The Northern Neck Chantey Singers rehearsing in the Northern Neck Virginia near Reedville. The Northern Neck Chantey Singers will be performing at the Inaugural Lewes Seafaring Days, June 29 and 30, 2007.

Order Your Ticket Now - Only 150 Available! Call 302-645-7670.

Lewes, Del. -- Lewes, Delaware, the First Town in the First State, is rich in history dating to the 17th century. Much has been written and talked about the Dutch and William Penn as they relate to the town's origins. But one aspect of its history that pervades all of the town's many pages out of the past is its seafaring roots.

In an effort to capture the city of Lewes's rich and long heritage with the sea, The Lewes Historical Society will present Lewes Seafaring Days Festival to celebrate the maritime history of Lewes. Slated for Friday, June 29 and Saturday June 30, on the grounds of the Lewes Historical Society. Lewes Seafaring Days will feature food, lore, crafts, art, presentations and entertainment all centered around a seafaring theme.

A first-ever Clambake will feature the Northern Neck Chantey Singers who recreate the rich chorus of work songs once sung by the men who hauled menhaden nets by hand off the shores of Lewes for the Otis Smith Fish Products Company. The six-man group will also perform on Saturday afternoon. Also on the schedule will be the Pressmen who will sing nautical shanteys that conjure up thoughts of Captain Kidd or Captain Jack Sparrow.

The fun filled evening will begin with a clambake seafood dinner (chicken for the landlubbers) and a few local surprises. One of the preliminary presentations will be the unveiling of a historic marker commemorating the contributions of the menhaden fishery to the City of Lewes. State Archivist Russ McCabe, assisted by Rufus Carter, a Lewes resident who worked for the Smith company. Carter and his wife will be the Seafaring Days Guests of Honor.

The evening event will begin at 5:30p.m. in a tent to be set up on the Historical Complex. The $60 per person/$110 per couple ticket will include a CD of the Chanteymen songs, a ticket to the following day's activities and a raffle chance to win a print of "Racing to the Point" by Lewes artist Steve Rogers. The print shows two menhaden boats-The McKeever Brothers and Amagansett-heading into Lewes to win the rights to be first to unload its menhaden at the Fish Products dock (where Cape Shores is now located). The print was donated by Peninsula Gallery on Savannah Road on Lewes Beach.

The Seafaring Festival on Saturday will open at 10:00 a.m. Tickets are $3 and patrons will see maritime demonstrations and displays presented by local groups such as the Seascouts. Vendors will sell nautical art and crafts and a local fish fry cook will be set up to satisfy your seafood needs.

Saturday’s highlight event will be a reprise by the Northern Neck Chantey Singers at noon . Also on tap will be presentations by Hazel Brittingham on the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, demonstrations of manual windlass from the schooner St. Margaret II and other maritime related activities.

According to Seafest Cochairman Mike Tyler, the event is still seeking sponsors to help defray costs for staging this event. "We are pleased that Pilots' Association for the Bay & River Delaware has offered its support to assist with the cost of the Chantey Singers CDs, however we still need support for the cost of the tent, the food and the Pressmen as well as printing and other important needs," Tyler said. Only 150 tickets will be sold for the Friday evening June 29 program. Reservations must be made as tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

©2002-2005 The Lewes Historical Society