I'd like to add a "me, too" to this post. I've been checking back since at least late February, waiting for the same info. A little help here, please, CLC.

There IS camping on site at OkoumeFest.

OkoumeFest

Alright, I found that link earlier. And it looks like the details are coming soon. I am a 1st timer though and to me it is unclear if the camping is in the CLC parking lot, a private setting, commercial campground or State Park.

I did find a reference to Matapeake State Park but they do not list camping. I think I need to be patient and go plane some plywood...

John

Here's the text from a recent Bay Times article about the new site. Note that the grand opening has been delayed to April 26th, so we will be getting it all fresh and squeaky clean.

I visited the site last month. It was still under construction, bulldozers and earthmovers everywhere. At that time, the most likely area for camping seemed to be the old firing range (the sign was still up). Of course, the park planners may have other ideas, so don't hold me to it.

It'll definitely be different than the Camp Letts years were, sort of harkening back to the old Okoumestock days at Sandy Point, at least in terms of the boating. Personally, I'll miss the little islands in the Rhode River. Onthe other hand, I'll be able to grab a skerry and make a gelato run across the bay to the Annapolis City Docks :-)

Laszlo

=====================

MATAPEAKE Everything is just about in place for the opening next month of the Matapeake Clubhouse and Beach complex on Kent Island that will feature the only public beach in Queen Anne's County.

Grand opening ceremonies for the new park, located adjacent to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources facility and former Bay Model property, are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 25, said Steve Walls, director of the Queen Anne's County Department of Parks and Recreation.

The county has been working for quite some time to get the site ready for public use, Walls explained. That included the rehabilitation of the ferry clubhouse and the beach that fronts on the Bay, and an area that has been fashioned into an amphitheatre-like facility. "We've prepared the beach and gotten the building ready and have been working with the Critical Areas Commission to put a new driveway in," Walls said.

To reach the facility, visitors will take the road off Route 8 toward the Matapeake Fishing Pier and then turn right into the property once occupied by the Bay Model building. They will then follow that road until turning left onto the new access road leading to the parking lot and ferry clubhouse.

"The beach will operate from 9 a.m. to sunset seven days a week during the normal summertime period," Walls said. The April 25 grand opening will mark the start of its season for this year. The department does not plan to charge for use of the beach, Walls added.

The clubhouse was built in 1936 by the private company that operated the Matapeake-Annapolis ferry to tie in with its with ferry operations. The state acquired the property at the end of World War II when it took over the ferry.

The building later became part of the Maryland Natural Resources Police Academy and was used as a firing range in the 1980s. The firing range moved to Caroline County a few years ago. The county now leases the property from the state.

"We've done a lot of cosmetic work inside and out. We've redone the floors and installed restrooms and added a little kitchen area," Walls said of the clubhouse building. Electrical and lighting work has also been done. It includes a café offering food and drink that will be open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends during the summer season, he added.

In addition to use by the public, the property will also be available for rental for such events as weddings, corporate meetings, and the like, Walls said. Carrie Fredland at the Department of Parks and Recreation will be handling rentals.

There's been landscaping outside the building, and the portion of the property where the firing range was once located has been terraced and can be used as an amphitheatre for the presentation of concerts and other events, Walls said.

Fresh soil was put in place at the site of the former firing range in 2007 to replace that which had been there during the years the firing range was in existence.

The complex will be known as the Matapeake Clubhouse and Beach.

And, once again, I'll be missing Okoumefest!  It happens every year!  One of these years I'll make it.

FrankP