Listen to our 2019 Heritage Celebration Podcast (above) for details on the free event on campus February 23rd!

Eastern Shore Community College is excited to present the 18th Annual Heritage Celebration on Saturday, February 23rd from 10am-3pm, encompassing both the Workforce Development Center and the main building on the campus in Melfa. This year will have a nostalgic twist – the event will occur as a brand new Academic Building is nearing completion and will be opening this summer, making this the final year in the current main building.

The free event offers a wide and diverse selection of exhibitors and participants, representative of the Eastern Shore community and their many talents and interests.  Woodworking and carving will be represented, as will glasswork, fiber, paper, metalwork, sculpture, handmade jewelry, and of course painting in multiple mediums, and much more. There will be some demonstrations on hand like Guy Shover doing a live patina creation, and Joel Simpson demonstrating “spoon carving”.  To honor the current building which opened in 1973, the ESCC Visual Arts Club will offer a 70s themed photo booth to add some fun nostalgia and mark the occasion.

Model trains, bee keeping, local history, natural resources, and a wide variety of local organizations will all be on hand with informative exhibits sharing their various areas of interest.  There will be a wide range of activity throughout the event with something for everyone.  From kids activities with New Roots Youth Garden of Cape Charles, to our popular scavenger hunt, where attendees have a chance to win prize packages comprised of original items donated by our vendors.

The Heritage Café will be open for business, featuring homemade chili, grilled hot dogs, nachos supreme, baked goods, sodas, water and coffee. In addition to tasty lunch and snack options, live music will be featured in the café courtesy of our community partners at ESO Arts Center.  Performers will be on stage with a variety of local talent from 10:00am-3:00pm, including Sonic Ukes and David Pruitt.  There may also be some impromptu “strolling” musical performances in the main building as well.

The Peninsula Tractor Organization will be displaying various pieces of equipment representing their role in Eastern Shore agriculture through the years, along with the Accomack-Northampton Region of the Antique Auto Club of America with beautiful vehicles on display.  The E.S. Amateur Radio Club will be operating a ham radio field station on the campus grounds as well.

With the support of the Eastern Shore Community College Foundation, ESCC is proud to offer this event free to the public, and encourages everyone to plan to attend and enjoy the wide variety of Eastern Shore offerings in an endless number of categories. For any questions about the event, feel free to contact Bill LeCato at 757-789-1797 or email wlecato@es.vccs.edu.