CAPE MAY – Celebrate Cape May’s 39th annual Victorian Weekend, sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), with a variety of special tours, events, activities, workshops and performances to suit everyone’s tastes. Learn about the town that vanished into the sea, kick-up your heels as they did in Cape May’s hey-day, experience Cape May’s Civil War history, search for unique crafts and antiques and much more from Friday, Oct. 7 through Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Waltz your way back in time during the Vintage Dance Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9. Vintage Dance Instructor Martha Griffith will have you kicking-up your heels like they did in Cape May’s Victorian heyday as she teaches you the popular ballroom dances of the mid- and late-19th Century at a Vintage Dance Workshop at the Franklin Street School, Franklin and Lafayette Streets, on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Then, put your newfound expertise to good use at a costumed Vintage Ball at the Cape May Elementary School, Lafayette Street at Madison Avenue, with live music of the period by Spare Parts on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. enjoy an elegant Tea Dance, also with live music by Spare Parts, at Cape Island Baptist Church Hall, 115 Gurney St. Refreshments are included at the Ball and Tea Dance and Victorian costume is highly encouraged (but not required). An all-inclusive package is available or you can purchase events individually. Dance Weekend Package $95; Ball $35; Tea Dance $25; 3 Workshops $45.
This October, the Actors Offstage, Cape May’s new theatrical group, take over the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., and turn it into an intimate and terrifying theater. New for 2011, Murder at the Physick Estate presents “Doorway to Darkness.” In the early years of the 20th Century, a medium trying to communicate with the spirit world used the crude technology of the day to unlock the door that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. The lost, tortured creatures on the other side were just waiting for a chance to escape their dark, eternal hell and put you there instead. When you walk into the Physick Estate, you won’t only be stepping into the past, you may be crossing a threshold from which there is no return. Afterwards, meet your evening’s performers over coffee and dessert in the Carriage House Tearoom & Café. Performances are offered on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8 at 6:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Admission is $25 for adults and $20 for children (ages 3-12).
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, MAC is transporting audiences to a time when the allegiances of Cape May’s residents were divided between Union and Confederate causes, to witness first-hand the war’s effect on a local family. Travel back to 1863 during Cape May in Blue & Gray offered on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. The drama begins on the trolley and finishes at the historic 1876 Chalfonte Hotel, 301 Howard St., where you’ll enjoy tea refreshments after the performance. Admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children (ages 3-12).
Discover the fun and follies of Cape May’s history on the Cape May Unzipped Trolley Ride. The story of America’s first seaside resort may seem to be a tale of stately hotels, visiting dignitaries and noble rebirth from the ashes of fires and neglect. On this trolley ride into our shore town’s checkered past, you’ll hear the rest of the story, one that is sometimes shocking, often funny and ultimately very human. Tours are offered on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 2:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. and on Sunday, Oct. 9 at
2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children (ages 3-12).
On Sunday, Oct. 9, the Victorian Weekend Crafts & Antiques Show sets up on the lawn of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St. Crafters and antiques dealers from throughout the region will display and sell their unique and hand-made wares from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
Celebrate the fall season at the Scarecrow Workshop on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., on Saturday, Oct. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Gather your friends, family and coworkers and visit the Emlen Physick Estate where you and your team can receive straw and stakes to create a scarecrow for the Estate’s Scarecrow Alley, a highlight of the Estate’s Halloween decorations. All creations will be entered into the Scarecrow Alley competition. Registration is required. Please call 609-884-5404 ext. 111 to register. Rain date is Sunday, Oct. 9.
Did you know there was once a “South Cape May?” On Saturday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Advent, Washington and Franklin streets, co-authors of “Remembering South Cape May: The Jersey Shore Town That Vanished Into the Sea,” Robert Kenselaar and Joseph Bucher will present a free lecture. Kenselaar is the guest curator of this new exhibit at the Carriage House Gallery that examines the rise and fall of the community that once stood west of Cape May’s beachfront on land that today is the Nature Conservancy’s Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge. In its heyday, the town of South Cape May had more than 40 homes and hundreds of summer residents. The exhibit in the Carriage House Gallery located on the grounds of the Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., is open daily through November 6. Admission is free. This exhibition was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
Attend world-class theater productions in Cape May with Cape May Stage and East Lynne Theater Company.
Cape May Stage presents “The Woolgatherer” on Friday, Oct. 7, Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. Rose, a shy cashier prone to daydreaming, and Cliff, a rough-edge trucker with a solitary life, are an unlikely couple both looking for love in a world gone mad. Despite their mutual fear of commitment, these two lonely souls are drawn to each other and somehow manage to find comfort in each others’ uniqueness. Can a candy counter girl and foul-mouthed truck driver find love in South Philly? Funny and poignant, this gripping play answers the question with humor, humanity, and just a touch of crazy.
Performances take place at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse, corner of Bank & Lafayette streets. General admission is $35, $30 for seniors (62+) and $15 for students.
East Lynne Theater Company presents “Dulcy” on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Dulcy is a comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winners George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly. In trying to help her husband, Dulcy alienates his boss and complicates matters with her other weekend guests. The original 1921 production not only established the reputations of Kaufman and Connelly but made a star of Lynn Fontanne who played Dulcy. Performances take place at the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St. General admission is $30, $25 for seniors, $15 for students and ages 12 and under are free.
The Cape May Film Society presents “Tospy-Turvy” on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. In this zany 1999 comedy set during the Victorian Era, Gilbert and Sullivan threaten to disband after their latest play is critically panned—that is until the two are inspired to write the masterpiece “The Mikado.” Location TBA. Tickets are $10.
Cape May’s Victorian Weekend is sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org. For information about restaurants, accommodations and shopping, call the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May at 609-884-5508.
