and the East India Marine Associates invite you to celebrate the opening of In American Waters: The Sea in American Painting. Go behind the scenes with exhibition Co-Curator Daniel Finamore, PEM’s Russell W. Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History, as he highlights key works and themes and answers questions from guests.RSVP TODAY!

You will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to participate via Zoom. For more information or technical questions, please email Lauren Fairweather at lauren_fairweather@pem.org.

Building on the reach and success of last year’s online Annual Meeting, AASLH will have two conferences in the fall, each with distinct experiences. The AASLH/Arkansas Museums Association 2021 Annual Meeting will be held in person in Little Rock, Arkansas, September 22–25. The AASLH 2021 Online Conference will be held October 12–15. The theme of both conferences is Doing History/Doing Justice. Read more.

Please join the Board of Directors of the Door County Maritime Museum on Saturday, May 22nd at 11am  to celebrate the opening of Sturgeon Bay’s newest landmark! 

Rising on the Sturgeon Bay waterfront, the Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower stands as a one-of-a-kind landmark that will leave a legacy of maritime history that will also educate and entertain generations to come. The views from inside the Tower’s 10th floor Working Waterfront exhibit and the rooftop Baumgartner Observation Deck offer an unparalleled panorama spanning the entire historic working waterfront, from the waters of Green Bay to the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal.

The Christening event will take place in the DCMM parking lot and is open to the public. We ask that you keep a respectful distance from folks not in your group, and wear a face mask when inside the Museum.

More than 300 individual, family, corporate and foundation donors have contributed a total of $5.8 Million to the Jim Kress Maritime Lighthouse Tower $7.2 Million construction capital campaign. This includes $1 Million from the George F. Kress Foundation and a $250,000 Community Development Investment grant from the State of Wisconsin’s Economic Development Corporation

Opening Saturday, May 8, 2021. The museum has remained open on a limited basis throughout the Covid pandemic by “reservation only” and now with easing of government restrictions we will be formally open to all visitors beginning Saturday, May 8, 2021 with no reservation required. Our museum and exhibits will be open 7 days a week so come on by for a visit and say hello. Safety protocols will remain in place. We welcome one and all. Please check our website for hours and admission or call us at 781-925-5433.

 We are excited to announce that we will be re-opening for the 2021 season, for free!

The Museum will open on May 22 and we will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until October 17. We’ll be all outside for 2021, with new outdoor exhibits about Prohibition in the Champlain Valley, aquatic invasive species and other threats to the lake, and more. The replica schooner Lois McClure will be docked right here at the Museum and open to the public Thursdays through Saturdays, weather and water level permitting, and the replica Revolutionary War gunboat Philadelphia II will be on display on the hard on the Museum green. 

Click here to read our full 2021 season announcement and mark your calendars!

The #AAM2021 program is packed with sessions covering topics from unconventional audience engagement initiatives to tackling climate change in exhibitions to the role of volunteer docents in social justice. With over 80 concurrent sessions, you are bound to leave #AAM2021 inspired and ready to take action at your museum. 

All sessions will be recorded, and you will receive a notification when you can access them. So, pick the session you most want to attend and know you can access other session recordings later and at your convenience.

Don’t miss the chance to connect with thousands of museum professionals from all over the world at the field’s largest event.

Hurry to register—space in the #AAM2021 Opening Event with The Second City is filling up fast!View the program

Beginning Memorial Day weekend, we are happy to welcome visitors to our campus! The Museum Store will be open Monday through Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday noon to 5pm. For those wishing to visit the rest of the museum, we will offer guided walking tours and family field trips. Tours will be available 7 days a week, pre-registration is encouraged. We will accept same-day reservations and walk-ins, subject to availability. Tours are $25 per household, up to 10 people. Book your tour today. Standard Walking Tours

• Tours last around 45 minutes.
• Staff-led tours make 7 stops outside buildings throughout the museum campus plus allow time for participants to explore our boat barns and the “Gone Fishing” exhibit.
• All ages are welcome and child-friendly tours are available.
• Tours explore the history of Maine through specific stories relating to Searsport and Penobscot Bay.

Family Field Trips

• Tours last up to 60 minutes.
• Each child receives a kit with everything they will need for their visit.
• A fun way to learn about life at sea, Maine boats, and Maine fisheries, activity topics include signal flags, boat bingo, compasses, and more! 
• PMM staff will guide your family through your visit including activity instruction and time to explore the boat barns and the “Gone Fishing” exhibit.
• Ideal for ages 6-12, all ages are welcome. 
• Family field trips are available through the end of June and are made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. 

Planning your summer’s travels? Book your tour today. For more information on tours, please contact Jeana Ganskop at jganskop@pmm-maine.org.  Starting July 1st, we will begin offering self-guided museum visits. For more information please visit our website.

Door County Maritime Museum is pleased to announce that the tugboat John Purves in Sturgeon Bay, the Death’s Door Maritime Museum in Gills Rock, and the Cana Island Lighthouse in Baileys Harbor are all open for the 2021 season as of Saturday, May 1st.

Built in 1919 as the Butterfield, ​​​​​​​the John Purves has been painstakingly restored and outfitted to take visitors back to the days when she was dressed in Roen Steamship Company colors. The Death’s Door Maritime Museum celebrates the area’s commercial fishing tradition. Cana Island is Door County’s most iconic lighthouse, celebrating more than 150 years of standing watch on the shore of Lake Michigan. All DCMM locations are open seven days a week; see below for hours of operation. 

Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is now accepting submissions for the Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards Program. The submission deadline is June 1, 2021.

The Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards Program was established to recognize public, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organizations, including museums and individuals, who incorporate the history and heritage of the United States Navy into their publications, documents, and artifacts at their facilities. Each organization must encourage and publicize scholarly, well-researched historical stories that depict the Navy’s history and heritage as well as preserve and maintain artifacts on loan from the Navy.

“Many private, nongovernment museums are telling great stories about the history of the U.S. Navy to the American public,” announced NHHC Director, retired Rear Adm. Samuel Cox. “These awards are for those museums that serve as force multipliers in informing the public of our Navy’s rich history, proud heritage, and the importance of sea power to the security of the nation.”

Applicants may utilize their museums, buildings, historic ships and/or aircraft, and other exhibits or artifacts therein to provide or promote published research, preservation of artifacts, exhibiting artifacts and information, lectures, and other presentations. This program is meant to support and promote accurate and effective programs for exhibits, artifacts, and historical research. The winners will be awarded a plaque, pennant, and certificate of award for their excellence in Navy history and heritage. There are three awards categories.

• Navy History and Heritage Excellence Pennant (History “E”): Presented to the organization recognized for outstanding overall achievement in operations, including maintenance, curation/conservation, exhibitory, and Navy history education from organizations offering U.S. Navy-related programming to the public. Excellence will be awarded irrespective of financial resources.

• Maintenance Excellence Pennant (Maintenance “E”): Presented to the organization that has demonstrated greatest improvement in material condition over the past year of a macro artifact (e.g., historic ship, aircraft). Excellence will be awarded irrespective of financial resources.

• Curatorial Excellence Pennant (Curatorial “C”): Presented to the organization that has achieved excellence in the curation of the collections in its care, including maintaining and interpreting Navy artifacts on loan from NHHC central and local collections. Excellence will be awarded irrespective of financial resources.

Organizations may submit for award consideration by printing and fully completing the application for the category in which they wish to compete. Applications are available on the NHHC website at https://www.history.navy.mil/get-involved/nhhc-awards-program.html. Once complete, mail the full package (application and supporting documents) and a DVD that contains an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) digital copy of the entire package submission to:

Deputy Director, Navy Museums Division Naval History and Heritage Command 805 Kidder Breese St. SE

Washington Navy Yard, D.C. 20374-5060

NOTE: All mail and packages coming to the Washington Navy Yard are delayed by enhanced security screening. Early submissions will be accepted. NHHC is not responsible for lost, incomplete or late entries.

For more information on Naval History and Heritage Command visit: https://www.history.navy.mil/