Bill Pencek, Acting Assistant Secretary, Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, gave the keynote address at Preservation Maryland’s Summer School for Professionals at Baltimore’s Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park and Museum. The one-day professional development event was geared to stimulating investment and creating jobs in Maryland's Main Street and heritage areas. The event drew preservationists, DMOs, planners, development staff, national and state heritage area staff, and Main Street leaders from across Maryland.

Marking a major milestone, Visit Maryland’s official Instagram page reached 10,000 followers last week and continues to climb rapidly. As a thank you to its followers, Visit Maryland held a giveaway for its Instagram network followers. "We are pleased to see the growth of followers and the continued engagement from our Instagram audience," says Leland Strott, social and digital projects coordinator, Maryland Office of Tourism. "Locals and visitors alike are tagging their own stunning scenic images with our hashtag, #MDinFocus, which we repost on a daily basis. Browsing those images is an amazing display of the pride that we all share for Maryland."

The milestone is consistent with the strong and steady growth that Maryland Tourism has been experiencing across social media platforms. Visit Maryland currently has more than 70,000 followers on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other major platforms, an increase of more than 30 percent since September of last year. If you’re not yet connected with OTD, please follow us at @travelmd on Twitter and facebook, and visitmaryland on Pinterest and Instagram for up-to-the-minute Maryland travel info and tips, and use the #MDinFocus hashtag to share your Maryland images.

The Office of Tourism Development’s (OTD) strives to engage with public and private partners across Maryland to maximize state and local assets. To that end, representatives from OTD joined with Somerset County tourism officials and local business leaders on a fact finding tour of Deal Island. “It was a tremendous thing to witness the Deal Island community sharing their amazing hospitality, but they weren’t sharing anything that isn’t there and available to any traveler,” said Julie Widdowson, director, Somerset County Tourism. The tour included a visit to the Skipjack Museum and Deal Island Heritage Center, which is currently under construction, marinas, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, natural tourism assets, a shipyard dedicated to restoring historic Maryland skipjacks, and a cruise on the Helen Virginia, one of about 40 skipjacks still sailing the Chesapeake. “We know we have something special, and bringing the marketing mind of the Maryland Office of Tourism will really help promote these assets. That outside perspective brings fresh insight,” Widdowson continued, “and we love our new hashtag, #TheRealDeal.”

While in Somerset County, Leland Strott, social and digital projects coordinator, OTD, also hosted a seminar on social media strategy and familiarization. The event drew 40 participants from both public and private partners, many of them new to social media. “Leland’s expertise, enthusiasm and professionalism were very well received,” said Widdowson. “She had a way to break the information down that made it approachable to inexperienced people. It was a very valuable tool that the Maryland Office of Tourism made available, and we were thrilled to take advantage of it.”

Pictured: OTD staffers join local industry partners (and their pets) and Somerset County tourism officials on Deal Island

Summer means family fun, and there's nothing quite like a county fair to bring people together. Highlighting the unique assets of Maryland's diverse landscape, county fairs make a great way to reconnect with home or get to know a new part of the Old Line State. The Carroll County 4-H Fair, Garrett County Agriculture Fair, and the Caroline-Dorchester County Fair continue through August 8; the Worcester County Fair runs August 7-9. Howard County Fair August 8-15, Queen Anne’s County 4-H Fair August 10-15, Wicomico County Fair August 14-16, and the  Montgomery County Agricultural Fair runs August 14-22. With rides, animals, fantastic food and more, these great festivals are not to be missed!

Governor Hogan has appointed four new councilors to the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC), and, on August 6, the (MSAC) will host an orientation for its four newest councilors. The four new councilors are Doug Mann, Vice President of Operations and Finance, Maryland Institute College of Art; Joan M.G. Lyon, President, Garrett County Arts Council; Alex Castro, an architect and professor whose collaborative works include the design of the American Visionary Arts Museum; and Anthony “Tony” Cornwell, owner, Cornwell Remodeling and Restoration. We welcome them and look forward to their contributions to Maryland’s thriving arts community.

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 directly 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 in both an interactive E-book and I-pad versions which click through to advertiser landing pages.

Contact Carly Stedman for rates and details: carly.stedman@milespartnership.com / 202-681-8169. Deadline to reserve space is October 7, 2015.

Nominations for the 2015 Maryland Tourism Awards — as selected by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and the Maryland Tourism Development Board (MTDB) — will be accepted until 5p.m. on August 31. 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 or 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.

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and insights on this weekend’s 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.