Program Updates
With a few zigs and zags in the eleventh hour, the 2026 season has been locked down. Another exciting year of great performances and outdoor fun under three large tents is just around the corner.
Founding member and current president of the Maine International Appalachian Trail will only be presenting on Saturday, July 11, at 11:00 AM. Look for him at the Deaconess Tent on the corner of Spruce and H Streets. He was originally scheduled to present both days. His Sunday spot will be filled by Craig Rinehart, who will present Charles Carroll of Carrollton: America’s First Entrepreneur. Carroll is synonymous with Maryland and signed the Declaration of Independence. You’ll learn how his decisions, networks, and long-range vision helped shape an era, the nation, Maryland, and the local region, including the early development of the B&O Railroad and its westward expansion.
A re-enactment of Charles Lindbergh will only be on Saturday, at 11:00 PM, and not on Sunday. At 1:30 PM on Sunday, you’ll see a re-enactment of John Work Garrett by Al Feldstein, a multi-award-winning regional amateur public historian who has published over thirty books, prints, and videotapes. He largely focuses on the history of three western Maryland Counties - Allegany, Garrett, and Washington- as well as nearby West Virginia. His works have included historical postcards, newspapers, flood accounts, gravesites, coal mining, railroads, community histories, women's history, African American history, and tour guides for historic sites. Following his presentation, the audience will partake in trivia questions of the region.
Classical guitarist Mark Edwards will not be able to attend and has been replaced by the Juggling Kat, Kathryn “ Kat” Carr. She is an award-winning performance artist and juggler. She made history by becoming the first female silver medalist in the live individual Stage Competition held by the International Jugglers' Association (IJA). See incredible acts of balance, hat manipulation, and dance. Her performance times are Saturday at 4:30 PM and Sunday at 5:30 PM on the Vaudeville in the Street stage.
Also at Vaudeville in the Street on Saturday will be Aurora Celtic, playing a high-energy blend of original and ancestral music on traditional strings and Irish flutes, bridging the cultures of Scotland, Ireland, Appalachia, and Eastern Europe. Founding band members Alice Fleischman and Michael Broderick are multi-instrumentalists who have played throughout the Mid-Atlantic states, at the Kennedy Center, and in Europe. Along with current bandmates, guitarist Andrew Nelson and bassist Chris Bern, their sound merges Appalachian-Celtic and World music. The band has three recordings: “Edge of the World” (2010), “Crows in the Kitchen” (2012), and their 2017 release “In Full Flight.” Tracks from all three CDs have been featured on NPR’s Thistle & Shamrock music program.
These program updates and the many other presentations can be found online throughout the weekend. To avoid paper waste and printing costs, schedules will be posted on a sandwich board at each tent, and a downloadable schedule with dates and times is also available. A modest quantity of printed schedules is available at the Welcome Tent.
