Chicago Maritime Festival
The Chicago Maritime Festival is an international gathering to celebrate Chicago's maritime community. It is an event organized by the Chicago Maritime Society, the Chicago Historical Society, and Common Times.

In 2003, the first Chicago Maritime Festival produced the most diverse maritime program ever staged in Chicago. The festival drew over 1,000 people to its seminars, concerts, school programs, and shanty sing. Festival goers enjoyed over 30 seminars and workshops plus ship models, displays, and demonstrations presented by the individuals and organizations that make up the maritime community in Chicago as well as some presenters from across the country and across the sea.

Topics included underwater archeology, maritime history, weather forecasts, Pacific voyaging traditions, ecology, whales, maritime traditions of the Netherlands, maritime Civil War songs, knot tying, marine safety and more.

In 2004, the number of sponsors, presenters, and volunteers increased and the attendance for festival activities at the Chicago Historical Society and the Sunday shanty sing rose to over 1,300. The festival also launched an outreach program to area schools and libraries that presented programs to an additional 1,100 attendees. This program will be expanded in 2007. The Chicago Maritime Festival wishes to thank all the sponsors, presenters, performers, volunteers, and attendees who made the past festivals a success.

We are looking forward to having you aboard for the 2007 festival.

Chicago Maritime Society - www.chicagomaritimesociety.org
The Chicago Maritime Society’s mission is to preserve, increase and disseminate knowledge of the maritime history of the city of Chicago and its nautical surroundings; to collect, restore, interpret and display artifacts and documents of Chicago’s maritime history; to further awareness of the appreciation of our waterways as they have do contribute to our experience and progress.

Chicago History Museum - www.chicagohs.org

The Chicago History Museum collects, exhibits, and interprets documents, images, and artifacts related to the history of hte United States and metropolitan Chicago. Its mission is to expand audiences for history, to be a leader in history education, and to be a premier research institution. The newly renovated Chicago History Museum will open in September of 2006.

Common Times
Common Times is an organization dedicated to promote awareness and understanding of folk culture in the State of Illinois through a variety of avenues including the publication of a quarterly newsletter, a folk resource guide and the production of concert and festival events.