Marion Ohio Downtown: There are a lot of things happening around Marion this weekend …

There are several other great events happening this weekend, including Laddie Boy & Friends at the Harding Home, the 9^th Annual Brandy Winfield Poker Run, the H.O.T. Tamale Bicycle Tour, and Triangle Motorcycle Races at the fairgrounds. As always, there’s lots to do in Marion. Diane and Bev do a great job at the Marion Area Convention & Visitors Bureau of working to maintain a list of community events. Just log onto www.visitmarionohio.com and click on the calendar link. You’ll find information on these and many other upcoming events.

Please be aware that some of the Downtown Streets will be closing about 10:00 a.m. Saturday until approximately 7 p.m. for the Cruisin' for Dialysis event. Center Street will be closed from State to in front of the Palace, and Main will be closed from the tracks to Church Street. Traffic will be maintained on State and Prospect streets. There is plenty of public parking in the main City lot at Prospect & Church, as well as behind the county building, at city hall and elsewhere if you are coming down to enjoy the show.

There are a lot of things happening around Marion this weekend …

… beginning with the Downtown Marion Market. The pie lady is back! (Set up in a different location, so look for her!) We’ll again have lots of baked goods, flowers, food, music and much, much more! So come join us … 4 – 7 p.m. every Friday on the sidewalks of West Center Street between Main & Prospect Streets.

Cruisin' For Dialysis is a fabulous car, truck and motorcycle show in Downtown Marion this Saturday, June 1! It gets started with opening ceremonies at noon, registration until 3:00, and goes through the awards ceremony about 6 p.m. There will be vehicles of all shapes, sizes, colors, years and more for spectators to take a look at. They also have some fabulous raffles prizes, so stop by the City Hall area to get in on that.

This car show supports a cause that is near to my heart because my father was on dialysis for three years. I know this group does good work. My father was lucky in that his Medicare and insurance supplement took care of most of the medical expenses, and I drove him there three times per week so he wasn't in need of transportation. Many, however, are too young for Medicare, don't qualify for Medicaid, and working a job when you are on dialysis is tough, if not impossible ... the process of taking every drop of blood out and running it through a machine to clean out the toxins is basically a 3 - 6 hour process depending upon the patient ... and the exhaustion is incredible. If you can't work, you most likely have no insurance. This group does the best it can on the funds they receive from this show to help patients purchase medicine, pay for transportation to and from dialysis, provide nutritional supplements, and more.

There are no "rules" for this show. If you have a car, truck or motorcycle you are proud of, bring it down. Registration begins late morning in the lobby of City Hall, and I believe it's just $12 per vehicle. Be generous when buying raffle tickets, or simply make a donation ... every little bit helps. For more information, go to www.cruisinfordialsys.com or call 740.224.6117.

And while you are on the www.visitmarionohio.com site, be sure to check out Marion’s Amazing Treasures. It’s a great way to have fun discovering the area you live in … and get qualified for prizes!

As always … where you eat, shop and play matters … please do it locally!

Karen