Adonis Puentes & the Voice of Cuba Orchestra 
Joanne Guilfoil
Ocean City is one of the mid-Atlantic’s signature summer vacation destinations, with a major annual impact on Maryland’s tourism economy and workforce. Located on the city’s famed boardwalk, Trimper’s Rides and Amusement Park is a cherished institution, drawing visitors old and new each year to enjoy its classic rides–a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, and a carousel featuring a menagerie of animals. Many of these are maintained through the love and dedication of local artist, author, and illustrator Joanne Guilfoil.
Founded in 1893 by Daniel and Margaret Trimper, Trimper’s is the oldest family-owned amusement park in the United States and a landmark in Ocean City, along the state’s historic Eastern Shore. Recognized in 2016 by the Maryland State Arts Council with a Maryland Heritage Award, today Trimper’s is operated by the fifth generation of the Trimper family.
Joanne Guilfoil’s artwork is heavily influenced by life along the Delmarva Peninsula. Originally from Westchester County, New York, Guilfoil moved to Potomac, Maryland, for high school. She quickly fell in love with the Eastern Shore. Often sick as a child, Guilfoil saw art as her outlet. She was trained first as an artist then as an art teacher, working with all ages. Her publications include textbooks on environmental design and field-guide paintings of mid-Atlantic fish and reptiles in gouache and acrylic.
Local to Delmarva, and an active member of the Art League of Ocean City, Guilfoil began to notice damage and weathering to one of Trimper’s historic pieces, an early-20th-century ticket booth considered an Art Nouveau masterpiece. She approached the Trimper family and asked them to let her fix it for free, an offer they gladly accepted. Trimper’s bought the paint, while Guilfoil donated her time as community service in the name of the Art League. It took only a month for Guilfoil to restore the piece. From that breakthrough moment, she entered into an agreement with Trimper’s to continue to restore other pieces throughout the park.
Guilfoil is carrying on a legacy of artistic contributions to Trimper’s that began in 1970, when Maria Schlick and her brother, John Bilous, began working together to create and restore artwork throughout the amusement park. After John passed in 2009, Maria continued on her own. Over 50 years later, Maria still works at Trimper’s, delighting guests with imagery that enhances the unique experience of Trimper’s Rides and Amusement Park.
Guilfoil will demonstrate her skills as an artist turned historic amusement park restorer by working on two Trimper’s children’s carousel horses during the festival weekend.
Additional information:
The History of Trimper’s Rides
“Local artist restores historic ticket booth at Trimper’s Rides”
