Saturday, May 7, 2022

First Saturday in May
Kick off the Spring season with May Faire, in Mathews County, Virginia the first weekend of May every year; join us for a community heritage festival.
The 2022 May Faire theme will be Celebrating Mathews Watermen. This year’s theme will be a tribute to those county residents who worked in the past and now work on the water: the oystermen, fishermen, crabbers, clammers and a special tribute to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The event celebrates Mathews County’s past with a different history theme each year. May Faire 2022 will honor our county’s water legacy and is a tribute to our county’s men and women who work the waters. A special event recognizing our Coast Guard will be a highlight of the day.
MAY 7 Schedule
- • Food trucks, Vendors, Music, Ceremonies and Performances
- • Recognizing the US Coast Guard, 10:00am at opening ceremonies, on stage at the Pavilion. The public is invited to view the Coast Guard’s rescue boat and to speak with active duty Coast Guard members.
- • Hosting “Conversations,” 11:00 am-1:00 pm at the Court House, with a cross-section of six of our most noted watermen and women, sharing their stories and their experiences. The panel will be moderated by author and reporter from the Southside Sentinel, Larry Chowning.
- • Exhibits such as net making and crab pot making, on the Court Green
- • Photographic Exhibits from Captain Robert Roland Hudgins, a commercial fisherman and Captain Charles Lee Forrest, a menhaden fisherman.
- • Call for Photos and Stories of Local Watermen: Debut of our newest exhibit at the Museum, The Mariners’ Wall, a collection of photographs and stories from our watermen.



Bring your lawn chair & travel through time in Mathews County
This event takes place in the Historic Court House in downtown Mathews, walking distance from restaurants, plenty of stores and boutiques, historic sites including Tompkins Cottage, Mathews Museum, and Thomas James Store, and the Mathews County Visitor and Information Center! Brochures available at MCVIC prior to the event, or from the information booth the day of the event.
Visit Mathews Historical Museum website for more info!
Want to make a weekend trip out of it? Book a room at one of our great cottages, Bed and breakfasts, or Inns! Look for Mathews accommodations.