Tall Ships Festival Boasts Elizabethan Actors

A colorful troupe of Elizabethan re-enactors will again recreate life of the 16th century for visitors of all ages at the Tall Ships At Cape Charles festival June 14-16, complementing the historic tall ships gracing the Town Harbor.

Historic Interpretations, a non-profit troupe in Raleigh, NC comprised of actors, re-enactors, educators, craftspeople, students, and hobbyists, specializes in providing fun, hands-on educational activities centered around history, with specific emphasis on the day to day life of the everyday individual as well as the romance, ambiance, intrigue and pageantry of noble and royal life when knighthood was in flower.

For Tall Ships At Cape Charles, the troupe will present themed, period tents featuring demonstrations and displays of weapons, food, beverages, gaming, worship and knights of the realm.  Festival goers may interact with the extravagantly garbed troupe at such venues as The Armory at the Sign of Raleigh’s Arms, The Victualing House at the Sign of the Pot and Kettle, The Brewery at the Sign of the Bee and Bottle and The Tavern at the Sign of the Oak and Acorn, all spectacularly re-created examples of historic people and places.

If you’ve ever dreamed about running away to a life of adventure and excitement in days gone by, Tall Ships At Cape Charles will help you fulfill that dream aboard a tall-masted ship, whether for a deck tour or a two-hour day or sunset sail on the Chesapeake Bay.  Haul a yard-arm!   Sing a rollicking sea chanty!

This year’s festival delivers three tall ships, the schooners Alliance, Sultana and Virginia, over three days of fun for all ages, with deck tours and day sails.  Last year’s day sails sold out, so visitors are encouraged to book early at www.tallshipscapecharles.com.

Festival-goers can interact with costumed re-enactors, purchase imaginative and beautiful wares from arts and crafts vendors, belt out ballads alongside live entertainers, and enjoy succulent seafood and spectacular sunsets.  Children may make and sail a model boat, take a ride on a pony, carriage or hay ride, create their own candy and LOL to the antics of a clown magician.

A town-wide pirate festival sponsored by Citizens For Central Park on Saturday, June 15, features cannons, carts and costumes, plus a treasure hunt and, from 6-10 pm, a Pirate & Wenches Ball.

Tall Ships At Cape Charles festival hours are Friday, June 14, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. followed by a Welcome Ceremony at 7 p.m; Saturday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.