Autumn Glory: A Turkey Dinner That Became a Festival
Near Wisp, Maryland
Every October, when the maples on these ridges turn to fire, the town of Oakland throws one of the biggest fall celebrations in the mountains, and it grew out of something wonderfully humble. Back in nineteen fifty four, a group of local turkey growers organized a turkey dinner to promote their birds, and that first meal fed hundreds of people. The dinners came and went, but the idea of luring visitors up to see the autumn color took hold.
Out of it grew the Autumn Glory Festival, now a multi-day event that draws many thousands of people into Garrett County. Because this is one of the highest and coldest corners of Maryland, the fall color here peaks weeks after the lowlands and blazes brighter, thanks to the cold clear nights. The festival packs in two big parades, corn mazes, concerts, and, in a nod to the region's mountain music roots, championships in banjo, fiddle, and mandolin.
It is the last great gathering before the deep snows arrive, because in these mountains winter comes early and stays long, burying the same streets under drifts that the rest of Maryland can barely imagine.
