7 things in Annapolis: Peggy Stewart Day returns with a drone show

Peggy Stewart Day was never an official holiday, the kind that gives you a day off from work. Well, except for the first one. And the one a hundred years later.

The day is named after a trading ship with the unfortunate luck of arriving in Annapolis on Oct. 19, 1774 — shortly after the rebels in Boston tossed a cargo of tea overboard in a protest over taxes. Even more unfortunate, there were several hundred pounds of tea aboard. Radicals forced the owner to set his cargo ship on fire as crowds from around Maryland lined the shore to watch.

It became known as the Annapolis Tea Party, a flamboyant moment in the American Revolution. A century later, the burning was marked with a much happier party.

"The centennial ... was appropriately celebrated today, by the ringing of bells, firing of cannon, closing of all city offices and public schools, a display of bunting on the shore and in the harbor and a military parade in the afternoon," The New York Times reported .

Since then, celebrations of the holiday have waxed and waned, usually at the whim of the Peggy Stewart Tea Party Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. There was that time the Annapolis Chamber of Commerce burned the ship in effigy to protest modern taxes in 1957, and the bicentennial in 1974 was marked with a parade of horse-drawn carriages.

On Saturday, the DAR sails again, joined by other history and tourism groups, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the episode in Maryland's Revolutionary saga.

The centerpiece will be a drone show at 7 p.m., illuminating the story in the waters off City Dock. The DAR, and the John Paul Jones Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and Children of the American Revolution will offer additional parts of the story on shore. The schooner Sultana will substitute for the ill-fated brigantine Peggy Stewart, although no one plans to burn it.

The day will start on nearby Pinkney Street, where Historic Annapolis is staging what it calls the city's largest historical reenactment. More than 40 costumed historians will talk about their lives and times from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., setting up in the Waterfront Warehouse, Shiplap House and the Hogshead historic buildings.

At 6:30 p.m., University of Maryland historian Richard Bell will recap the pivotal moments leading up to the burning in a presentation at City Dock. Reenactors will be in the crowd, and the Monumental City Fife and Drum Corps will play before the drones take flight.

The drone show, lecture and music are free. The living history event on Pinkney Street is $10, with discounts for HA members and volunteers, military members and children 10-17. Advance registration is recommended.

Far overshadowed by other events — the Revolution arguably began on Sept. 5, 1774, with the start of the first Continental Congress — the Peggy Stuart probably would have been forgotten if it weren't for Francis Blackwell Mayer, an Annapolis painter of historical scenes who helped stage the centennial.

Twelve years later, he donated his monumental work, "The Burning of the Peggy Stewart," to the state, and it's been on display at the State House ever since.

The centennial ended incongruously. "In the evening, a grand tea party was thrown by the ladies of Annapolis in the House of Delegates," The Times reported.

So did the bicentennial.

Famed Maryland shipwright Melbourne Smith, who helped build the original Pride of Baltimore, tried to build a replica of the Peggy Stewart to celebrate the American bicentennial in 1976. State officials adopted the idea, but nothing more than a model and a painting came of it.

"The money was just never forthcoming," he told The Baltimore Sun in 1979 .

Peggy Stewart Day, though, lives on.

Here are some other events around town for the coming week.

Meet the artists

You can meet the artists behind Abriendo Camino s at a reception in the Earl Gallery at Maryland Hall.

The exhibition features works by members of the Latino American Art Collective of Anne Arundel. It explores concepts of Latin American and Caribbean traditions and cross-cultural experiences.

This show celebrates Hispanic Heritage, with work by artists from El Salvador, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Peru, Honduras and Mexico. It runs through Jan. 2.

Figaro. Figaro. Figaro!

Annapolis Opera opens its season with a performance of Gioachino Rossini's "The Barber of Seville."

Performed in Italian with English subtitles, the classic comedic opera pits the barber Figaro against Dr. Bartolo in an attempt to ensure that true love wins the day. Kevin Godínez leads the cast as Figaro. Musicologist Nicole Steinberg will explore the work before each performance.

Tickets are $28-$100, plus taxes and fees. The lecture is free, but registration is required.

Curtain up

Compass Rose Theater premieres its production of "Same Time Next Year" at Maryland Hall.

The 1975 play, later made into a movie, features Ann Marie Taglavore as Doris and Omar A. Said as George. The story follows Doris and George, each married to someone else, as they meet for a secret rendezvous once a year over 25 years.

The show runs through Nov. 17, with performances at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays plus 2 p.m Sundays. Tickets are $25-$55, plus taxes and fees. Discounts are available for students, seniors, active military, veterans and groups of 12 or more.

Keep the streak alive

Navy football returns to Annapolis with its best winning streak in years, 5-0.

After a bye week, the Naval Academy Midshipmen take on the UNC-Charlotte 49ers at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m.

Tickets for Navy games get harder to find when the team is winning, and there is only one home game left this season. The mids play Notre Dame next Saturday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The team could qualify for the AAC conference championship on Dec. 6, when it could play its also-unbeaten rival, Army. Either way, the Army-Navy game takes place on Dec. 16 at Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field) in Landover.

General admission tickets start at $55, plus taxes and fees, and standing-room-only is $40. Kids' tickets are $30. If you can't find a ticket, CBS will carry the game on its broadcast and streaming services.

Autumn on the avenue

Merchants on Maryland Avenue and State Circle will celebrate cooler weather with their Fall Festival .

Music, dancing, food and shopping at local businesses will culminate with the Halloween Pup Parade. Free admission.

Set sail

Hundreds of boats will compete in the J/22 World Championships on the Severn River and in the Chesapeake Bay, so watching them from shore can be challenging without a boat.