One more Sunday on the bay, and then The Dock goes quiet for the year. Rod ’N’ Reel Resort will close out the summer at its waterfront outdoor restaurant and bar with “Sailors Goodbye,” a nautical-themed season finale set for Sunday, Oct. 11, at the resort at 4165 Mears Ave. in Calvert County.
According to a media advisory from the resort’s public relations firm, Maroon PR, the celebration is meant to give guests a final chance to enjoy The Dock before it shuts for the season. Organizers say admission is free and are encouraging visitors to dress in their best nautical gear.
The advisory lists live music by Ryan Forester, beer and wine vendors, nautical-themed games and activities, limited-edition themed merchandise and a special Sailors Goodbye menu, along with waterfront dining and drink specials. The advisory gives the event time as 1 to 5 p.m.; an accompanying note from the firm describes the event as running 1 to 9 p.m., with live music and activities from 1 to 5 p.m. The resort’s website lists The Dock’s regular Thursday-through-Sunday hours as noon to 8:30 p.m. for the restaurant and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the bar, so guests planning an evening visit may want to confirm closing time with the resort.
The Dock is one of five dining concepts at the family-owned resort, which also includes the signature Rod ’N’ Reel Restaurant, 1936 Bar & Grill, CBQ and Otto’s Brew Bar, according to the Chronicle’s earlier report on the property’s multi-phase renovation. The resort, established in 1946 as a restaurant, marina and charter fishing operation, marked its 80th anniversary this year, and the weekend finale caps a season built around outdoor entertainment.
That season included the Rock the Dock concert series, which launched in late spring with tribute acts at the waterfront Bandshell and was scheduled to continue through October. Sailors Goodbye is separate from that ticketed lineup and is centered on The Dock itself.
The send-off also arrives as the resort has stayed in the local news beyond the summer. In September it was named a preferred partner for members of The Cannon Club in Lothian, a deal the Chronicle covered in Rod ’N’ Reel Named Preferred Resort for Cannon Club. Resort leaders have also said they plan to add event space, guest rooms and a waterfront atrium, which suggests the property is positioning itself for a longer, year-round calendar even as The Dock winds down.
