Mountain Lake Park was founded in 1881 along the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad as one of the nation’s early Chautauqua resorts, drawing thousands of Victorian-era visitors each summer for education, culture, and recreation. The Victorian Chautauqua was established in 2019 to revive that spirit, reviving the tradition of programming that once filled the original 5,000-seat Bashford Amphitheater.
Today, the festival is organized in partnership with the Mountain Lake Park Historical Association (MLPHA) and takes place on Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, 2026. Now in its seventh year, the free, two-day event brings together historical re-enactors, live music, lectures, children’s programming, street performers, and heritage demonstrations — all inspired by the town’s storied legacy as one of America’s earliest Chautauqua resort communities. Headlining this year’s festival is Lady Brion, Maryland’s Poet Laureate and celebrated international spoken word artist, performing on Saturday, July 11 at 2:00 PM in the Martin Tent.
As the eleventh Poet Laureate in Maryland’s history and the only spoken word artist ever to hold the position, Lady Brion’s appearance is generously sponsored by the Garrett County Arts Council and is not to be missed.
Across two stages and multiple venues throughout the Historic District, attendees will enjoy a full schedule of performances and presentations. Historical re-enactors will bring figures including President Franklin D. Roosevelt (portrayed by Bill Grant), Charles Lindbergh (portrayed by Bowie Grant), and General George Crook (portrayed by Tom Cummings) to life in first-person presentations. The Deaconess Tent will host educational programs ranging from the 1754 French and Indian War campaigns — presented by Brian Reedy with the National Park Service — to an exploration of Maryland’s pivotal Constitutional Election of 1864, presented by Dr. Stephen Goldman.
Musical entertainment spans a wide range of genres, from the harmonies of HALO, a women’s barbershop quartet, to a classical guitar performance by Mark Edwards, an afternoon opera showcase with soprano Savanna Butcher, and the exuberant sounds of the Crellin Steel Drum Band, featuring students from Crellin Elementary School directed by Kevin Martin.
Vaudeville In The Street returns with Circus Stella — Dextre, Jana, and their five animal companions (sponsored by Pineview Veterinary Hospital) — alongside The Conversational Conjurer Kevin Reylek and the hypnotic contact juggling of Lars Matthew Rieck. Strolling performers throughout the weekend include a glamorous stilt walker, an Appalachian astrologer, and a tintype photographer offering Victorian-era portrait keepsakes. Bethel Center and Community Heritage
The historic Bethel Center — Garrett County’s only African American church — will be open for tours both days, with docents providing historical context. Mountain Lake Park Mayor Don Sincell will present “The A.M.E. Church Story” on both Saturday and Sunday. Kid-Tauqua for Young Audiences
A full children’s programming track, Kid-Tauqua, runs both days and includes juggling lessons, storytelling and puppetry,
musical instrument making, guitar workshops, and a robotics demonstration by GaCo Robotics on Sunday afternoon.
Horse-drawn carriage rides, an antique automobile showcase spanning the early twentieth century, Historic District trolley
tours, and the Ticket Office Museum — featuring a Mountain Lake Park history exhibition — round out the weekend’s offerings.
The festivities begin Friday, July 10, with a Tent Dinner gala from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, held alongside the oldest standing cottage in Mountain Lake Park. Tickets are $100 per person (or $800 for a reserved table of eight) and include a choice of rotisserie chicken or bourbon steak tips, sides, and a dessert bar. Seating is limited to 125 guests. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.victorianchautauqua.com or by personal check to MLPHA, 214 H Street, Mountain Lake Park, MD 21550.
The Victorian Chautauqua weekend festival is free and open to the public, made possible through grants — including support from the Community Trust Foundation — business sponsorships, and the generosity of individual donors.
For more information, visit www.victorianchautauqua.com.
From the July issue of the Lakefront Magazine.
