Several Oakland roads will be closed before and during the 42nd Autumn Glory Grand Feature parade, which begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 10.
“We are grateful to the town of Oakland for working with us to provide these terrific events for our 42nd Annual Autumn Glory Festival,” said Joyce Bishoff, Interim President of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce. “To prepare for the parade and to allow people to move freely around town for the entertainment, several roads will be closed temporarily on Saturday.”
Second Street will be closed to traffic from Liberty Street to Center Street at 9:30 am. Both Second and Third Streets, from Omar Street to Alder Street, will be closed to all vehicles at 11:00 a.m. Traffic needing to bypass Oakland will be directed to detour along Fourth Street until the parade ends. Center Street will remain open until 12:45 p.m.
Memorial Drive also will be closed to through traffic from Fourth to 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.
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 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.
The Pleasant View Baptist Church will present music, puppetry, and drama in front of the Oakland Post Office on Second Street at 11:30 am. Food vendors will be set up on Green Street by the M&T Bank area by 9:30 a.m. and the Holy Fire Music group from Loch Lynn Church will be performing from 10 am until noon on the Front Page Stage, followed by the a performance by Brenda’s Body Shop at noon. The Still Kickin’ Cloggers will be performing from 10:30 am – 11 am at the Box Car Stage near the 1884 B&O Train Station followed by the Country Plus Line Dancers from 11:15 am – 12:15 pm.
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 and Thursday’s Fireman’s Parade to make this a safe festival for everyone.
Oakland Police Chief John Sines encourages anyone coming to the festival and parade to come early to find a good parking space and enjoy the food and entertainment.
“The Oakland Mayor & Town Council love to welcome visitors to Oakland during Autumn Glory. The festival is the perfect time to showcase all that Oakland and Garrett County have to offer for guests to the area.” said Sines.
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 Sines at Oakland Police Department or Oakland City Hall between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Garrett County’s annual Autumn Glory Festival landed in the international spotlight last fall, when the popular travel website, MSN.com listed it tops among fall festivals in the world. To the delight of locals and visitors alike, Autumn Glory in Oakland, Maryland, beat out Paris’ Festival d’Automne (#5) and Munich’s Oktoberfest (#7) – in addition to a bevy of domestic celebrations, including San Francisco’s Dias De los Muertos. “Music, parades and awesome colors are at the center of this festival,” noted the site, plugging in particular the Grand Feature Parade, the Maryland State Banjo & Fiddle Championships and the Tournament of Bands.
For more details about Autumn Glory including a complete listing of Autumn Glory events, please visit www.autumngloryfestival.com or contact the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce at 301.387.4386.
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