All of the former Golden Ambassadors welcome this year’s Golden Ambassadors Tom & Sara Jane Kuhn at the Chamber’s Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at Wisp Resort. Nancy Railey, Rob Michael, Steve Green; Terry Helbig; Jeff McCauley, Patty Manown Mash; Don Sincell; Jan Russell; Rosie Versteegen; Tom Kuhn; Sara Jane Kuhn; Bill Grant; Peggy Jamison; Bob Rudy and Karen Myers. Our Autumn Glory King Isaac Browning is photobombing in the back.
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce has named Tom and Sara Jane Kuhn the 2023 Honorary Golden Ambassadors of the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival. The announcement was made at the Chamber’s Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception on October 11, 2023. The Golden Ambassador sponsor is Brookfield Renewable and the Kick-Off Reception Sponsor is UPMC Western Maryland. Team One GMC is the title sponsor of the 56th Annual Autumn Glory Festival.
The Golden Ambassador is awarded by the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce to a person, or persons, who has contributed to, and supported tourism in Garrett County. The Golden Ambassador is selected by a committee of former Golden Ambassador winners.
Tom and Sara Jane Kuhn have spent over fifty years dedicated to tourism in Garrett County. Tom felt a mini golf family center would be a good attraction for the burgeoning lake area so they opened Funland Arcade in 1971. Their first amusements were a Go-Kart track and an open-air arcade building, with the miniature golf course opening the following year. For twenty years, the Kuhns operated Funland as a summer business, with no indoor restrooms or air conditioning. In 1992, with the expansion of the lake sewer system, the Kuhns tore down the old arcade and replaced it with a larger building that would include pizza sales, ice cream, indoor restrooms and air conditioning. In 1994, they added bumper cars, a climbing wall and the miniature golf course was updated to a more modern course with waterfalls, streams, lakes and a cave highlighting some of Garrett County’s history. Today, Funland Family Fun Center, which is the longest continuously owned business in the Lake area, is open daily in season and on weekends year-round.
As a member of the Oakland Mountain Lake Park Lions Club for 56 years, Tom was involved in some of the earliest Autumn Glory Festival efforts including preparing turkey dinners, meeting tourists who arrived by train, procuring tables for outdoor dining, facilitating parade concessions vendors and even helping to secure the WVU Marching Band in the Tournament of Bands years ago.
Tom and Sara Jane helped the Oakland B&O Museum acquire their popular 1920 Baldwin Steam Engine, while also making a substantial donation towards its restoration. The Steam Engine helps bring in over 9,000 visitors a year to the Oakland B&O Museum.
Sara Jane was a long-time member of the Business and Professional Women (BPW) and, over the years, Tom and Sara Jane have supported organizations including Believe in Tomorrow, the Dove Center, Garrett Mentors, Garrett County after school programs, local Fire and Rescue Departments, local church Bible School programs and more. They sponsor the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce’s annual July 4th Fire on the Mountain Fireworks Display in McHenry each year, they provide complimentary Funland passes to Garrett Mentors and to local students attending annual After-Proms and they have given contributions to the youth and families involved with the Overlook Judy Center.
“I am very excited to see Tom and Sara Jane Kuhn receive the 2023 Golden Ambassador Award and be recognized for their contributions to tourism,” said Andrew Fike, Interim President of the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.
Brookfield Renewable is the sponsor of the 2023 Golden Ambassador. UPMC Western Maryland served as the sponsor of the 55th Annual Autumn Glory Kick-Off Reception, Cocktail Hour Sponsors were Act Personnel Service, Inc., and Silver Tree Marine, LLC and Reception Entertainment Sponsors were Premier Power Solutions, LLC, Taylor-Made Deep Creek Sales and Taylor-Made Deep Creek Vacations and Fall-themed centerpieces and decorations were sponsored by Mlend and Middletown Valley Bank.
