Maryland’s Scenic Byways microsite, produced by the Maryland Office of Tourism in conjunction with Miles Partnership, has won the 2016 WebAward for Outstanding Website. This marks the second consecutive year that Visit Maryland and Miles have won the Outstanding Website Award. In 2015, the Visit Maryland site took home the top honor. For more information, visit the 2016 WebAward website.

In preparation for the scheduled March opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, the Maryland Office of Tourism led a promotional tour through Dorchester and Caroline counties to showcase attractions and options for area travel partners and group tour operators. The group visited sites along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway including the Bucktown General Store and the Linchester Mill Quaker settlement. Guests also enjoyed an Eastern Shore Maryland Crab Feast at Suicide Bridge Restaurant, a key asset for complete tour packages. Special guest Kate Clifford Larsen, Tubman expert and author of Bound for the Promised Land:Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero, joined the tour to share stories and insights.

The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) named three new members to its board for 2017 including Theresa Colvin, director, MSAC. NASAA represents the arts agencies of all 50 states and six U.S. jurisdictions, and the selection process is a rigorous one. Colvin and all of the new board members will serve three-year terms. “I am truly honored to serve as a member of the NASAA board,” said Colvin. “NASAA is the only organization solely dedicated to strengthening state arts agencies. Through NASAA's leadership and knowledge services, state arts agencies are better positioned to enhance public access to the arts. I look forward to working with my fellow board members from across the country to ensure NASAA's continued success.”

The Mid-Atlantic Tourism Public Relations Alliance held its annual media marketplace in Talbot County September 13-15. This year marked the marketplace’s return to Maryland and produced a record number of attendees. MATPRA 2016 drew nearly 70 DMOs and more than 50 journalists representing National Geographic Traveler, Southern Living, The Huffington Post, and others, and the event has already begun to pay dividends, with About.com including Eastern Shore towns visited during the event on their list of 20 Great Small Towns Near Washington DC.

The Maryland Tourism Coalition, in partnership with the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, is pleased to announce the Maryland Tourism Emerging Professional engagement program. Four scholarships will be awarded to emerging tourism professionals to attend the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit, November 2-4 at the Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards. Emerging Professionals must have been in the tourism/hospitality industry for three years or less. Scholarships are for three-day registration to the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit and two nights lodging. Completed applications are due on October 15, 2016. The on-line application can be found at http://goo.gl/forms/awKEID9Oxl.

HBO Films and Oprah Winfrey were on location in Baltimore for three days last week shooting scenes for the upcoming movie, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Based on the book which spent 75 weeks on the New York Times best sellers list, primary Baltimore shooting locations included Johns Hopkins Hospital and The Living Classrooms Foundation. For Winfrey, it was a return not only to acting, but to Baltimore. The former host of Baltimore’s “People Are Talking” treated the entire cast and crew to crab cakes from Pappas restaurant. “We are proud to be a part of a prestige project that tells such an important story of both medical, and Maryland history,” said Jack Gerbes, director, Maryland Film Office.

Summer has slipped away and the Maryland landscape is beginning its transformation into a swirling sea of fall colors. It’s a display of unparalleled beauty, and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has released its annual Fall Foliage and Festival Report to help you navigate this magical time of year. Find out where peak colors are, week to week, and don’t miss great Maryland harvest festivals across the state. Read the DNR report here, and go to visitmaryland.org to help plan your fall foliage adventure.

Think you know what's cool about Maryland? Show us in a thirty-second commercial and you can win $500. The Maryland Office of Tourism's "Maryland My Way" contest gives professional filmmakers and amateur auteurs a chance to win big by showing us what you love about Maryland. For contest rules, go to visitmaryland.org, and show us your Maryland!

Each week, the Maryland Minute provides highlights and showcases 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.