Mardela Springs is inviting everyone to a celebration of the beauty and joys of autumn! On October 22 you can come participate in En Plein Air  “paint-in” – either as artist or observer, tour the towns’ 10+ museums and historic sites, take a self-guided tour of the reminders of the town’s days as the Victorian spa of Barren Creek Springs, listen to musicians, play horseshoes or corn hole, kids can do crafts or a different kind of scavenger hunt, or – just relax and enjoy the day!!

The day’s events are offered jointly by the Adkins Historical Museum and Complex, the Westside Historical Society, and the art/antiques shop The Eyeful Hummingbird.   Other shops such as Main Street Treasures and Pacific East also will be open and welcoming visitors.  Lunch will be sold by the historical societies, with a combination ticket ($20 adults, $10 children under 12) that also includes entrance to all the museums, walking tours, and musical entertainment, an afternoon Ghost Walk in the cemetery, and games and crafts for all. These tickets must be ordered in advance, by October 15.  For those who do not want the lunch, tickets are $10 for adults or $5 for children. These events get under way at 9:30 and will close with the Ghost Walk about 4:30.   Plein Air artists will be signing up at The Eyeful Hummingbird on Fire Prevention Street at 8:00, pick their outdoor spot to set up an easel and paint the beauty of the natural settings, and will pay a separate registration for that.  

Buildings which will be open include the Barren Creek Springs Church, built in 1842 and now restored, the Spring House where the mineral water still runs, the 1838 Brattan-Taylor Store, English one-room school, and Barren Creek Heritage Museum with 10 rooms of exhibits of 300+ years of history of western Wicomico County. The Victorian-era Whitelock House, where lunches may be picked up, also be open for touring. The Ghost Walk of the town’s Cemetery will begin just before dusk, and will introduce visitors to some of the town’s more intriguing residents of times-past, as well as a few surprises. (Children are welcome – no scary surprises!)

For more information and to register in the EnPlein Air painting, call Patty Parks at the Eyeful Hummingbird, phone 410-726-8544. To order lunches and tickets to all the tours, call 410-726-8544  or email lynettekenney33@msn.com, or write to TICKETS, Lynnette Kenney, 24790 Porter Mill Rd., Hebron MD 21830.