Hilary Williams Named 2026 Guest of Honor and Grand Marshal of the Oak Leaf Festival in Oak Hill, West Virginia

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

OAK HILL, WV, UNITED STATES, September 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Oak Leaf Festival is proud to announce that singer-songwriter, author, and third-generation member of one of country music’s most legendary families, Hilary Williams, will serve as Guest of Honor and Grand Marshal of the 2026 Oak Leaf Festival, taking place Labor Day weekend in Oak Hill, West Virginia.

Williams will take part in a weekend of special appearances culminating in her role as Grand Marshal of the Oak Leaf Festival Parade and special guest of honor for a concert tribute to her father, Hank Williams Jr., on Saturday, September 5.

For Hilary and the Williams family, the invitation carries a significance that reaches far beyond a traditional festival appearance.

Oak Hill holds a solemn and extraordinary place in the history of the Williams family and in the history of American country music. In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 1953, Hilary’s grandfather, Hank Williams Sr., died in Oak Hill at only 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 returns to Oak Hill not in sorrow, but in celebration - welcomed by the community as its Guest of Honor and leading its annual parade.

The moment represents a remarkable full-circle chapter for a family whose music has been intertwined with the American story for generations. Hilary is the daughter of country music icon Hank Williams Jr. and the granddaughter of Hank Williams Sr., whose songwriting helped establish the foundation upon 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 a story unmistakably her own - one defined as much by survival, faith, and perseverance as by music.

In 2006, Hilary survived a devastating automobile accident while traveling through Mississippi with her sister, Holly. The injuries were catastrophic and began a years-long journey through numerous surgeries, rehabilitation, and recovery. What followed became a story of extraordinary resilience.

Hilary eventually returned to music and to the stage, transforming an experience that nearly ended her life into an expression of hope and creative renewal. She chronicled that journey in her memoir, Sign of Life, an intimate story of trauma, family, faith, second chances, and learning not simply how to survive, but how to 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 complicated 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 road - 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 brought people together to celebrate community, tradition, and the vibrant spirit of Oak Hill, West Virginia. What began as the Sports Festival has grown into one of Southern West Virginia’s premier annual celebrations, welcoming thousands of residents and visitors over Labor Day weekend.

Organized entirely by dedicated volunteers, the Festival was founded with a simple mission: to showcase the very best of the Oak Hill community while providing affordable family entertainment, supporting local businesses, and celebrating the people and traditions that make Southern West Virginia such a special place to call home.

Each year, the Oak Leaf Festival transforms 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 evolve, its heart remains unchanged: community, family, tradition, and hometown pride. The selection of 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 simply as the place associated with 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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