While summer does not begin until June 21, GOBA’s Events Team is kicking things off Saturday, June 12th with its “Kick Off to Summer” event in the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Oakland! This event will run from 2pm to 6pm. Activities include a cornhole tournament, a Beer Walk, food vendors, live music, sidewalk sales, artist exhibits, kid’s activities, a car show, and much more.
The Beer Walk is from 2pm-6pm and tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day of the event for $15 per person. Participants must be at least 21 years old and present a valid ID to one of the TIPS trained event personnel on staff. Tickets can be purchased on the porch of the Garrett County Historical Society building. This is a limited 400 ticket event. There are six locations where each participant can sample two different types of local, craft beer. Participants can receive a free commemorative glass if they go to all six stations located at the B&O Museum, The Gallery Shop, Sipside Lounge, Gean & Olive, The Vagabond Taproom, and Smoke n Mirrors. The Beer Walk is sponsored by the following businesses: Craig Ingram, Taylor-Made and DeepCreekTimes.com.
The event will also feature the inaugural cornhole tournament that is open to players 12 and up and will be held in the parking lot of the Front Page Stage off Green Street. Cornhole is a lawn game in which players take turns throwing beanbags at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. A bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the board scores 1 point. The entry cost is $10 per person and the tournament will be blind draw and double elimination. There will be a cash payout for winners. The cornhole tournament is sponsored by the following businesses: Ashby Builders, State Farm Agent David Jochynek, The Chips Network, Ashby Lawn Care, Patriot Automotive Group, and the Vagabond Taproom.
“We are really looking forward to this event after a long drought throughout Covid,” said Nicole McCullough, Oakland’s Business Coordinator. “It will be amazing to see our community come together again.”
There will be numerous activities for children and families as well. Local writers and actors will be at the Mountain Fresh Pavilion from 2-3pm and 4-5pm for short “Play Bake” readings/performances. There will also be a Family Yoga Demonstration at the Mountain Fresh Pavilion from 3-4pm. The Oakland Arts and Entertainment District will also be sponsoring a scavenger hunt. In partnership with the Ruth Enlow Library, the Town of Oakland will be setting up a self-guided “Story Walk”, which is an outdoor reading experience where a children’s book is deconstructed and the pages of the book are spaced on a set walking trail.
Jason Shaw will be performing live at the Front Page Stage from 2:30pm-4:30pm. This live music is sponsored by the Oakland Arts and Entertainment District.
The Farmer’s Market will be at the Mountain Fresh Pavilion until 1pm that day and local businesses will be having in store specials and sidewalk sales all day. Sweitzer’s Rolling Racks BBQ, D’s Eats, Rotary Fries, and Grantsville Lions Club Kettle Corn will be on hand with concessions.
The group from Cars and Ice Cream will be bringing their vehicles for a car show to be held on Liberty Street.
This is a rain or shine event. A complete map and listing of free parking locations, events and times can be found at www.oaklandmd.com.
