The Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine Festival was conceived in 2004 by business and marketing professionals serving on the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s Marketing Roundtable out of a request by the Chamber’s board to extend the summer visitor traffic in the county.  The first festival weekend took place September 9-11, 2005. The annual event takes place each weekend after Memorial Day.  The festival immediately became one of the most popular events in the county and has made an impact on visitor traffic in just four years.  The Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine Festival benefits the American Red Cross, Potomac Chapter and has provided the Red Cross with a total of $83,241 in just four years.

The Deep Creek Lake Art & Wine Festival features beautifully handcrafted works by local and regional artisans, wine tasting from over 200 Maryland and national wineries, live music, children’s activities, wine pairing dinners, lodging packages, and more.

The Art & Wine Festival begins Friday night with area restaurants offering special pre-fix wine pairing dinners. Restaurants that have participated inthe past include Uno’s, Pine Lodge Steakhouse, DC’s Restaurant & Bar, Santa Fe Grille, Deer Park Inn, Cornish Manor, Savage River Lodge and Will O’ the Wisp who team up with national wineries to pair pre-selected wines with specially prepared dinner courses. The menus will be published on the wine pairing dinner page several weeks prior to the festival weekend.

The weekend continues on Saturday from noon until 6:00 PM at the Garrett County Fairgrounds in McHenry, Maryland.  Over thirty professional artisans and craftsmen will display and sell their art, from handcrafted jewelry and wood carvings to oil paintings, hand painted furniture and accessories. National distributors and Maryland wineries will offer samplings of a variety of over 200 wines to satisfy even the most discriminating tastes. Guests may purchase the wines at the festival’s retail store (open until 7 PM), with net proceeds donated to the Red Cross.

Kids too will enjoy the festival with free activities just for them including face painting, balloon art, carriage rides, fun tattoos, hair braiding, and more.

 Visitors who frequent the Deep Creek Lake area will have the opportunity to chat with locals who are elevated to a new status for the afternoon as they become the festival’s “celebrity pourers.”  Past participants include State Senator George Edwards, Maryland Delegate Wendell Beitzel, County Commissioners Denny Glotfelty and Fred Holliday, and Oakland Mayor Asa McCain.

Rounding out the afternoon is live entertainment by local and regional musicians and a silent auction that features donated wines, wine accessories, art and children’s gifts.