Maryland Traditions, the folklife program of the Maryland State Arts Council, hosted the Maryland Traditions Heritage Awards on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in Silver Spring. These awards have been given annually since 2007 to honor Maryland's outstanding stewards of traditional arts and culture. This year's awardees included Cambodian traditional music master Chum Ngek (pictured, seated at center) of Montgomery County; Trimper's Rides and Amusements, the nation's oldest family-run amusement park, located in Ocean City; and the Steyers and Shinholts, whose maple syrup-making traditions go back generations in Garrett and Allegany counties.

Photo by Edwin Remsberg Photographs

Driven by the success of Visitmaryland.org, web traffic continues to see strong gains with an impressive 55.4% increase over the same period in 2016, while social media followers increased by 27.5% on Facebook and 15.7% on Twitter. Communications efforts generated $120,000 in advertising value over the first two months of the fiscal year, and Welcome Centers greeted 36,191 guests, an increase of 19.63% over last year. Employment in the leisure and hospitality sectors grew by 4.3% year-over-year. Lodging revenue grew by 4.5% and casinos generated $204 million in revenue, a 4.3% increase over last year. To read the entire Tourism Monitor, follow this link to the Visit Maryland industry website.

On Friday, November 18, Rich Gilbert of the Maryland Office of Tourism joined Bill Griggs, Gaylord National’s new Tour & Travel Executive, to host a number of area tour operators and industry trade associations for a behind-the-scenes preview of ICE! An indoor winter wonderland, this year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World,” celebrating various countries' holiday celebrations. The group was able to experience the magic of more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures and slide down a collection of two-story ice slides. All kept at a chilly 9 degrees!

Participants included representatives from the states of Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia; associations represented included Maryland Limousine Association, Maryland Motorcoach Association, National Association of Motorcoach Operators, National Tour Association, and Student Youth & Travel Association.

ICE! runs through January 1, 2017; for tickets & information: 1-301-965-4000

Two treasured annual Maryland events have been nominated by USA Today in their 10 Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest. The annual Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade (pictured right) has been nominated, as well as the Mayor’s Christmas Parade held each year in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood. Both have been selected as contenders for Best Holiday Parade. The contest, which is being promoted by USA TODAY, gives voters two more weeks to vote for the candidate of their choice here. Anyone can vote once a day for the run of the contest. Voting ends Monday, December 5, 2016 and the winners will be announced on 10Best.com and USA Today on Friday, December 9, 2016.

Experience the quintessential holiday charm of this historic Maryland town with our Bel Air Main Street Sweepstakes. Explore Bel Air's charming Main Street and downtown area while supporting local, Maryland-owned businesses. Enter now to win a two-night stay at the Homewood Suites Bel Air, restaurant, entertainment and shopping packages, and more. With more than $1,000 in great gifts, this is your chance to win a local holiday shopping getaway you'll never forget. Click here to enter.

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.