Summer of Celebration Awaits Bay Watershed
A bold, strong-willed adventurer, Captain John Smith played a pivotal role in British efforts to colonize North America.
May 2007 -- From Port Deposit to Virginia Beach, residents of the Bay region will be able to celebrate the 400th anniversary of John Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake all summer long.
The festivities are centered around Jamestown, Va., site of the first permanent English settlement in North America. If you missed America's Anniversary Weekend in Jamestown in mid-May, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate throughout the rest of the year!
- The American Indian Intertribal Cultural Festival, taking place in Hampton, Va., in July, will focus on the contributions and cultures of Virginia Indians and highlight the similarities and differences among Virginia tribes through native foods, dances, traditional stories, arts and crafts, cultural demonstrations and historical information.
- Could you survive in the New World in 1607 as the English colonists did? Test your skills in the interactive “Survivor: Jamestown” exhibit at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, Va., through November.
- Retrace John Smith's journey up and down the James River on Captain John Smith's Trail, a 40-site water trail and auto tour for modern explorers.
- NOAA recently launched its Jamestown Interpretive Buoy, which provides boaters around Jamestown with current weather and water conditions.
If you can't make it to the Jamestown area this summer, check out one of dozens of 400 th anniversary-related places and events closer to home. Water trails, historical accounts, cultural celebrations and more can be found throughout the Bay region.
Plans have just begun for the new Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, America's first national water trail. While the trail is being completed, those interested can visit a John Smith-related Chesapeake Bay Gateway to follow portions of Smith's historic routes around the Bay.