Oak Hill Festival 2025
Daughter of Country Music Icon Hank Williams Jr. and Granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr. Returns to a Place Forever Woven Into Her Family’s History
I’m truly honored that Oak Hill has invited me to be part of this special weekend. I’m proud to carry both my grandfather’s and father’s legacies with me as we embark on this special festival.”— Hillary Williams, Musician & AuthorOAK HILL, WV, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Oak Leaf Festival is pleased to reveal that singer-songwriter, author, and third-generation descendant of one of country music’s most iconic families, Hilary Williams, has been chosen as the Guest of Honor and Grand Marshal for the 2026 Oak Leaf Festival, held over Labor Day weekend in Oak Hill, West Virginia.
Throughout the weekend, Williams will feature in a series of special appearances, culminating in her duties as Grand Marshal of the Oak Leaf Festival Parade and as distinguished guest of honor during a concert tribute dedicated to her father, Hank Williams Jr., on Saturday, September 5.
For Hilary and the Williams family, this invitation carries weight that goes well beyond a typical festival appearance.
Oak Hill occupies a solemn and unique position in the history of the Williams family and in the broader landscape of American country music. In the early hours of New Year’s Day 1953, Hilary’s grandfather, Hank Williams Sr., passed away in Oak Hill at just 29 years old while traveling in the back seat of his Cadillac en route to a New Year’s Day concert at the Canton Memorial Auditorium in Canton, Ohio.
More than seven decades later, his granddaughter comes back to Oak Hill not in mourning, but in celebration—embraced by the community as its Guest of Honor and leading its annual parade.
This moment represents a remarkable full-circle chapter for a family whose music has been woven into the American narrative for generations. Hilary is the daughter of country music legend Hank Williams Jr. and the granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr., whose songwriting helped lay the groundwork on which generations of country music have been built. Hank Williams Sr. remains one of the genre’s most influential figures and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961.
Hilary has carried that musical heritage forward while forging her own unmistakable story—one shaped as much by survival, faith, and perseverance as by music.
In 2006, Hilary survived a severe automobile accident while traveling through Mississippi with her sister, Holly. The injuries were catastrophic and initiated a years-long journey involving numerous surgeries, rehabilitation, and recovery. What followed became a tale of extraordinary resilience.
Hilary eventually returned to music and to performing, transforming an experience that nearly took her life into an expression of hope and creative rebirth. She recorded that journey in her memoir, Sign of Life, an intimate account of trauma, family, faith, second chances, and learning not just to survive, but to truly live again.
Her debut album, My Lucky Scars, continued that story through music, drawing from the emotional landscape of her accident, recovery, relationships, and the complex inheritance of belonging to one of the most recognizable families in country music.
As a singer-songwriter, Hilary represents the third generation of an extraordinary musical lineage. Her grandfather helped redefine American songwriting. Her father built one of country music’s most enduring careers. Hilary, while honoring those roots, has chosen to walk her own path—carrying the Williams name forward through a deeply personal voice shaped by both legacy and survival.
About the Oak Leaf Festival: Since 1999, the Oak Leaf Festival has united people to celebrate community, tradition, and the lively spirit of Oak Hill, West Virginia. What started as the Sports Festival has evolved into one of Southern West Virginia’s premier annual celebrations, drawing thousands of residents and visitors over Labor Day weekend.
Organized entirely by dedicated volunteers, the Festival was founded with a simple mission: to highlight the very best of the Oak Hill community while offering affordable family entertainment, supporting local businesses, and honoring the people and traditions that make Southern West Virginia such a special place to call home.
Each year, the Oak Leaf Festival turns Oak Hill into a multi-day destination filled with live musical entertainment, arts and crafts, food and commercial vendors, family activities and children’s attractions, a classic car and motorcycle show, pageants, youth talent showcases, community competitions and exhibitions, the beloved parade, fireworks, and an ever-growing collection of special events.
While the Festival continues to grow, its core remains unchanged: community, family, tradition, and hometown pride. Choosing Hilary Williams as the 2026 Guest of Honor and Grand Marshal adds a particularly meaningful chapter to that tradition.
Her presence connects Oak Hill’s present with a moment forever etched into American music history—while allowing a new generation of the Williams family to experience the community not only as the place linked to a legendary family loss, but as a place of welcome, remembrance, music, and celebration.
More than seventy years after Hank Williams Sr.’s final journey brought him through Oak Hill, Hilary Williams returns carrying his legacy forward—on her own terms, in her own voice, and surrounded by a community honored to welcome her.
Media Contacts: All media inquiries, interview requests, photography requests, and use of Hilary Williams’s name, image, or likeness in connection with her Oak Leaf Festival appearance should be coordinated in advance through:
Clif Loftin
Representative for Hilary Williams
Oak Leaf Festival
Cell: 512-439-9495
Email: clifloftin@gmail.com
Caitlyn Moline
Oak Leaf Official Contact
Cell: 304-533-8608
Email: caitlynmoline@gmail.com
Bianca Bucaram
THE BUCARAM PUBLIC RELATIONS Group
+1 713-898-6552
email us here
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