The Other Tea Party

There's a Memorial Day Weekend Tradition in Chestertown called The Tea Party. It's actually been going on for several decades, but within the past 15 years has become a big event that draws in thousands of tourists from surrounding areas. Typically there are more tourists than locals. For many locals, once every 5 years is enough. They have other events this weekend such as the Baltimore Bike Club renting Washington College and feeling entitled to wear spandex in public. There's a 5K road race, which entitles older runners in shorty shorts to walk around the Tea Party with no shirt on. (evidence below if you have the stomach for it). But Saturday is the big day with many vendors selling everything from bread knives to wreaths to fish sandwiches to beer and lemonade. The only thing missing was the Slap Chop and the ShamWow.

So with Tyler and Morgan down for the weekend we took advantage of the awesome festivities.

Here they are posing with our friend "Crabby" the Maryland Crab.

Here are some members of a club that promotes sweating in public.

Here's a club that promotes unisex clothing.

And finally the re-enactment of the original Tea Party. Men dressed as colonials, stand on barrels and pontificate about unfair taxes and the oppression of the masses (some things never change). Then they board a row boat and seize control of the British vessel in the harbor, loaded with Tea of course.

The colonials being superior in strength and determination over power the greedy lot of royal sell-outs and cast the symbolic cargo into the river as so much fish food. The British flag is tossed in behind the Tea and the Stars and Stripes are unfurled in it's place.

Happy Memorial Day! Thank a Veteran!