October 8 - 12, 2025
58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Title Sponsor
Wednesday, October 8 - Sunday, October 12, 2025
The annual Autumn Glory Festival is a five-day celebration of autumn that celebrates the beauty of the local fall foliage. Additional information about the 2025 festivities will be added as we get closer to the event.
The Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area, a program of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, will once again offer their annual Turkey Trail, sponsored by NeuBeam Internet, which celebrates the event’s roots by promoting area turkey dinners served in our region. The Heritage Area will also have two new Fall Foliage Driving Tours highlighting some of the area’s most scenic spots to view our stunning Autumn leaves.
The Town of Oakland and the Greater Oakland Business Association will host the annual Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, sponsored by First United Bank & Trust, on Saturday, October 11, 2025.
Garrett County’s annual Autumn Glory Festival landed in the international spotlight in 2007, when the popular travel website, MSN.com listed it tops among fall festivals in the world. In 2021, Travel & Leisure listed Oakland as one of the Best Small Towns in the U.S. to See Fall Foliage which led to a segment featuring Oakland and Autumn Glory on the Today show. Good Housekeeping has listed our Oakland, MD among the Top 50 Small Towns with the Best Fall Foliage; Travel & Leisure listed Oakland, MD as the number 2 Best Town for Fall Colors in America; and TripAdvisor selected Oakland, MD as one of 20 Best Fall Vacations in America for Seeing Autumn Foliage. Oakland was also selected by U.S. News and World Report as one of 50 Small Towns Across America with Gorgeous Fall Foliage and Readers Digest listed Garrett County as one of the 11 Road Trips That Showcase Stunning Fall Foliage You Need to Take This Autumn.
Advertise in the Official 2025 Autumn Glory Brochure
Do you host an Autumn Glory event? Promote it in the official 58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Brochure!
8,000 Autumn Glory brochures will be printed and made available in racks around Garrett County, at the Visitors Center in McHenry, at the Youghiogheny Overlook Welcome Center along Interstate 68, at Chamber member businesses, distribution centers, via visitor request and more. Along with the ability to advertise your Autumn Glory event with a listing in our brochure, you can also purchase display advertising in the brochure.
To purchase a listing or a display ad in the brochure, please complete the Autumn Glory Brochure Listing Form and return it, with payment, by Thursday, May 29, 2025. Completed forms can be emailed to sarah@garrettchamber.com, faxed to 301.334.8073 or mailed to Garrett County Chamber of Commerce 15 Visitors Center Drive McHenry, MD 21541.
Please email sarah@garrettchamber.com with any questions.
Team One GMC is the title sponsor of the 58th annual Autumn Glory Festival.
Grand Feature Parade - Saturday, October 11, 2025
The Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, presented by the Town of Oakland and the Greater Oakland Business Association, will be held Saturday, October 11, 2025. Visitors gather to view regional bands, local professional and amateur floats, dance teams and dignitaries. The parade begins at 1 pm in downtown Oakland on Omar Street and runs down the length of 2nd Street, rounding Alder Street and then ending on 3rd Street near Fox's Pizza Den. Concessions are available on Green Street located across from Naylor's Hardware.
The Town of Oakland and the Greater Oakland Business Association are currently accepting applications for the 58th Annual Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, sponsored by First United Bank & Trust, at 1 pm on Saturday, October 11, 2025 in downtown Oakland. Register for the parade here.
If you have any questions about the parade, please email jbyngforgrave@oaklandmd.gov
2024 Autumn Glory Parade Sponsors
2024 Fall Foliage Driving Tours
There is no better way to enjoy Autumn Glory than to travel our scenic byways and take in some of our beautiful historic spots and vistas throughout the county. Our two Fall Foliage routes provide participants with a guided-tour featuring some of our most stunning vistas and fabulous historic sites. Keep the camera handy and enjoy!
2024 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend the Kick-Off Reception & Dinner, sponsored by Garrett Regional Medical Center, a proud partner of WVU Medicine, for the 58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. Meet Autumn Glory King Shane Sisler and Queen Ava Witt during the Cocktail Hour (sponsored by Budget Charters, Inc., Clear Mountain Bank, and Silver Tree Marine, LLC) and bid on the one-of-a-kind canvas during the auction for the official Autumn Glory Photo (sponsored by M&T Bank). Congratulate the winner of the 2025 Golden Ambassador Award, sponsored by The Garrett County Republican and Morin Aviation, LLC. Fall-themed centerpieces and decorations are sponsored by Middletown Valley Bank and Mlend. Following the dinner and program stick around for dancing courtesy of Dinner Entertainment sponsor Usource. The location of the Kick-Off Reception and Dinner is the McHenry Lodge at Wisp Resort.
Silver Sponsors
- - Deep Creek Docks, Inc.
- - First Peoples Community Federal Credit Union
- - The Rodeheaver Group, P.C.
- - Taylor-Made Deep Creek Sales
- - Unique Decor
Bronze Sponsors
- - Deep Creek Spa & Billiards
2025 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner Sponsors
2025 Official Autumn Glory Photo and Auction
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce produces an official Autumn Glory Festival brochure that includes events around Garrett County. Each year a photo is chosen that represents Garrett County, Maryland’s natural beauty and focuses on an autumn theme featuring fall foliage/colors.
The photo from this year's Autumn Glory brochure cover will be blown up to 20" x 30" and printed on gallery-wrapped canvas. Attendees of the Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 will have the opportunity to commemorate the 58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival by bidding on this canvas to display in their own home or office. Only one canvas is available, though all Kick-Off Reception & Dinner attendees will receive a commemorative gift bag featuring the photo on a magnet and a postcard.
All auction proceeds are allocated toward tuition assistance for 2025 Autumn Glory King Shane Sisler and Queen Ava Witt.
58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Photo Sponsors
58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival King & Queen Announced
The 2025 Autumn Glory Royalty has been selected for the 58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival. This year’s King is Shane Sisler and the Queen is Avary Witt. Team One GMC is the title sponsor of the 58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival.
Shane Sisler is honored to represent Garrett County as the 2025–2026 Autumn Glory King. A proud sixth-generation Garrett Countian, Shane is a senior at Southern Garrett High School, where he serves as captain of the soccer, wrestling, and tennis teams. He loves to snowboard and golf. His leadership extends beyond athletics—he is a member of the National Honor Society, an FCA huddle leader, a dedicated leader at 4-H Camp Algawa in Swanton, and will attend Md Boys State this summer. Shane would like to thank his family, friends, and all of Garrett County for this opportunity.
Ava Witt loves beautiful Garrett County and is proud to say that she has lived here her whole life. She is a captain of the Southern volleyball team and a member of the varsity softball team. In volleyball, she was chosen as Best Offensive Player during her junior year. She currently serves as the class secretary and has held this position since her freshman year of high school. During her sophomore year, she was awarded RAM (Random Acts of Maturity) Student of the Month for September. She has also received the Distinguished Honor Roll and Minds in Motion Scholar-Athlete Award numerous times throughout her high school career. She has recently been inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS) at Southern Garrett High School. She volunteers with the Southern Garrett volleyball youth clinics, the Southern Garrett Athletic Association food booth, Oakland Lions Club events, Faith Church’s sports camp, and Broadford Elementary’s fall festival. After high school, Ava plans to attend West Virginia University to major in pre-medicine while receiving her bachelor's degree. After she completes her four-year degree, she would like to attend medical school to become a family doctor, and one day she hopes to open her own practice back in her home town, Garrett County. Ava has attended every Autumn Glory parade since birth, and is extremely excited for this honor to represent Garrett County as Autumn Glory Queen this year.
The Autumn Glory King & Queen will preside over the Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner to be held on Wednesday, October 8, and they will be featured in the Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, presented by the Town of Oakland and the Greater Oakland Business Association, on Saturday, October 11. Besides having the honor of representing their home county during the Autumn Glory Festival and at various other events throughout the summer and fall, the Royalty will receive a monetary contribution towards future educational attainment endeavors.
The 58th Annual Autumn Glory Royalty sponsors are Advanced HVAC & Plumbing; Byco Enterprises, Inc.; Healy Insurance Group, Inc.; LakeFront Lodge; Railey Realty; and WEPCO Federal Credit Union.
2025 Autumn Glory Royalty Sponsors
2025 Autumn Glory Golden Ambassador
The Golden Ambassador is announced at the Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner. The title of "Golden Ambassador" is awarded by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce to a person who has contributed to and supported tourism in Garrett County. The Golden Ambassador is selected by a committee of former Golden Ambassador winners. Only Chamber members may nominate fellow Chamber members for this prestigious title.
If you are interested in nominating someone for this distinction, please complete the 2025 Golden Ambassador Nomination Form. Please submit your completed nomination form to Sarah Duck by email at sarah@garrettchamber.com, fax at 301.334.8073 or mail, or drop off, your completed nomination to the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce located at 15 Visitors Center Drive McHenry, MD 21541 by 5 pm on Friday, September 5, 2025.
For the purposes of this award only, Chamber members shall mean owners, employees and volunteers of a Garrett County Chamber member organization. Only one nomination form is required per nominee; multiple nomination forms for an individual will only be used for additional information about the individual but do not count as multiple nominations. The winner of Golden Ambassador title will be announced at the 2025 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner held on Wednesday, October 8, 2025. The 2025 Golden Ambassador Sponsor is The Garrett County Republican.
2025 Golden Ambassador Sponsors
Morin Aviation
2024 Autumn Glory Festival Turkey Trail
Celebrate the Autumn Glory Festival with a taste of local tradition. More than a decade before the Autumn Glory Festival became an annual event, a group of turkey growers organized and promoted community turkey dinners. “The turkey dinners were an on again-off again event until the Lions Club became involved in the 1960s,” said local historian John Grant. However, the idea of a large festival to attract visitors to the area remained popular and led to the start of the Autumn Glory Festival. Today, more than 50 years later, turkey dinners are still a favorite tradition of the festival celebration.
The Turkey Trail is an easy-to-use tool for visitors and residents to locate our county-wide dinners served at restaurants, churches, grocery stores and other organizations. The Turkey Trail flyer contains a map, contact information, hours of operation, cost and the delicious items that are included with each dinner. Turkey dinners around the area offer a variation of turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, vegetable, rolls and dessert. (Check flyer for specific offerings at each location). Click here to download the official 2024 Turkey Trail! Printed copies of the Turkey Trail flyer are also available at the Garrett County Visitors Center in McHenry.
Visit garrettheritage.com for more information.
58th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Turkey Trail Sponsors
