Berlin Heritage Festival Set For This Weekend

BERLIN — The Berlin Heritage Festival will be held Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. with a rain date of Sunday, April 26.

This year, because it is a special time in Berlin with the 120th anniversary of the Atlantic Hotel, the town is celebrating the heritage of the community by organizing a family event that will be fun and exciting for all age groups from children to adults.

This year organizers have many surprises that will cover Berlin’s decades from 1870 to 1960, and Main Street will provide a portal to the past.

Visitors can watch artisans churn butter, braid and hook rugs, spin and weave yarn, tat lace, quilt, knit and more. There will be a blacksmith and a wood carver and the artisans will be happy to sell their wares.

Nearly 20 vintage vehicles will be on loan, including a 1918 touring car once owned by Jack Benny, a 1924 firetruck, a 1957 Thunderbird, and many more.

Pay attention as you walk down the street because you are likely to see people wearing clothing from several historic periods. Shopkeepers are participating as well, by putting historic posters, clothing, and other historic items in their windows.

The Calvin B. Taylor Museum will be open for tours with docents providing the history and popular stories of the town and its famous families.

The highlight of the day will be live street theater and musical entertainment, organized by the Ocean Pines Players. All of the events will take place in front of the Atlantic Hotel. Before and after each play, “Uke Ellington” (played by Charlie Flagiello) will perform music from the appropriate time period. All performance times are approximate.

Schedule Of Events

11 a.m.: Mayor Gee Williams officially opens the event.

Noon: Decoration Day – a short, fun play that introduces visitors to historic people, events, and attitudes of Berlin in 1920 and demonstrates some generational clashes, such as proper Edwardian mothers and their wannabe flapper daughters.

1:30 p.m.: Civic Duty – a short play depicting what life was like for the citizens of Berlin in 1942, right after the US entered World War II. This play ends with a musical review including top hits of 1942, followed by Uke Ellington playing more songs from the 1940s.

3 p.m.: On the Road – A prim and proper 1950s mom and her beatnik daughter come to terms with their differences – and similarities.

4 p.m.: The Pine Tones Chorus performs a short choral concert on the steps of the Atlantic Hotel to cap off the day’s events.