The Maryland Office of Tourism's Welcome Center Program along with the Customer Contacts Program Manager Casey Keyfauver and Supervisors Jeanie Newcomer, Brandon Chan, Marti Banks, Robin Smith, Florence Brant, and Maureen Scott Taylor were honored at the 117th Annual Convention of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Fireman's Association. Resolutions were made on behalf of the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Fireman's Association and the Emergency Responder Safety Institute in their partnership to make Maryland roads a safer place. This partnership which extends across the state line into all of Pennsylvania's welcome centers was put into place to educate travelers on the "Move Over" law and other safe travel tips.

The Maryland State Arts Council is sponsoring seven regional institutes for artists, arts organizations, arts leaders, and arts supporters to gather for collaborative discussion and professional development. These sessions are being conducted in partnership with the Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Maryland Nonprofits, and the Maryland State Department of Education. The events are slated to be held in Frederick on September 13, Havre de Grace on September 17, Baltimore on September 20, Salisbury on September 24, Leonardtown on September 27, Annapolis on October 1, and Frostburg on October 4. For more information and to RSVP, follow this link to MSAC’s event page.

Volunteers are needed to help welcome the Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) Annual Conference. The conference is being held at the Baltimore Convention Center with events and volunteer opportunities throughout the city and surrounding areas from August 24-28, 2018. For a full list of volunteer opportunities and more information, follow this link.

The National Folk Festival will be held in downtown Salisbury, September 7-9, beginning a three-year partnership with the city, and Maryland Traditions has announced its program for the Maryland Traditions stage at the event. The Maryland Traditions Folklife Area & Stage is devoted to celebrating the rich, living traditions of Maryland—from its Appalachian Mountains to its Atlantic beaches, with a different theme each year. Performances, demonstrations, displays, exhibits, and narrative presentations by Maryland masters will express both the state’s deep history and its evolving character.

Chesapeake Traditions is the theme of the 2018 Maryland Traditions Folklife Area program. Curated by Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, Chesapeake Traditions will explore the region’s rich material, occupational, sacred and musical traditions, which have flourished in the state’s maritime, marsh and agricultural communities for generations, and feature approximately 20 artists and 16 performers and craftspeople from the Maryland Traditions Apprenticeship Awards program. “The National Folk Festival is the best possible showcase for artists who are inspired by, and respond to, creative energies that operate on a cellular level. There is an urgency in the necessity to share creative traditions that is as exciting to the audience as it is to the artist,” said Ken Skrzesz, Director, MSAC. For more information on the program, follow this link to the MSAC website.

The National Folk Festival, which will take place on September 7-9 in Salisbury, is projected to attract 60,000 to 80,000 people in its first year. The event will have more than 350 artists and craftspeople participating (23 will represent Maryland/Delmarva), seven stages of continuous music, and 30 food vendors serving a mix of traditional Maryland fare and ethnic cuisine. Sponsorship packages include Stage Sponsor, Maryland Folklife Area, Park 'N Ride, Marketplace, Artist Lodging, After-Hours Party on Saturday night, Artist Transport, Golf Cart Sponsor, Pop-Up Stage, and Green Sponsor. Contact Caroline O'Hara at 410-677-1917 or cohare@salisbury.md.

The 2018 Maryland Travel & Tourism Summit (MTTS) will be held November 14-16 at the Chesapeake Bay Hyatt Regency Golf Resort, Spa and Marina in Cambridge. MTTS is Maryland’s annual tourism industry conference, which brings together all sectors of the hospitality industry. MTTS offers one-of-a-kind networking and is the ideal opportunity to learn and develop new strategies to advance your business and Maryland Tourism as a whole.

The summit attracts more than 250 attendees, acclaimed speakers presenting on industry trends, and interactive learning sessions including an off-site learning lab. For more information and to register, follow this link.

The all-new, official Destination Maryland guide presents our tourism partners with a unique, powerful opportunity that is 100 percent focused on visitation to Maryland—and there is no better time to speak to its large audience than when they are actively planning their visit to the state. Destination Maryland is sent by request to highly qualified consumers who are actively planning a Maryland vacation—most often a long one. In addition to 250,000 printed copies distributed, the guide will also be available as an interactive e-book with click-through to an advertiser's landing page.

Contact Carly Stedman for rates and details: carly.stedman@milespartnership.com, 202-681-8169 or go to http://industry.visitmaryland.org/marketing-advertising/advertising-marketing-opportunities/.

How can OTD help spread the word about your attraction or event? "Maryland Mondays" is the perfect way to help us help you. Each Monday, OTD launches a new “Maryland Mondays” ticket giveaway program across all of our social media channels, consumer newsletters, and weekly “Maryland Minute” radio spots. Combined, these channels reach thousands of potential customers each week. To find out how to get involved by providing tickets to your attraction for an upcoming "Maryland Mondays," email OTD’s Leslie Troy.

For the latest on events and everything going all around Maryland, view the latest edition of Visit Maryland Now! here.

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and insights on this weekend’s events around the state. Maryland Minute is featured on iHeart radio stations in Maryland and Washington, D.C. and on Baltimore’s WBAL-AM 1090.