Be A Sponsor For Candlelights On The Creek!

We are proud to announce the 4th annual Candlelights On The Creek New Year’s Eve celebration!

We are expecting sponsorships for this year’s event. Interested in taking part? Email sttwsmd@gmail.com

Sponsorship Levels

CAPTAIN Sponsor: $1000

  • Separate company banner displayed at event
  • Mention in all promotional radio and social media ads
  • Shoutouts at the event

FIRST MATE Sponsor: $500

  • Logo on event banner
  • Mention on all social media ads
  • Shoutouts at the event

DECK HAND Sponsor: $250

  • Logo on event banner
  • Mention on certain social media ads

Gearing Up To Set Sail! The 23-24 Fleet

Sailing Through The Winter Solstice 2023 – 2024

Our crew has been hard at work this summer gearing up to launch our 2023 – 2024 fleet to sail along Carroll Creek Linear Park. The boats will start their voyage on November 18th and sail through Frederick until March.

We have 28 boats taking part this year along with our 2 Landsharks, Heavens to Betsy, and The Holly Jolly Roger, which can be seen in front of Wine Kitchen following the Kris Kringle Parade through Downtown Frederick.

Starting Their First Voyage

Scholar Ship
– Sponsored By Frederick Community College
– Benefiting The FCC Foundation

Dancing Queen
– Sponsored By Vintage MC
– Benefiting Operation Paws For Homes

Mass Ascension
– Sponsored By Thompson Gas
– Benefiting

Where The Wild Things Are
– Sponsored By Middletown Valley Bank
– Benefiting COIPP

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever
– Sponsored By Stultz
– Benefiting SHIP


Returning This Year

Colleen’s Crew
– Sponsored by New Era Custom Design and Cabinet
– Benefiting Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Handel It
– Sponsored by KH Sales and Consulting
– Benefiting Frederick Children’s Chorus

No place like home
– Sponsored by Team Reeder at Long and Foster Real Estate
– Benefiting Frederick County Humane Society

SS Pinwheel
– Sponsored by Premier Choice Exteriors
– Benefiting Friends of the Child Advocacy Center

Kraken A Truth
– Sponsored by Flying Dog
– Benefiting SHIP

Lady Liberty
– Sponsored by Matan
– Benefiting Project Linus Frederick County Chapter

The Black Pearl
– Sponsored by Oldetowne Landscape Architects
– Benefiting Downtown Partnership

The Ribbon Cutter
– Sponsored by Morgan Keller Construction
– Benefiting City Youth Matrix

The Arctic Racer
– Sponsored by Ausherman Family Foundation
– Benefiting Ausherman Family Foundation

S.S. Andrew Lee
– Sponsored by Driven to Cure
– Benefiting Driven to Cure

The VASA
– Sponsored by Truist
– Benefiting Frederick Mission and Faith House

Starry Night
– Sponsored by Frederick Primary Care
– Benefiting Heartly House and Steadfast

USS Frederick Towne
– Sponsored by High Caliber Home Inspections
– Benefiting Key City Rotary

Carroll Creek Clipper
– Sponsored by Carroll Creek Rotary
– Benefiting SOAR Frederick

The Snallygaster and Twins
– Sponsored by Landscape Services, Inc.
– Benefiting Foxie G Foundation

Spirit of Apprentice
– Sponsored by Dynamic Automotive
– Benefiting Christmas Cash for Kids

Ally Cat
– Sponsored by Embrace Home Loans
– Benefiting Steadfast

USS Hood
– Sponsored by Hood College
– Benefiting Hood College SHIP scholarship

Zodiac
– Sponsored by Monocacy Equine
– Benefiting Days End Horse Rescue

SS Greater Good
– Sponsored by Delaplaine Arts Center
– Benefiting Delaplaine Arts Center

Hometown Heros
– Sponsored by Stauffer Funeral Homes
– Benefiting What would Stew Dew Fund

SEVA
– Sponsored by Yogamour
– Benefiting Women’s Giving Circle of Frederick County

Behind The Scenes of Creating Sailing Though The Winter Solstice 2023 – 2024

While the new additions to the creek are under construction, our returning boats always need work. Whether it’s touch-ups, revamping, or a complete redesign!

Starry Night Sailing Through The Winter Solstice
Building new boats for Carroll Creek
Working on the SS Andrew and Bruce Lee for Carroll Creek

Candlelights on the Creek

A visual event Presented by Sailing Through the Winter Solstice.
Participants will float luminaries down the creek- meant to inspire remembrance, good fortune, and renewed hope, and joy.
Come down and welcome in 2022 with family and friends.

 

Spring Clean Up and Tropical Planting

Perennial and Spring Clean Up. Here we go again! A call to arms. . .ask not what Frederick can do for you. . . but what you can do for Color On The Creek!

Its time for spring clean up…. the warmer weather has forced us to move the schedule around a bit. The perennial planting and spring clean up is now scheduled for Saturday April 8th from 9 to noon. As always this is rain, shine or snow.. .we will need lots of creek rats and land crew to support them. The water level will be lowered again to facilitate removal of the muskrat caps and fertilization of the pots.

We have lots of waders but those with their own are encouraged to bring them along. Dress warm and in layers as April is a difficult month to judge. Please let us know if you can help and if you’re a likely “creek rat” or land volunteer.

Tropical Planting. The Tropical planting will be held on Saturday May 6th from 9 to noon rain or shine. We will plant over 230 tropical lilies, bog and lotus plants. We will need lots of creek rats as well as land crew to support them. Please let us know if you can help and if you’re a likely “creek rat” or land volunteer. As always we will meet at the suspension bridge in front of the wine kitchen.

The garden will be spectacular this year ….be a part of it!

Schedule Of Events

  • Saturday, April 8. 9 a.m – Noon; Perennial and spring clean up
  • Saturday, May 6. 9 a.m – Noon; Tropical planting
  • Saturday, August 12. 6 pm – 11 pm; Festival at Carroll Creek amphitheater.
  • Nov 18th through Fire and Ice (Feb 10th); Sailing Through the Winter Solstice will run

 

Something beautiful is about to happen!

Something beautiful is about to happen! Color On The Creek is going four seasons with Sailing through the Winter Solstice by Color on the Creek.

Beginning this December, after an inaugural appearance in the Kris Kringle Parade on December 9th, Color on the Creek will introduce an initial “test boat” to be moored in Carroll Creek just west of the suspension bridge… hopefully in years to come she will be joined by many others as our flotilla is formed. The plan is to have small flat bottomed 5 to 12 foot Jon boats transformed into beautiful old world sailboats. Imagine eventually having 15 or 20 boats stretching from Court Street to the Iron bridge, including gaff-rigged ketches, yawls, three-masted schooners and pirate ships, moored with their sail outlines, rigging and decks lit up from dusk till dawn. If you can’t imagine it make sure to come by and take a look at year one. . . and then imagine what it will look like in years to come as the flotilla grows!

All proceeds raised will flow to Color On The Creek and other participating Frederick County based charities. The event will run from the second week of December through the New Year’s Eve celebration.

Fall Maintenance for Color on the Creek

It has been a great season for the Water Garden but the final golden rays of fall are fading ……it is time to put it to bed.

We will perform fall maintenance on the Color On The Creek water-garden section between Court Street and Carroll Street on Saturday Nov 5th from 9 AM to Noon.

We will again remove surface vegetation to improve the appearance of the creek over the coming winter months but also to improve water quality long term. The improved water clarity we saw this summer is mostly attributable to lessening algal concentrations resulting from the cooler water and sunlight deprivation the shading plants produced but diminished nutrients available to the algae may have contributed as well. Removing the dying vegetation during the summer and each fall will prevent that vegetation from contributing to the algal food supply.

The City of Frederick will lower the water level in the creek several feet to expose the top of all our pots which will greatly facilitate harvesting of the plant material. With the lower water levels both hip and chest waders will suffice for in-creek workers “a.k.a. water rats.”

As we have over the past several years, we will also place temporary metal grids on of top all the lotus pots to protect the protein rich lotus tubers from marauding muskrats.

What to bring and how to dress.

  • We will do our work rain, snow or shine so dress in layers for all possibilities.
  • We have lots of long- sleeve waterproof gloves for all in-creek and land volunteers.
  • We have many sets of waders, all of which provide great protection however some may not be entirely waterproof (cell phones should be left on shore)
  • If you have brooms, rakes and cutting instruments (machetes, hand pruning saws and gas powered trimmers are most helpful) please bring them.
  • If you have or know someone with a large float, Jon boat (sans motor) that would be great as well.

Thanks to the City of Frederick staff and all of you for your