Augustoberfest chair outlines festival plans, asks towns for flags and promotional help

Jill Colbert, chairwoman of the Augustoberfest charitable foundation, told the Smithsburg Mayor and Council on April 7 that the festival — now in its 29th year and in its fifth year at county property — will return in August and will continue raising funds for local scholarships and children's arts programs.

"We are a nonprofit and we are a foundation, where we host this festival so that we can raise money to give money away," Colbert said, describing the event’s long history and partnership with a Hagerstown sister‑city foundation that previously facilitated student exchanges. She noted travel complications have interrupted student exchanges, so this year the foundation is focusing on scholarship funding domestically.

Colbert listed enhancements for 2026, including an accessibility shuttle she called the ‘‘Bavarian Loop’’ inside the festival grounds and expanded vendor and pavilion layouts. She said the festival plans celebrity bartending events and vendor collaborations, and that organizers are forming a grant committee to accept applications from other nonprofits so award decisions are not seen as favoritism.

Colbert also asked municipalities for donations of town flags to decorate a Washington County Festival House that will feature pavilions themed to Maryland, Germany, Bavaria and Washington County. Council members asked for rack cards and programs for local distribution; Colbert said she would provide promotional materials for the council to hand out.

The council thanked Colbert for the presentation and offered to assist with promotion and distribution of materials.