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

--

Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH   43302

740.382.2181

Wow!   Can you believe how the weather changed so quickly the past few days!  

The warmer air will soon have the trees and flowers here in Downtown Marion in glorious bloom.   A great time to get out and take a short walk to one of the fabulous stores and restaurants here in Downtown Marion. 

 

What the warm weather has also done is remind me that I need to get a note out to everyone that we are having a meeting on the Downtown Marion Market Tuesday, April 9, at 5:30 p.m. here at the CanDo/Marion Area Chamber of Commerce building at 205 West Center Street.  

The Market will run every Friday from May 10 - October 11, from 4 - 7 p.m.  The Market will set up on the sidewalks beginning at Main & Center Streets.  Vendors can include items that are homemade, home grown, or hand made.  This basically encompasses fruits, vegetables, sweets, art, crafts, and the like, as well as flowers & plants.    If you are interested in being included, please attend.  There's no obligation.  And if you can't make the meeting, just shoot me an e-mail or call me (740.382.2181) for additional information.  

 

A couple of new things this year include a grant from the Marion Area Council on Aging (thank you)

that will allow us to pass out some vouchers for low-income seniors to purchase food products.  We'll also occasionally have special events that coincide with the Market; as well as periodically featuring home-based businesses such as Advocare, Avon, Mary Kay and the like near Charleston Place.  

 

We'll keep the meeting to about an hour so that if you'd like to attend the Townhall Meeting on Heroin and Opiates at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday evening at Harding High School, you'll be able to make it.  Hundreds of communities just like ours struggle with this issue and this meeting, sponsored by The Marion Opiate Task Force and the Crawford-Marion Board of Alcohol, Drug Addition and Mental Health Services, will highlight how each of us can play a role in addressing this issue in our community.  If you have questions, just call the ADAMH Board located right here in Downtown Marion at 740.387.8531. Or read more about it at MARION ONLINE

  

Please be sure to add this date to your calendar ... the 11th Annual Downtown Earth Day Clean-Up will be held on Thursday, April 18th, at noon, at the Marion County Courthouse.  More on this event will be coming soon --- but trust me that most any event Angie Carbetta of the Marion County Recycling and Litter Prevention office organizes will be just clean fun!  : )

  

Also mark on your calendars the grand opening of the Barlow Art Center on Saturday, May 4.  Check out their web site at: http://www.MidOhioFineArtSociety.org to register as an artist for the show or booth space or as a community business. You can print out the registration forms and mail them in or pay online for your registration, tickets for May 3rd Donors dinner reception (seating is limited) or buy your RAFFLE TICKETS for - a 4'x2' oil painting by Artist Art Beery of the Marble-head Lighthouse $1000 value..will be raffled off at the Barlow Art Center Grand Opening MOFAS "Spring Fling Art Show" Saturday May 4th 5:00 tickets available online now. $1 each or $5 for 6.

  

The Palace Theatre has a movie this weekend, "Quartet", along with The Little River Band Saturday night ... plus so much more coming next week.  Just go to www.marionpalace.org for complete details.

 

 As always, where you eat, shop and play matters ... do it locally ... come to Downtown Marion.  

 

Karen
--

Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH   43302

740.382.2181

It may not feel like spring outside, but ...

It may not feel like spring outside, but you'll always get a warm reception at all of our Downtown Marion stores and restaurants.   We have some wonderful news we'll be sharing in early April ... Downtown Marion is really on the edge of some thrilling growth.  I'm so excited!

 Some things going on in the coming days include (be sure to read all the way to the end to find out how to win a free mower!) ...

Well first, I wanted to clear up some confusion regarding what's happening with Great Impressions and the Greenwood Floor Center.   They are NOT merging ...  each will continue to be found in their current locations.  They have simply formed a strategic alliance that will benefit both businesses -- smart business, if you ask me, that will help both businesses to continue keeping costs to their customers affordable.  Let's say you're remodeling and need new carpet ... well, you probably need new window treatments, as well.  So Great Impressions will have a display at Greenwood Floor & Design.  Both companies share certain vendors ... well, if they are able to share shipping costs, that's an expense that doesn't have to be passed along to a customer.  Greenwood Floor Center will now be known as Greenwood Floor & Design as they will also be carrying kitchen & bath components.  Greenwood Floor & Design will also be having a grand re-opening on April 12 ... stop by & check it out.  And if you haven't been in Great Impressions in a while, you've missed some spectacular jewelry, purses, and the really cool things they are doing repurposing old dressers, bookcases and the like.

Heritage Hall has some fun things coming up, and most of their events include a discount for members.  Not a Marion County Historical Society member?  Call 740.387.4255 for more information ... individual memberships are only $25 and the entire family can join for just $35. 

Night at Heritage Hall – an evening tour of Heritage Hall, by flashlight, with 30-50 interesting characters who bring history to life. March 22 & 23 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m.  Tickets are $8 for non members and $4 for members.     And if the flashlight tour is not to your liking – join us Thursday evening, March 21^st for a special VIP event with snacks and a wine tasting.   The lights will be on – but the excitement of learning about history will still be the main course ... $15 individual tickets, $25 per couple.   Hors d’ouevres compliments of Primrose; sweets compliments of our sweetest volunteer Helen Gatshall; and wine from Shamrock Vineyards.

A Rebellion to Remember, 5:30 p.m. on April 20^th at the May Pavilion for a dinner and panel discussion focusing on the Civil War.   Guest reenactors include Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Mother Bickerdyke and John Eggleston Johnston among others.   Historic style dinner compliments of Primrose and a wine tasting also from Shamrock Vineyards. There will also be a silent auction to help raise funds for the Historical Society.

There's always something going on at the historic Marion Palace Theatre, including a Show Choir Spectacular Thursday, March 21.  Just go to www.marionpalace.org for all of the details.

Back by popular demand, “Dueling Pianos” will take place at the Marion Palace Theatre May Pavilion in downtown Marion on Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m.

“Dueling Pianos” showcases the talents of two singer/pianists performing favorite music selections from the classics to today’s hits. The evening is complete with a bit of comedy,

dancing and singing by audience members and plenty of unforgettable and unique entertainment.

During the show, the performers are seated at two pianos. They take turns singing and playing songs that someone in the crowd requests. Once the music begins, the performers never take a break. It becomes a non-stop event. The crowd is asked to sing along and clap their hands in rhythm. Essentially, the audience IS the show, as opposed to the usual “entertainment” dance club or sports bar scene.   During the two hour event, the piano players take requests and perform songs from virtually any genre. The entertainers have an impressive repertoire of over 1,000 songs and play everything from Barry Manilow to Metallica.  If the audience loves the music, they can sit back and enjoy it.  If they don't, they can slap down a written request for the piano players to play something else.   People can ask to have a song played and people can ask to stop a song.   They can start a song war if they keep going back and forth.

“This is a see it to believe it; experience it to enjoy it event. The Palace first presented ‘Dueling Pianos’ in 2009. Those in attendance had so much fun we just had to bring these guys back,” states Marion Palace Theatre Executive Director, Bev Ford.  “It is an interactive experience that appeals to all musical tastes.   This show will get you out of your seat doing the Macarena or even a creating a chorus line.”

Tickets for “Dueling Pianos” at the Marion Palace Theatre May Pavilion are only $15.   Come as a group of 8 or more and the Palace will reserve a table for you. Seating will be at tables on the main floor and mezzanine levels creating the ideal place to meet friends for a drink, chat, relax and enjoy the entertainment.  A cash bar and concession items are available for purchase.

This weekend's movie:  In 2004, a devastating tsunami hit Southeast Asia. “THE IMPOSSIBLE” is the amazing true story of one family's journey of hope and survival in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time.

A regular family - Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor) and their three kids - travel to Thailand to spend Christmas. A perfect paradise vacation until a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth and a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward them; Maria and her eldest are swept one way, Henry and the youngest are carried in another direction.  The true-life terror is moderated by the astonishing displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family come upon during the darkest hours of their lives. Epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, “THE IMPOSSIBLE” is a journey to the core of the human heart.

The film received positive reviews from critics for its direction and its acting, especially for Watts who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

The film is rated PG-13 for intense realistic disaster sequences, including disturbing injury images and brief nudity; it runs 114 minutes.   “THE IMPOSSIBLE” will play at the Marion Palace Theatre Friday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 23, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 24, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Finally, E.E. Johnson at the corner of West Center Street and Kenton Avenue has some spring promotions ..
.
1. They are holding our annual Spring Open House at the store on Friday, April 5, from 8

a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 6, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.   Refreshments, door prizes, discounts, manufacturer reps, demos, samples, etc

2. They are giving away a Husqvarna LTH18538 (or LTH 2038) riding lawn mower valued at $1,499.95!!   Entries can be earned and bought as follows:
"LIKE" E.E. Johnson on Facebook and stop by the store to complete your registration(s).
No purchase is necessary to register as anyone can enter once, but if you do buy some turf & landscape products while you're at the store your odds of winning increase...

   Customers that make purchases up to $999 earn 2 entries
   Customers that make purchases of $1,000 to $4,999 earn 5 entries
   Customers that make purchases of $5,000 to $9,999 earn 10 entries
   Customers that make purchases of $10,000 and more earn 20 entries

Now, let's say you buy a mower before the drawing and win ... EE Johnson will give you $1,499.95 BACK!!  (If the original mower purchase price was more than $1,499.95.)   It's a WIN-WIN because you have a chance of winning a mower or saving almost $1,500 on the mower you bought at E.E. Johnson.

"Donate and Double Down"...you can buy additional entries (up to twice the amount you qualified for) for $5 cash money each.  All of the money raised will be donated back to the community.  Wow! 

Remember ... where you eat shop and play truly matters ... please do it locally!  

Karen

--

Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH   43302

740.382.2181

DOWNTOWN THURSDAY 12-13-2012

 SILENT AUCTION BEGINS AT 5:30 PM
 AT PARK PLACE  

WWW.DOWNTOWNMARION.COM

2012 Pnut Push and Christmas Parade !

CHRISTMAS STARTS IN DOWNTOWN MARION, OHIO !

Holidays in

Downtown Marion

Saturday, December 1

Breakfast with Santa = 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.

at The Warehouse

          Buffet:  $7.95 adults; $4.95 kids

WMRN Peanut Push to benefit the

Christmas Clearing House = 10:00 a.m.

West Center Street … just west of Prospect Street

   Hot Chocolate, Ornament & Face Painting at APEX Church’s Kidz Center (Center & Prospect Sts.) = 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Christmas Parade = noon

          Featuring Santa, bands and 13 floats

          Starts on East Center St. at Greenwood, then

          moves west on Center St. past the Palace Theatre.

Thank you to our generous parade sponsors: 

Carroll’s Jewelers, Frontier Communications, Kingston Residence of Marion, Kiwanis, Kohl’s, Marion Blue Racers, Marion Manor, Partners of Marion, Primrose Retirement Community, Promo Costumes, and Storad Label.

Free Children’s Movie, Palace Theatre = 1:30 p.m.

          “Arthur Christmas”

This highly reviewed 2011 release reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child's question: 'So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?'  The answer:  Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole.  But at the center of the film is a story about a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.

Our heartfelt thanks to these gentlemen for sponsoring this movie: 

Tom Bostic, Nick Chilton, Daryl Gates, Ted Graham, Carl Hughes,

Howard Smith and Lowell Thurston.

Happy Thanksgiving - Shop Local !

First I'd like to wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. Please remember that amid all the media hype about Black Friday, travel conditions, and the "perfect" Thanksgiving meal, the best Thanksgivings are spent simply enjoying time with family and friends. I was blessed to have a Thanksgiving lunch with my 10-year-old grandson at his school yesterday. The students had made place mats with the traditional turkey and he'd listed what he was thankful for. His list, in order, was, he was thankful for Jesus, his family, his friends, and his toys & video games. I remember smiling and thinking a) we all could take a lesson from this kid on what's important in life, including myself; and b) I need to tell his parents they are doing a good job.

Second, don't forget about our Shop Local program where you could win over $500 in local shopping just when you need it most! Details are attached, but to get started, just pick up your coupon sheet full of wonderful discounts to 25 area businesses at either Marion branch of the Ohio State Bank or Blue Fusion in the Marion Plaza.

Speaking of shopping locally, I know that EE Johnson is having some great Black Friday specials ... up to $2,000 off on a wide variety of items. Stop by, check it out and register for the Shop Local grand prize!

Great Impressions is getting a new batch of jewelry in today ... I always get compliments on my jewelry pieces from Great Impressions, which are also very reasonably priced for the great quality & style you get ... and register for the Shop Local grand prize!

The OSU-Michigan game is this Saturday {Go Bucks!} and I get really great OSU items at Home Again Stained Glass & more. You can also register for the Shop Local grand prize there.

Those "big name" jewelry stores down south don't have anything on our very own Carroll's Jewelry for that special jewelry item for your sweetheart ... and you can register here, too.

Find you need some great holiday decor and unique gifts, there are a number of Downtown stores that can help you out including Present & Past Home Decor, Crown Tower, and all of the stores of Charleston Place ... and guess, what? You can register for the Shop Local grand prize at each of them!

And last, but not least, start the holiday season off right by attending the Marion Civic Chorus and Orchestra's 71st annual presentation of Handel's "Messiah" at the Palace on Sunday, November 25th at 7:00 p.m. There is no admission fee, however, a freewill offering will be received.

Next weekend at the Palace is "Christmas at the Palace". This is another Palace tradition that I can also personally attest to the fact it's a fabulous event. Go to www.marionpalace.org for complete details on this and all of the other upcoming holiday events!

Remember, especially in the upcoming holiday season, where you eat, shop and play truly does matter ... please do it locally.

Karen

--

Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH 43302

740.382.2181

FOR RELEASE: Immediate

FINAL 2012 CASH MOB IS THURSDAY

 MARION, OH– The final Cash Mob for 2012 will be an all day affair on South Main Street this Thursday, October 25. Organized by Downtown Marion and the Marion Young Professionals, the Cash Mobs have been very well received by the businesses involved … and those who come to participate, as well. It was decided to do an all-day event to give people the opportunity to participate on their lunch hour as well as after work.

“A Cash Mob,” said Karen Herr, manager of Downtown Marion, “is a group of people who go en mass to support a local business – or in this case, multiple businesses.” Generally, Herr said, each person in the mob is asked to spend at least $10 in that location.  In this case, you can have breakfast or lunch at Baires, lunch or dinner at Maury’s On Main, and stop into a variety of businesses along the way.   “I think you’ll be surprised,” said Herr, “at the variety to be found on South Main Street.  Present and Past Home Décor is reminiscent of many stores found in Delaware with collectibles, Amish furniture, and some antiques.  Curiosity also has many collectibles that range from pocketknives to lighters, from Klingon batlifs to mid-evil daggers, and beer steins to Avon decanters.

The businesses participating are:

Baires - 131 South Main

Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Special or Discount: Free soft drink with lunch

Curiosity - 141 South Main

Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (open until 6 p.m. for this event)

Special or Discount: 10% off any purchase that day if you mention you're with the Cash Mob

Maury's On Main - 138 South Main

Hours: 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. (open until 6 p.m. for this event)

Special or Discount: mention you’re with the Cash Mob for that day’s special

Ohio State Bank - 111 South Main

Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Special or Discount: No fees on VISA gift cards if you mention you're with the Cash Mob

Present & Past Home Decor- 129 South Main

Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (special for this event)

Special or Discount:  20% off any regular priced item or 10% off any Amish item – will do layaway

Herr summed it up by saying, “Where you eat, shop and play is important, and Cash Mobs are an absolutely stupendous way to invest in our local community $10 at a time.”

Further information may be found by calling Herr at 740-382-2181.  Downtown Marion, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is the revitalization of downtown Marion as a central hub for the community.  

DATE: October 22, 2012

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Karen Herr, 740.382.2181

Marion Ohio has a new author! Local business man Rod Cooper who readily shares stories about local current events in Marion, will both frighten and amuse you as he reveals his daily real life experiences as a local purveyor of firearms. But Rod, for the past three years, has been harboring a secret. In his spare time he has been working on his gripping Sci-Fi novel "Goddesses of Asgard"  This adult sci-fi drama plays out in the future, rolling toward 2142. It is now available in hard bound and paperback directly from the publisher Trafford Books or at a slight discount from Amazon. Not recommended for the prudish nor children under the age of 18  This premier novel will sell out quickly, so get yours as soon as possible. If you hurry, you may be able to drop out and get Rod to sell you an autographed copy at the store, which is located at 1993 Harding Highway East in Marion, Ohio. 740-382-4998. 

In 2010, there is nothing about four-year-old Robert James Odom to suggest the accomplishments he will achieve in the future. In many regards, he is an average young boy from the Midwest, growing up on the shores of Lake Erie. But  

as an adult, success follows him. As a brilliant young entrepreneur, he develops a financial source to build his lifelong dream, a nightclub named Asgard where supernaturally beautiful and talented hostesses charm the patrons to purchase food, drinks, and souvenirs. Robert J. Odom Investments eventually becomes the most financially powerful force in the universe. But soon, prosperity results in disaster, power results in conflict, and friendships produce enemies. It’s a world filled with conquest, politics, seduction, intimidation, religion, and miscalculation. Rioting, crime, and sex slavery are common occurrences. As the year 2142 rolls around and the three remaining races face extinction, cousins Robert J. Odom V (called Bob 5) and Desmond Jericho Rand (called DJ), believe the answers are in a time travel discovery that would involve travel to the past to influence change. The pair know they cannot directly manipulate history, but through telepathic suggestions they can persuade the humans to make different choices. But what exactly should they change?

CASH MOB MONDAY OCTOBER 8TH - JOIN US!

Downtown Marion and The Marion Young Professionals have again partnered for a Cash Mob tonight, Monday, October 8, at the Marion Flower Shop, 1045 Each Church Street. We'll be there between 5:15 & 5:30 to do the mob. If you can't make it during that time frame, just stop in when you can and tell them you're part of the Cash Mob!     

From there, we'll be going to Stumpo's Italian Kitchen.   They've remodeled and reopened since that devastating fire earlier this year, so we're going to go check them out and support a locally-owned restaurant.
  
Stumpo's is located in the Servex Centre at 1292 Delaware Avenue.  
If you'd like to be part of the Cash Mob but need to get home, just call ahead and pick up a pizza, lasagna, or something yummy to take home.   Their number is 740.387.5900.    

Mark you calendars now for our next Cash Mob on Thursday, October 25.   This one will take place entirely in Downtown Marion. Details coming soon!   

Remember, where you eat, shop and play matters, and here's the chance to do it locally!  

Karen    

 -- 

Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH   43302

740.382.2181

DOWNTOWN MARION MARKET

SET TO RESUME FRIDAY

MARION, OH – The Downtown Marion Market was off a week due to the Marion Popcorn Festival, but will resume this Friday, September 14. Markets will run from 4 – 7 p.m. every Friday through October 12.

In what is described as an open air market atmosphere, vendors set up on the sidewalks beginning at the corner of Main and Center streets near the Ohio State Bank and former PNC Bank locations and move west on Center Street. Setting up on the sidewalks, organizers felt, would leave plenty of parking spaces on the street open for those coming to the Downtown Market.

“This has been fairly successful for a first-time venture,” said Karen Herr, manager of Downtown Marion. “We decided to include anything handmade, homemade or homegrown and that has given the Downtown Marion Market a nice variety with something that interests most everyone.” According to Herr, vendors’ wares include tomatoes, sweet corn, melons, honey, green beans, pies, breads, pumpkin breads, jewelry, quilts, noodles, cookies, scent tarts, hair accessories, mums, Amish rugs, and even hula hoops.

According to Herr, in the past Downtown Marion was the place to be on Friday nights … the streets were packed with both shoppers and social events. “We can’t totally recreate that atmosphere from the 1950s or ‘60s,” said Herr, “but what we can do is provide a venue to encourage people to come and experience Downtown Marion as it is now. It’s come a long way in the past 10 years and we want people to have a share in the revitalization of Downtown Marion.”

Herr noted there are a variety of restaurants within a short distance of the market, including Baires and Maury’s on Main, both on South Main Street, The Candy Shack & Café inside Charleston Place, Infinity in the historic Harding Hotel, and the Warehouse located in the former inter urban railway building on West Center. She also indicated that many of the stores will be having sidewalk sales, as well. “You can come early,” said Herr, “and visit Heritage Hall and the Wyandot Popcorn Museum … then visit the market … do a little shopping … grab a bite to eat ... and top off the evening by going to the Palace Theatre as there is generally an event or movie most Friday evenings.


“My mantra has been, ‘Where you eat, shop and play matters … do it locally,’” said Herr. “The Downtown Marion Market provides the perfect opportunity to do all three.”

For further information, or if you are interested in becoming a vendor, call Herr at 740-382-2181 or event coordinator Cindy Charpie at 740-361-2940. Downtown Marion, Inc. is a non-profit organization whose mission is the revitalization of Downtown Marion as a vibrant central hub for the community.

"Where were you when the world stopped turning" is a song by Alan Jackson that epitomized the myriad of feelings Americans felt in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I don't think I fully comprehended the horror that my grandparents felt on December 7, 1941 until that day. And like Pearl Harbor or the Kennedy assassination, it's one of those events that you'll always remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard.

                                

For me, I was getting ready for a presentation I had to make at 10. I'd turned on WMRN-FM for some background music and heard Scott Shawver saying that if you were near a television, you should turn it on. It wasn't only the extremeness of having a radio announcer tell you to turn on your television that caught my attention, but the solemness of his voice that held a slight break as if he was hurting. And then I turned on the television ...

Jacque Laipply

I thought of that this morning as I listened to Jacque Laipply on the radio with Jeff Ruth. She was living and working in Manhattan then, along with her brother who worked in Tower 5 but regularly had meetings in Tower 2. He'd left his mother a message here in Marion after the first plane struck that he was okay because he was in the "other tower". Then the second plane hit and the phone service in Manhattan went down for hours. I can't even imagine what Ron and Effie went through wondering if the "other tower" was Tower 2 or even Tower 7. Thankfully, both of their children.   For many others, however, that was not the case.

So as you complete your work today and head for home, take a moment to reflect on that day. Make sure your children understand the importance of September 11 and of the sacrifices by so many firefighters, police officers, and others who died. But most importantly, as Alan Jackson so eloquently paraphrases from the book of Corinthians, "Faith,hope and love are some good things He gave us...and the greatest is love."
Take a moment tonight to hug your family and tell them you love them. 

Karen

Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH 43302

740.382.2181

Festival Notes: The Downtown streets will be closing at 6:00 on Tuesday (today). Most of East Center Street, and the cross streets, will close at 5:00 
p.m. on Thursday for the parade. If you are coming Downtown after that time and don't wish to get caught in parade street closings & traffic, I suggest you come into the Downtown from the north or west. I've attached a Festival schedule of events (the only thing not on it is the Cornhole Tournament which takes place on Saturday ... if you have any further questions or need additional information, please go to www.popcornfestival.com.

The Marion Popcorn Festival will be popping into Downtown Marion this week for the 32nd time. I’d like to invite everyone to come and enjoy the festivities. While you’re Downtown for the Marion Popcorn Festival, I challenge each and every one of you to stop into a business you’ve never been in before. There is a wide variety of things to choose from … lots of OSU items, stained glass, jewelry, coffee & tea, musical instruments, clothing, books, Christian items, art, kid’s clothes, dolls, bicycles, pocket knives, depression glass, antiques, and great restaurants (see below). Be sure to visit the Wyandot Popcorn Museum located in Heritage Hall, or stop into the Palace Theater’s box office to check out their upcoming season.

Local Restaurants open during Festival: While there will be plenty of great fried food at the Festival, these wonderful Downtown Restaurants will be open for your eating pleasure:

Baires = Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, 8:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Candy Shack & Cafe' = Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Thursday - Saturday, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Infinity = Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, 11 - 2 & 5 - 9; Saturday, 5 - 10 p.m. Maury's on Main = Wednesday - Saturday, 8 a.m. - 11 p.m. The Warehouse = Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, 11 - 3 & 5 - 9; Saturday, 5 - 10 p.m.

Brief Festival History. If you are old enough to remember 1981, Marion was in the midst of a major economic downtown. Factories were closing, jobs were leaving, and you could hear people ‘joking,’ “The last one out of town, please turn off the lights.” The original Festival committee was made up of local businessmen, community leaders and the mayor. Their goal was to throw a festival that would be a positive for the Marion area, something that would boost the morale of the entire community. Then they took it one step further and decided to do something that every year would put the name of our community on the map by providing big name entertainment on a stage in Downtown Marion free of charge.

Wow! Think about that. They put the original Festival together in few short months – a process that now takes nearly a year – and set in motion a legacy that still benefits our community today. Now the second largest festival in the state and the largest popcorn festival in the world, I believe the original goals have been met in spades. Every year the entire city looks forward to seeing who’s coming to the main stage, who won the queen’s contest, what’s on the Showcase Stage or what food to eat. We often meet friends – and sometimes extended family – that we haven’t seen since the last Marion Popcorn Festival. And the Festival has definitely put Downtown Marion on the map. It’s been featured on three national networks and on radio stations, newspapers and magazines across the nation. We’ve had visitors from Scotland who came to Marion to not only see their favorite act, but to experience life in a typical American city. College roommates strewn across the country – with no ties to Marion – have met here during the Festival … and many of the entertainers themselves have walked the streets of our Downtown blogging positive words thereafter.

Remember ... where you eat, shop, and play matters ... please do it locally!

Karen

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Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH 43302

740.382.2181

CASH MOB!!! We'll be meeting tonight, Thursday, August 30, for a Cash Mob. Just meet me in the City parking lot on the corner of Church and Prospect streets about 5:15 - 5:30 pm. The store we'll be going to has LOTS of great items for both men and women. Remember, we just ask that you spend at least $10 to support a locally-owned store ... and have fun while doing it!

From there, we'll head over to Maury's on Main about 6:00 for our After Party. They are just opening to the public and will have a limited menu for us ... or you can simply grab something to drink ... and be one of the first to experience this new Downtown restaurant. I think it will become a great addition to our list of already fabulous restaurants ... all with something a little different to offer.

Close your eyes and imagine fresh green beans with ham & potatoes ... with cherry or cream pie for dessert! Well, you can pick up those green beans and pies at the Downtown Marion Market ... Friday from 4 - 7 p.m.  Having a cookout this weekend? The sweetcorn is fabulous, and Kevin tells me that he's now got watermelon and it's mouthwatering good. I know I managed to gain weight by just being near all of the fabulous pies, cookies and breads the past few weeks ... and we've got tomatoes, honey, goat milk soap, quilts, jewelry, mums, noodles and more!

GO BUCKS!! It's football season, and there are many stores in Downtown Marion which carry unique and interesting OSU items, including Home Again Stained Glass & More, Southern Accents in Charleston Place, Crown Tower, Carroll's Jewelers, This N That, and probably more that I've forgotten. Why go out of town when you have a plethora of items in a wide variety of price ranges? GO BUCKS!!

Remember, where you eat, shop and play truly matters ... please do it locally!

Karen

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Karen Herr

Manager, Downtown Marion, Inc.

205 West Center Street, Suite 130

Marion, OH 43302

740.382.2181