+ by Dylan Roche + photos by Mike B Photography
“That’d be a hell of a place for a party.”
These words flew out of Dick Franyo’s mouth as he stood on the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s property and looked out onto the beach below. According to Taryn Dwan, the foundation’s director of stewardship and events, that moment was the catalyst for one of the biggest entertainment traditions in Annapolis, not to mention a major fundraiser for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s environmental mission.
Franyo—a longtime advocate and volunteer, who also owns Boatyard Bar & Grill—had the idea for a laid-back beach party where guests could listen to live music. “Then, slowly and surely, an awesome group of longtime supporters got together and started putting this event together,” says Dwan. Thus, Bands in the Sand came to life.
The annual beach music party that turned 20 years old this summer has raised more than six million dollars for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. It has drawn high-profile performers and headline acts, as well as attendees from across the Mid-Atlantic region. The event is a combination of live music, local food, waterfront scenery, and environmental stewardship.
But at its heart it’s what it has always been: a party. “It was definitely much smaller in the beginning. It was truly a backyard beach party, which is something we strive to make sure we can hang onto as the event has grown dramatically over the last two decades,” says Dwan.
The production quality is professional, with all the stages and sound and lighting one would expect from a major music festival. The difference is that on the sandy beaches along the bay some partygoers anchor up on their boats or glide by on paddleboards.
The event has gained a cherished reputation, which has made it possible for a nonprofit like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to secure headliners, including the Bacon Brothers, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, G. Love, Sister Hazel, and The Wailers, although the emphasis on local bands is not lost. As such, the event has featured Maryland-based Misspent Youth, who’ve closed out the night for all but one year over the past decade.
The culinary aspect of the party has also gained traction with Boatyard Bar & Grill, Timber Pizza, Caliente Grill, and The Bell House, each one having served food at the twentieth anniversary event. Dwan points out that providing plant-based or vegan versions of all the food served is always a priority, and there have even been thoughtful ways of tying the menu into the party’s environmental mission. “The last two years, we changed our fish sandwich to be a catfish sandwich so we can talk about getting catfish out of the local waterways. And one of the best ways to do that is to get it out of the water, fry it up, and eat it,” she says.
The music and food might be what draws the crowd, but there are deeper aspects that unite the partygoers: community and love for the waterways. “Supporting the Chesapeake Bay Foundation is always the top priority,” says Dwan. “It’s not the music. It’s not the food.”
This explains why everyone involved is dedicated to going above and beyond even when surprises arise, as they did back in 2018 when a generator ran out of fuel, leaving part of the event without power. Dwan remembers stressing and sweating as she and others rewired and replugged everything to a new generator, even as the performers and the audience kept the party going.
“Everybody was holding up their flashlights from their phones and singing acoustic without any sound,” she recalls. “If you ask people now who were at that event, they say, ‘Well, that was one of the coolest parts—the power went out and we were still up there singing and dancing. Nobody skipped a beat.’ I think that’s a testament to the people. People are there to have fun and enjoy themselves.” (She emphasizes that Bands in the Sand has since come up with a contingency plan to make sure generators don’t run out of fuel, even though it doesn’t sound as if attendees mind if they do.)
Franyo, the original visionary, continues to be part of Bands in the Sand, someone Dwan describes as “a true bay champion” who has given 30 years of service to the foundation. As part of the twentieth installment of the event he conceived, Chesapeake Bay Foundation named its beach in his honor. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s beach is now known as Franyo Beach.
This opportunity to recognize the event’s founder marked a special part of Bands in the Sand 2026. It celebrated how far the event has come over the past two decades, while reminding everyone of the vision that started it all. Twenty years, countless music artists, Chesapeake-inspired cuisine, and six million dollars raised for environmental efforts make up an impressive legacy.
But also, it’s worth remembering that two decades on, the beach is still a hell of a place to have a party. █
For more information, visit cbf.org/bands-in-the-sand.
