The 107th Maryland State Fair begins this Friday, August 25, at the Timonium Fairgrounds in Baltimore County. With great events like a concert by Fifth Harmony, the Latino Music Festival, barrel racing, bull riding, Goat Mountain and more. Livestock exhibits, the U-Learn Farm, horse racing and even pig racing bring excitement to this time-honored event. Exhibitors offer traditional fair foods and Maryland eats, from cotton candy to crab cakes, and this year’s rides promise to be bigger than ever. For events, ticket information and more, visit www.marylandstatefair.com. Also, go to our website for a complete list of county fairs still in full swing.

Beautiful sandy beaches, the iconic boardwalk, Thrasher’s french fries and, of course, world-class golfing— this Fall is the perfect time for you to hit those OC fairways. The crowds may have thinned, but Ocean City still has 15 amazing courses to play by day, and all the nightlife you could ask for when the sun goes down.

If you love to golf, you absolutely have to hit the links in OC, and our Ocean City Golf Getaway is the perfect way to get you going. Follow this link to our website to enter for a chance to win a two-night stay in the beautiful ocean-front Clarion Resort, enjoy a hearty breakfast at Sea Bay Cafe, then take to the greens at Eagle’s Landing and Newport Bay, and cap it off with dinner at Ocean City Fish Company and The Captain’s Table. It’s a guaranteed double-eagle, hole-in-one good time!

Sign up now for the Maryland Scenic Byways workshop and learn how your community can work together to develop, market, and preserve authentic place-based experiences that help build local businesses and create economic development opportunities while preserving the region’s heritage, history and natural assets. The workshop will include a morning session on new marketing tools aimed at the burgeoning tourism market and an afternoon session that looks at case studies in preserving heritage and nature-based assets so visitors will keep coming back for generations to come. Follow this link for more information and to register.

Nominations for the 2016 Maryland Tourism Awards — as selected by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and the Maryland Tourism Development Board (MTDB) — will be accepted until 5 p.m. on September 2. Award categories are: Economic Engine; Tourism Partnership; Cultural Heritage, Sports & Culinary Tourism; and Visit Maryland. A program overview and a nomination form are available online.

The awards pay tribute to individuals, organizations, businesses and governmental agencies that have significantly contributed to the efforts of the tourism office and board to boost jobs and economic impact in Maryland's tourism industry, and enhance the state's image to travelers. Winners will be announced at the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit. For more information, call or e-mail Jennifer Jones, 410-767-6296.

	Marci Ross, second from the right

Marci Ross, assistant director for tourism development, OTD, addressed the Destination Marketing Association International’s (DMAI) annual convention in Minneapolis earlier this month. Ross’s presentation highlighted the tactical and strategic value of Maryland’s new DestinationNext assessment, which was chosen as one of four model assessments for domestic and international destination marketing organizations. “As the first state to implement DestinationNEXT, we really are at the vanguard of this next phase of tourism development,” says Ross. “Other states are seeing the results we’re getting, and they are lining up to follow Maryland’s lead.”

DestinationNEXT is a powerful and extremely useful tool for Maryland, and to accurately and efficiently utilize this powerful tool, OTD needs your help. By completing your DestinationNEXT survey, you can better assess how you fit into the Maryland tourism landscape and OTD can better understand how best to help you reach the next level. To complete your survey, follow this link or, if you have further questions, please contact Heather Ersts, Outreach & Partnership Coordinator, OTD, at hersts@visitmaryland.org.

The all-new official Destination Maryland guide presents our tourism partners with a unique, powerful platform. There is no comparable opportunity available 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 travelers who are actively planning a Maryland vacation—most often a long one. In addition to 250,000 printed copies distributed, the Visitors Guide will also be available as an interactive E-book with click-through to advertiser landing pages.

Contact Carly Stedman for rates and details: carly.stedman@milespartnership.com / 202-681-8169.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has consolidated three operating assistance programs into one Operating Assistance Grants application for FY17 funding: the Main Street Improvement Program, the Nonprofit Assistance Fund and the Technical Assistance Grants. Program funds, totaling $1,000,000, are available as follows: Main Street Improvement Program: $150,000; the Nonprofit Assistance Fund: $700,000 and the Technical Assistance Grant: $150,000. Applications are due September 15 at 5:00 p.m. and applicants may apply for any and all programs which they qualify for.

In order to obtain an Operating Assistance Grant application, you must log in to the Department’s Project Portal: http://projectportal.dhcd.state.md.us. Once logged in, you can access the application by selecting “Operating Assistance Grants” from the “View My Opportunities” button. For questions concerning the application or required documents please contact Karen Forbes at 410-209-5809 or karen.forbes@maryland.gov.

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

It’s that magical time of year again, when Maryland’s counties roll out the rollercoasters, gussy up their prize pigs, and search for exciting new foods to fry on a stick. Check out our county fairs page at visitmaryland.org.

Marylanders really know how to mix up great summertime fun: seafood, a cold brew and a great beat. Maryland is jam-packed with great outdoor events, so come join in the fun at the hundreds of festivals and events that take place across the state. For more information, go to visitmaryland.org.