Eastport lies on the Horn Point peninsula, comprising everything between Spa Creek on the Annapolis slope and Back Creek to the south. Way back in 1998 when ( for historical reasons that apparently rubbed a raw boldness ), the Maritime Republic of Eastport declared independence and seceded from the City of Annapolis, all facetiously. And every class since, the Eastport folks collect their wits and demonstrate across the Spa Creek Bridge to deliver a announcement of war to the Annapolis City Council. Never mind that they are all depart of the lapp township .
Coming on November 2nd: The Tug of War and Two Tugfests
The charity fundraising event is billed as the longest external Tug of War over the water. The tug teams will line up, some on the Annapolis side and some on the Eastport side, depending on their fealties. The teams will duke it out by tugging on a giant rope across the “ Gulf of Eastport ” ( aka Spa Creek ) .
Each tug team will consist of 33 tuggers from businesses, service groups, and others with the urge to compete in reelect for championship boast rights. You can join the fun—if you don ’ t have a team, person will find you one.
Reading: A Brief History of the Tug of War
Throughout the day, two separate Tugfest parties will take station, one on the Eastport side at Second Street and Severn Avenue, and the other on the Annapolis side at City Dock. The Tugfests will include street vendors, children ’ second activities, live music, a chili cook-off, beverage opportunities, and enough of gaiety .
registration begins at 10:00 am, and the actual Tug of War begins at the Crack oxygen ’ Noon. Admission is loose, and seller proceeds benefit local charities. Performers include Blue Suede Bop, Naptown Brass Band, Eastport Oyster Boys, Naptown Funk, D’vibe ‘n Conga, and Dean Rosenthal .
It all has to do with the 1998 temp closure of the Spa Creek bridge that connects Annapolis to Eastport. More about that in a minute .
Read more: How Maritime Law Works
Eastport in the Early Days
Eastport was once a sleepy short fish and grow village isolated on Horn Point. Time passed, and people built houses and boatyards and pisces canneries and corner stores. White-painted wooden workboats lined the shoreline by night, and rickety docks held their places by day. Skipjacks, deadrises, buy boats, gripe scrapers, flat hand-tong boats—they were all there. Over time, a crisscross of narrow streets grew up. It was the kind of identify where the olfactory property of baitfish and crabs and bed paint mingled with the sounds of hammers and metalwork and gravy boat engines .
The limits of Eastport spread westward, and it grew to be a belittled city, a mix of people from here and from away. The fishing slowly disappeared, and the township was left in the hands of a spirited solicitation of boatyard workers, artists, sailors, marina operators, shopkeepers, and native-born families, all surviving side by side and precisely trying to make a fail of it. For a long clock, Eastport remained merely isolated enough to grow up with its own far-out capture, vogue, and architecture .
The Maritime Republic of Eastport Seceded When the Bridge Closed
There has been a bridge over Spa Creek since the first wooden straddle opened in 1868. In 1998, the authorities closed the bridge for needed repairs. Eastport residents facetiously called this event an “ motiveless act of aggression on the region of the City of Annapolis, ” because the impermanent closure cut off Eastport residents and businesses from the rest of the city .
frankincense, all in mischievous estimable fun, the Maritime Republic of Eastport ( MRE ) was born on “ Independence Day ” —Superbowl Sunday in 1998—when “ patriots residing on the Horn Point peninsula rose up in disgust against the clannish suppression of ‘ Annapolis Proper ’ across the harbor, ” and pretended to secede from Annapolis.
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As the MRE tells it, “ Like any great apparent motion, the concept for the Maritime Republic of Eastport began in a local public house over a couple mug of beer. The prime mission was to find a creative way to promote and encourage the condescension of Eastport businesses that were destined to be hurt by…repair of the drawbridge… The citizens of Eastport took advantage of their isolation to sever their social, political and economic ties…The goal was to foster a spirit of independence and fun in a manner befitting the quality of Eastport and at the like time, to celebrate Eastport ‘s gallant heritage and timbre of life. ”
The MRE fib goes, “ The Republic established its own passports, currency, national hymn, united states navy, militia, arsenic good as its own iris emblazoned with a coat of arms flanked with rampant retrievers and the motto, “We like it this way!” Before long, the huffy MRE proposed a tugboat of war to their neighbors across Spa Creek, and the tradition began .
Today’s MRE
The bridge reopened hanker ago, but the MRE carries on today as a read nonprofit organization, doing good works while having fun celebrating the eclectic Eastport neighborhood and its maritime inheritance. The MRE has raised more than $ 500,000 for charity. If you ’ d like to join the fun, you can volunteer to help with the Tug of War and early events, or barely show up at the following meet. For more data, visit here .