2021 Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival
The Milton Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the 2021 Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 19th, from 9am to 3pm in downtown Milton!
The Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival is a long-standing partnership between the Milton Chamber of Commerce, Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, and many other local non-profit organizations. The bulk of the festival takes place in downtown Milton and festivals of past have provided a shuttle bus to take attendees to Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge to further enjoy outdoor activities.
This year however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the entirety of the festival will take place in downtown Milton and the festival itself will serve as a fundraiser for the Friends of Prime Hook; a 501c3 volunteer organization whose primary purpose is to assist the Refuge staff in many areas, such as public awareness, education and maintenance.
The Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival was cancelled in 2020 due to concerns around the pandemic, however festival planners are happy to be bringing it back in 2021. Things will be different, of course, as we all still deal with COVID-19 related restrictions. The Chamber is glad though that the festival Health & Safety Plan has been approved by the DE Division of Public Health and is confident that everyone will abide by the health and safety regulations required
to host a safe, educational and fun event.
Highlights of the Health & Safety Plan include the requirement for mask wearing and social distancing inside the festival area. There will be hand sanitizer available to attendees throughout the event area and Entrance and Exit areas will be clearly marked. As with going anywhere these days, please stay home if you are experiencing a temperature above 99.4
degrees Fahrenheit, have any headache or respiratory sickness symptoms, or have had a known exposure to anyone with a positive COVID-19 test. The Chamber hopes that Milton citizens and visitors of all ages will come out to downtown Milton on Saturday, June 19th, for a day of playing, shopping, learning and eating! The Milton Memorial Park Playground is open once again! To avoid over-crowding in the park, festival activities and vendors will be located on the Milton Historical Society lot; a short walking distance from the Milton Playground. Many restaurants throughout town will be open and ready to serve with nature-related deals and drinks for you to enjoy.
Educational activities for the kids will include crafts and displays provided by Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge, the Dupont Nature Center, Brandywine Zoo, the University of Delaware-Delaware Sea Grant, Quest Kayaks, and more! Please note that participation of each of these organizations is subject to their own organization’s guidelines at the time of the event.
The Chamber realizes that there are still some people uncomfortable with attending a festival but who still may want to get out and enjoy the beautiful nature that is found all over southern Delaware. For this reason, the Milton Chamber, The Friends of Prime Hook, and the Dupont Nature Center are collaborating on a Virtual Scavenger Hunt that can be completed on your own time, at any time, and will take you to beautiful spots around our area for viewing nature;
some you’ll know, but some you will not! More details to follow!
For more information on the Horseshoe Crab & Shorebird Festival, contact the Chamber at (302) 684-1101, email us at chamber@historicmilton.com, or visit the festival website.
