The annual Autumn Glory Festival is a five-day celebration of the season that showcases the beauty of the local fall foliage. From Wednesday through Sunday, the area offers a wide variety of things to do indoors or outdoors. The Festival includes two large parades, concerts, band competitions, art exhibits, antique & craft shows and much more!

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 and this year, Good Housekeeping lists our Oakland, MD among the Top 50 Small Towns with the Best Fall Foliage. In 2018, Travel & Leisure listed Oakland, MD as the number 2 Best Town for Fall Colors in America and in 2017, TripAdvisor selected Oakland, MD as one of 20 Best Fall Vacations in America for Seeing Autumn Foliage. Also in 2017, Oakland, Maryland was 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.

The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Autumn Glory Kickoff Dinner featuring live musical entertainment and recognition of the annual Autumn Glory Golden Ambassador will kick off the festival on Wednesday, October 9.

Thursday features the Oktoberfest dinner and a fireman’s parade and the week continues with historic area tours, antique and craft shows, fine arts exhibits, farmers’ market, 5-K walk, musical concerts, corn maze, art glass exhibits, outdoor adventures, quilt shows, food and drink specials, live entertainment, comedy basketball game, pumpkin chucking contest, horseback trail rides, shopping specials and a wide variety of other activities.

There are several craft shows during the Autumn Glory Festival weekend. The Craft & Gift Show held at the Garrett County Fairgrounds is put on by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce at the Ag Heritage Hall where it is is held Saturday and Sunday. 60 craft vendors will be on-site showcasing their handicraft items and gifts. Admission and parking is free. Concessions will be available on-site.
Seymour, an art experience, is sponsored by the Garrett County Arts Council and takes place once again at renowned glass maker Simon Pearce Oakland facilities. It features fine art, traditional fine craft and regional food exhibitors who will be selling all hand-crafted work. Parking and admission are free.

The Oakland Civic Club will once again sponsor the 46th Annual Antique, Vintage & Maker Market at the Oakland Community Center Friday through Sunday. ‘Roadshow’ type appraisals will be available so bring your treasures! KTK Services from LaVale will be on hand to make informal appraisals of your antique/vintage items. Limit 2 hand carried items ($15 fee/item – Saturday & Sunday 11 – 3) The show will feature favorite vendors from past years plus a few new ones! Civic Club Cafe is open all three days with home made soups and baked goods. There is a $3 admission charge good all weekend. Proceeds benefit local non-profit organizations.

The Official Maryland State Banjo & Mandolin Championships, Friday at 7 p.m., features banjo and mandolin contestants of all ages competing for top honors.

On Saturday, October 13, the Grand Feature Parade begins at 1 p.m. Clowns, floats, and bands increase the festival atmosphere. That day also will feature several activities leading up to the parade followed by the Maryland State Fiddle Championship at 7 p.m.

Antique and Craft shows continue Sunday, joined by the Autumn Glory Festival Car Show and a no-hands Sundae eating contest at Lakeside Creamery.

The Festival is timed to coincide with the peak of Fall foliage in Garrett County and you can view the breathtaking scenery of the spectacular foliage by driving one of the 2019 Autumn Glory Fall Foliage Tours. Travel along some of Garrett County’s most scenic routes. Directions and downloadable version are available at https://www.garrettheritage.com/fall-foliage-driving-tours Explore the beautiful corners of our Heritage Area while discovering hidden gems including state parks, historic sites, and more!

Every year, thousands descend upon Garrett County to view our beautiful fall foliage,” said Nicole Christian, Chamber president & CEO. “By creating these driving tours, we are able to provide people easy and accessible leaf peeping opportunities and the chance to completely immerse themselves in the glory of Autumn.”

As part of the 52nd Annual Autumn Glory Festival, the Mountain Maryland Gateway to the West Heritage Area is once again celebrating the event’s roots by promoting area turkey dinners through the Turkey Trail. 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 www.garrettheritage.com. There, you will also find an interactive map that will help with directions to each of the locations.

Get all the details on Autumn Glory events in the official 52nd Annual Autumn Glory Festival Brochure. A detailed listing of Autumn Glory Festival events, the brochure also includes a map of downtown Oakland, 2019 Fall Foliage Heritage Driving Tours and more. Download a copy at www.visitdeepcreek.com or request a hard copy be mailed to you. You can also stop into the Visitors Center in McHenry, located at 15 Visitors Center Drive, from 9 am – 5 pm daily to pick up a copy of the brochure.

Patriot Automotive Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram: King of the 4WD is the title sponsor of the 52nd annual Autumn Glory Festival.