Ashantilly participated in Art in the Park during the annual Blessing of the Fleet. Lots of visitors to our tent printed on the small Kelsey press. Our T-Shirts were a hit, as well as the large selection of books on the history of our area.
Bill Haynes, Ashantilly’s founder, helped start the Blessing of the Fleet. The hand carved wood engraving on the left is from the late 1960’s. There are a limited number of broadsides with this image for sale at Ashantilly.
The Blessing of the Fleet is an annual festival that pays homage to Darien’s thriving shrimping industry. The highlight of the weekend event was on Sunday when we give our sincere blessings on the shrimp boat captains, wishing them a safe and prosperous season.