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57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival

October 9 - 13, 2024

Thank you to everyone who attended the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival.
Please save the date for our 57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival October 9 - 13, 2024.
More details will be added as we get closer to the event.

56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Title Sponsor

a sign on a poleWednesday, October 11 - Sunday, October 15, 2023
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 2023 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 the Garrett County Republican, 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 14, 2023

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 American 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.​


View Our Official 2023 Autumn Glory Brochure

Want all the details on what's happening during the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival, sponsored by TeamOne GMC? Download our official brochure which features a detailed listing of Autumn Glory Festival happenings from October 11 - 15, 2023. The brochure includes information on the 2023 Grand Feature Parade, Tournament of the Bands, the Official Maryland State Banjo, Mandolin & Fiddle Championships, Oakland's Autumn Glory Carnival, Heritage Fall Foliage Driving Tours, Turkey Trail Dinners, Royalty Court, Car Show, Autumn Glory Sales, Corn Maze, Farmers Markets, Craft Shows, Antique Shows and more.

Team One GMC is the title sponsor of the 56th annual Autumn Glory Festival.

Grand Feature Parade - Saturday, October 14, 2023

The Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, presented by the Town of Oakland and the Greater Oakland Business Association, will be held Saturday, October 14, 2023 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 56th Annual Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, sponsored by First United Bank & Trust, at 1 pm on Saturday, October 14, 2023 in downtown Oakland. Register for the parade here.

If you have any questions about the parade, please contact the Town of Oakland or email autumngloryparade@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

2023 Grand Feature Parade Road Closings

Please note: several Oakland roads will be closed before and during the 56th Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, which begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 14, 2023.

Garrett Highway/Third Street/Rt 219 will be completely closed to traffic from North 4th Street to Oak Street at 9:30 a.m. Second Street from Omar Street to Alder Street, will also be closed to all vehicles at 9:30 a.m. Traffic traveling north and south through Oakland will be directed to detour via Fourth Street until approximately 30 minutes after the parade ends. Center Street will remain open until 12:45 p.m. and will be closed until approximately 30 minutes after the parade ends. Oak Street will remain open for east/west travel.

Memorial Drive also will be closed to through traffic between Fourth and Eighth Street. No one will be able to turn onto Fourth Street from Memorial Drive. Barricades and police officers will prevent access onto Memorial Drive from Fourth to Eighth streets. Emergency vehicles should use Kings Run or Eighth Street to Memorial Drive for hospital access.

Parking along the parade route, which includes parts of Second, Third, Alder and Omar streets, is prohibited prior to and during the parade. Business owners or employees should stop by in advance to obtain a pass to gain access inside the parade route. This includes the handicapped parking at the Masonic Lodge on First Street. Parade passes are only valid until 12pm. Any vehicles arriving after 12pm will not be granted access to the parade route.

Thirty minutes after the last parade entry completes the parade route north of Lake Street, the streets will reopen as normal.

Parking along the parade route, which includes parts of Second, Third and Alder streets, is prohibited prior to and during the parade. Business owners or employees should contact Oakland City Hall at 301.334.2691, Oakland Police Department at 301.334.2100 or the Chamber of Commerce at 301.387.4386 in advance to obtain a pass to gain access inside the parade route, this includes the handicapped parking at the Masonic Lodge on First Street. Garrett County Deputies, Maryland State Troopers and State Highway employees will be assisting the Oakland Police Department with traffic control during the Autumn Glory parade. Oakland Police Chief Bill Thomas encourages anyone coming to the festival and parade to come early to find a good parking space and enjoy the food and entertainment.

Free parking will be available in the town parking lot at the end of Second Street across the railroad tracks. For questions or concerns please free to contact Chief Thomas at Oakland Police Department or Oakland City Hall between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Additionally, The Garrett Transit service will provide a shuttle service circulating between Downtown Oakland and out of town parking. The designated route provides parking at Walmart with drop off near Walgreens and an additional location south of Oakland (determined at a later date) with drop off near the town parking lot. Buses will operate on a loop starting at 9:30 a.m. For more information about the shuttle service please call Garrett Transit Services at 301.334.9431.

2023 Fall Foliage Driving Tours

a road with trees on the sideThere 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!

Fall Foliage Heritage Driving Tour – Southern Garrett County

On this self-guided driving tour  you will explore the splendor of Garrett County’s Fall Foliage in the Southern end of the county.  The ever-popular Swallow Falls State Park is on this trip.  We strongly encourage a stop here and take a hike, a picture or just sneak down to the overlook, where you can see the falls from a bird’s eye view.  Swing by the Rock Maze trail on your way through Garrett State Forest or the Cranesville Subarctic Swamp. The Cranesville Swamp is a boreal peat bog relic left behind from the Pleistocene Epoch. The swamp formed 15,000 years ago during the last Ice Age, when glaciers inched close but never reached Maryland.

Fall Foliage Heritage Driving Tour – Northern Garrett County

This self-guided driving tour will highlight some of Garrett County’s most scenic spots, taking you off the beaten path. Enjoy a long drive along the Savage River Reservoir.  Situated along the Big Savage Mountain landscape this breathtaking body of water is a local’s favorite for kayaking. A drive through Big Run State Park will also provide some great photo opportunities.  These winding country roads are sure to produce some wildlife sightings as well.

Click Here to go to Driving Tour maps and written directions

2023 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend the Kick-Off Reception & Dinner, sponsored by UPMC Western Maryland, for the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival on Wednesday, October 11, 2023. Meet Autumn Glory King Isaac Browning and Queen Sophia Rankin during the Cocktail Hour (sponsored by Act Personnel Service, Inc. 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 2023 Golden Ambassador Award. 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 sponsors Premier Power Solutions, LLCTaylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations, and Taylor-Made Deep Creek Sales. The location of the Kick-Off Reception and Dinner is TBD.

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

  • Bougie Bottoms Boutique
  • Deep Creek Spa & Billiards
  • Naylor's Ace Hardware

 

2023 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner Sponsors

2023 dinner cocktail and entertainment sponsors
2023 centerpiece sponsor

2023 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 11, 2023 will have the opportunity to commemorate the 56th 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 2023 Autumn Glory King Isaac Browning and Queen Sophia Rankin.

56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Photo Sponsor

Now Accepting Royalty Applications for the 57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival

The 2023 Autumn Glory Royalty has been selected for the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival. This year’s King is Isaac Browning and the Queen is Sophia Rankin. Team One GMC, is the title sponsor of the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival.Please help spread the word that the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce is inviting all those Garrett County students currently in their junior year of high school to submit an application for Autumn Glory Royalty by Friday, April 26, 2024 for consideration.

This year, we will be choosing a King and a Queen to represent the 57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival at a variety of events throughout the summer and fall of 2024 including: Grantsville Days Parade on June 28, 2024; Deep Creek Lake Lions Club Boat Parade on July 6, 2024; Accident Homecoming Parade on July 4, 2024; Kitzmiller Homecoming on July 27, 2024; Friendsville Days Parade on August 17, 2024; The Buckwheat Festival Parade on September 28, 2024; Kick-Off Reception & Dinner on October 9; Fireman’s Parade on October 10; Banjo, Fiddle, & Mandolin Championships on October 11; Grand Feature Parade on October 12, Craft & Gift Sale on October 12 and 13, and various other events as needed.

Both the King and Queen will receive an educational contribution. As part of the application, you are required to submit a 300-word essay on why you think you should be selected to be part of the Royalty Court. This is no longer an application fee. Interviews will be conducted by appointment in May 2024 and we hope to complete the process by June 1, 2024. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nick Sharps at the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce by calling (301) 387-5237 or emailing nick@garrettchamber.com.

Click here to download the Royalty application for additional information.

2023 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 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 8th.

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 2023 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner held on Wednesday, October 11.

2022 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). The Turkey Trail flyer is available at the Garrett County Visitors Center as well as a downloadable PDF online at garrettheritage.com. There, you will also find an interactive map that will help with directions to each of the locations.

Visit garrettheritage.com for more information.

56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Turkey Trail Sponsors

Republican-logo

Autumn Glory Podcast

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