MARSH Fest was introduced to the world on Saturday, and while it might have been the premiere festival of its kind on Wallops Island, it went off without a hitch.
Part of MARSH Fest’s success has to be due to the sheer variety of what the festival offers. Do you want to watch a guy paint a vase with horse hair and then buy the horse hair vase? You can do that at MARSH Fest! Want to pet a four-month-old pig? You can do that, too. Do you want to send your kids inside a hand-made model of a killer whale? Why not? Most importantly, do you want to sample the last (and best) of the summertime craft brews from all over Delmarva and the DMV? You can do that, too.
There aren’t many beer festivals that can provide an entire day’s worth of fun for people of any age or proclivity, and MARSH Fest just might have accomplished the nearly impossible. All you need to enjoy the day is sunscreen to repel the horse flies and cash to a.) buy all the unique clothing, art and bags of coffee that your heart desires and b.) support local businesses.
Here are just a few photos that sum up the day and what the festival is all about.
Blue skies, shady spots and a good crowd.Music: festival-goers were serenaded all day by the bands and performers that played back-to-back on the ESO stage.Art: An artist worked on one of her handmade yarn wares. (In addition to scarves and ornaments, this vendor sold reusable wool soap.)Research: How can we keep the Shore beautiful?And how can we preserve the habitats of all the animals that live on the Shore? For children and adults, MARSH Fest provided fun ways to learn about keeping the environment healthy and beautiful.Science: We don’t see too many orcas swimming off of our beaches, but they are fun to make into inflated interactive displays.Inside the whale, kids could shoot water out of the model’s “blowhole.”And in the middle of the festival grounds, kids could do crafts and play games relating to the natural environment of the Shore.Hops: Dogfish and EVO set up booths to represent Delmarva’s craft beer scene.And of course, Shore Craft Beer was present to pour beers from Heavy Seas, Fin City and 3rd Wave. (In the spirit of the summer weather, Heavy Seas’ Tropi Cannon and Fin City’s Bimini Key were two especially hot commodities.)Because what’s a beer festival without a Bier Garden?The “A” in MARSH doesn’t stand for Animals, but baby pigs and sheep were a welcome surprise.It was an 80-something-degree day, but luckily there was plenty of shade for these woolly sheep.Even Dixon of Dixon Leatherbury’s Seaside Hops was present with his big yellow hop processor.If even the festival coordinators are smiling, you know it’s been a good day!
Kristin is a writer and picture-taker in Ocean City, Maryland. She likes puppies, pumpkin ales and watching movies for the Ocean City Film Festival in her spare time.
