Starts: Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Location: VIMS Campus, Gloucester Point, VA
Event URL: http://www.vims.edu/public/msd/index.php
VIMS’ annual open house is a fun-filled event for the whole family.
Join us in Gloucester Point , VA for exhibits, children’s activities, seining on the York River, lab tours, seafood cooking demonstrations, mini-lectures, and much more. All activities are free, as is parking. The event proceeds rain or shine.
This Saturday, May 30, 2009 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester, VA, rain or shine. Hands-on learning experiences for children, collecting and observing aquatic animals from the York River, a Scallop Discovery Lab and creating sea life prints and educational crafts. Local groups and individuals march in the Parade of Marine Life at 11 a.m. Seafood demonstrations, tours of the Teaching Marsh and shellfish hatchery. No admission or parking fees. www.vims.edu or 804 684-7846.
Chartered in 1940, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) is one of the leading marine research and education centers in the United States.VIMS’ School of Marine Science is a graduate school of the College of William & Mary.
Here is a short video of a previous open house at VIMS
Location Map of VIMS in Gloucester , VA
For over fifty-nine years, the Garden Club of Gloucester VA, has held its annual Daffodil Show. This show is something you won’t want to miss, as people come from all over to enter their horticultural, artistic and photographic entries in the show. 
This year’s show will be held at Page Middle School in Gloucester.
There will be a dazzling array of daffodil specimens. An astounding 1800 blooms were entered in last year’s horticultural division show, making it one of the largest shows in the United States. There are very few places that you can go to view so many exquisite varieties of daffodils in one place. The Garden Club of 
Gloucester show is an accredited American Daffodil Society show and one of the best shows anywhere. “Daffodils aren’t just yellow anymore,” so enjoy the show.
In addition to vendors, art displays, a parade and food, daffodil gardens will be on display. The grassy island near the center of town where the statue of Pocahontas stands will be planted with this year’s theme garden.
The most extensive gardens will be at Brett and Becky’s (7900 Daffodil Lane), just outside the village; shuttles will run there throughout the event. Click here for detailed information on the Festival
Brent Heath and his wife, Becky, continue the business launched nearly a 
century ago by Brent’s Grandfather, Charles Heath . Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, and the Heaths’ fields are one of the most popular destinations of the festival.
History of Daffodils in the Gloucester Area
The first person who recognized the value of growing daffodils in Gloucester was Eleanor Linthicum Smith, who in the late 1800s hired children to 
pick the wildflowers for 10 cents per 100. She shipped them to Baltimore, MD, where they were distributed to florists. Other entrepreneurs got into the act, planting bulbs each year wherever there was an available piece of land. Sales of Tidewater-grown flowers expanded up and down the East Coast.
Prominent names in the Gloucester VA daffodil industry in the 50’s included the Clements, Emorys, ,Heaths, Hicks, Hammers and Hopkins.
Businesses included River’s Edge Flower Farm, the Daffodil Mart, the C.H. Hammer Nursery, M & G Transportation, and R.L. Mickelborough and Sons of Mathews. Their businesses were vital to the people of Gloucester, VA, who relied on them for employment. As a by-product daffodils continued to grow and permeate the countryside, adding to the natural beauty of the area.
In 1938, approximately 120,000 daffodils a day were shipped to markets from approximately 30 local farms in the Gloucester and Mathews VA area.
In the early 1960’s it was reported that Gloucester and Mathews Counties were still the principle centers of daffodil culture in the U.S., with more than 24 million daffodils being shipped out each spring.
The first “Narcissus Tour” in Gloucester , VA. was held March 18 – April 9, 1938. It was estimated that 3,000 people took the tour and came from the states and cities of New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Maryland, Boston, Cleveland and Detroit.
Read more about the History of Daffodil Growing in Gloucester VA here
The Gloucester and Mathews area’s of Virginia aren’t limited solely to gardeners. With 214 miles of shoreline in a county with a mere 87 square miles 
of land mass, Gloucester boasts so many creeks and tributaries and riverfront — not to mention Chesapeake Bay Frontage — that no part of it is ever more than a 15- or 20-minute drive from water. The importance of water to both counties is evident in the number of marinas, fishing boats and recreation opportunities that make up the bulk of the tourism scene.
On October 18 – 19 2008, forces of the Crown, along with the forces of General Washington and his Allies will return to Gloucester, Virginia to commemorate the Battle of the Hook, and the American Revolution. The event is being sponsored by the County of Gloucester, VA. which has committed significant funds and personnel to sponsoring this event.
This historic battle will be brought to life by Revolutionary War reenactors and living historians on the property of the Inn at Warner Hall in Gloucester, VA. Recreated military units from across the country will encamp near the actual battlefields where the American Revolution was won after six long years of fighting. Participating in this event will be units from The Continental Line, The British Brigade and the Brigade of the American Revolution.
We invite you to take a walk back in time to a pivotal moment in the history of Gloucester County, Virginia and indeed the United States of America.
Many are familiar with the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia but few are aware of the struggle to control Gloucester, VA and the battle that took place in
Gloucester County, Virginia. This engagement, known as the Battle of the Hook, and the other actions in Gloucester , VAwithout a doubt contributed to the
Allies’ victory at Yorktown.
The primary objectives of Victory at Gloucester, Virginia - The Battle of the Hook
are these:
* Educate – We invite you to learn from the re-enactors about the life and times of the people, both men and women, who helped
make this country a reality. Learn from a student a fresh perspective on what it means to be an American today. Learn from an actor
about the personal feelings of people who sacrificed much for their cause. Learn from an historian and an archeologist about the legacy
of Gloucester County, VA.
* Commemorate – We invite you to join in commemorating the lives and deeds of all the men and women, soldier and citizen alike,
regardless of country or color of uniform, who with sacrifice, bravery, and honor strived to fulfill their duty on that day of October 3, 1781.
* Celebrate – We invite you to pause and reflect on what binds us together. Let us celebrate the inheritance left to us by those who
fought so hard for liberty. Let us celebrate that all the combatants on that field in 1781 are today strong allies.
We have worked hard to make sure your day with us is all of the above and fun too! Now, get out there and meet the people, watch the
demonstrations, ask questions, enjoy the food, rest a while in the shade of trees that date back to the era, and HAVE A FUN DAY.
The Battle of the Hook Steering Committee
You find more info here or here
