October 9 - 13, 2024
57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Title Sponsor
Wednesday, October 9 - Sunday, October 13, 2024
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 2024 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 12, 2024
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.
Advertise in the Official 2024 Autumn Glory Brochure
Do you host an Autumn Glory event? Promote it in the official 57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Brochure! 10,000 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. Display ads are also available in the brochure.
To purchase a listing in the brochure, please complete and return the Autumn Glory Brochure Listing Form by July 11, 2024. Forms can be mailed to Sarah Duck at: Garrett County Chamber of Commerce 15 Visitors Center Drive McHenry, MD 21541, sent via fax at 301.334.8073 or emailed to sarah@garrettchamber.com.
Team One GMC is the title sponsor of the 57th annual Autumn Glory Festival.
Grand Feature Parade - Saturday, October 12, 2024
The Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, presented by the Town of Oakland and the Greater Oakland Business Association, will be held Saturday, October 12, 2024. 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 57th Annual Autumn Glory Grand Feature Parade, sponsored by First United Bank & Trust, at 1 pm on Saturday, October 12, 2024 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.
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!
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, LLC, Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations, and Taylor-Made Deep Creek Sales. The location of the Kick-Off Reception and Dinner is TBD.
Silver Sponsors
- Clear Mountain Bank
- CLS Ventures, Publishers of The Lake Front Magazine and Menu Guide
- David Jochynek State Farm
- Garrett Container Systems, LLC
- Somerset Trust Company
- The Rodeheaver Group, P.C.
Bronze Sponsors
- Bougie Bottoms Boutique
- Deep Creek Spa & Billiards
- Naylor's Ace Hardware
2023 Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner Sponsors
2024 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.
57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival Photo Sponsor
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The 2024 Autumn Glory Royalty has been selected for the 57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival. This year’s King is Ben Lohr and the Queen is Kambria Kyle. Team One GMC, is the title sponsor of the 57th Annual Autumn Glory Festival.
Ben Lohr feels blessed to grow up in Garrett County. He is the captain of his soccer team and plays baseball for Southern Garrett High School. He also makes an effort to attend and support most community sporting events. Ben is involved with the Future Business Leaders of America and the National Honor Society. He participates in numerous community activities including the Lions Club’s Blind Skier program, coaching and teaching at Bethany Soccer Camp, and volunteering with the Deep Creek Lake Art and Wine Festival. Ben believes it’s a great honor to represent his home as Autumn Glory King.
Kambria Kyle has called Garrett County home her entire life. She is a member of Northern Garrett High School’s Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and currently serves as Battalion Commander, Raider Captain, and Cyber Patriot Captain. In addition to her involvement with JROTC, Kambria is on the varsity teams for Cross Country and Track & Field. She is also a member of Northern’s Student Council and Garrett County’s Association of Student Councils. Every year she participates in Wreaths Across America, veteran memorial clean-ups, and the Lions Club’s Blind Camper program. Kambria is pursuing a United States Military Academy appointment where she hopes to earn a commission as an Army Officer and proudly serve her country within the medical corps.
The Autumn Glory King & Queen will preside over the Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception & Dinner to be held on Wednesday, October 9, 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 12. 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 57th Annual Autumn Glory Royalty sponsors are Byco Enterprises, Inc.; David Jochynek State Farm; Healy Insurance Group, Inc.; LakeFront Lodge; Railey Realty; Stonecroft Manor; and WEPCO Federal Credit Union.
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
