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Harmar Days Festival draws a crowd in Marietta

Event focuses on area artists, musicians

By Evan Bevins 4 min read

MARIETTA -- Sure, it was hot, but with the wind and rain hitting on Friday afternoon before the 2023 Harmar Days Festival officially began, organizers are counting the weekend's weather as cooperative.

"I couldn't be happier," said Larry Sloter, chairman of the board for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, which puts on the festival. "The weather has cooperated in a way we did not expect."

Final numbers hadn't been tallied Sunday afternoon, but Sloter said he was confident close to 20,000 people would have come through over the course of the three-day event by the time things wound down that evening.

"This year has blown anything else that we've ever done out of the water," said Aaron Oliver, co-owner of B.A. Family Concessions and a member of the festival committee. "All the way around, the numbers are up."

Oliver's business provided games and concessions like cotton candy and candy apples at the event. He had to sell the large trailer they used to use when events ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, but recently purchased a smaller one. They got it ready for Harmar Days over the last three weeks.

"I'm glad to be back," Oliver said.

The festival is a way to raise funds both to restore the Harmar Bridge so it can once again connect Marietta's west side and downtown and maintain the rail cars and grounds the nonprofit company owns, said Allie Schultheis, a member of the board and chairwoman for the festival.

"Our community has really shown up for us this year, especially after a year of economic hardship," she said. "This festival isn't possible without our community partners."

The focus this year was on showcasing local artists, music and crafts, Schultheis said. The food trucks set up were from Ohio and West Virginia.

"Everything is really community related and small business driven," Schultheis said.

Lynn Cox, of LC Designs, set up under a tent along Maple Street with two other artists, Judy Keith and Hannah Eller, affiliated with the cooperative at the Parkersburg Art Center's clay lab.

"It's been a great event," she said. "The customers have just been fantastic - extremely interested in the process."

Furniture and decorations made by Marietta resident Caitlin Thomas, of CT Pallet Designs, were turning heads. They were crafted from wood she had scavenged from pallets and scrap.

"You can find some really beautiful pieces, types of wood that way," she said.

Canton resident Eric Strickland brought his Funky Designs concrete jewelry, art and decor to the festival after finding out it fell on a free weekend for him.

"I love Marietta, so ... I worked it into my schedule," he said.

Strickland attended Marietta College and got married in the Pioneer City.

"My favorite has been seeing people that I went to school with and reconnecting with people I haven't seen in 25, 30 years," he said.

His work caught the eye of Heather Westbrook and Christian Henry, who were in the area from Denver to visit family and staying at an Airbnb across the street from the festival.

"It just kind of happened with timing," Westbrook said. "Being from a big city, it's nice just to see these small-town traditions. It's quite easy to fall in love with all the nostalgia here."

Marietta resident Morgan Tebay was attending the festival for the first time as well, along with various family members.

"We're excited to look at all the local vendors and really excited about the food trucks," she said.

Other activities throughout the weekend included live music, a petting zoo and a car show on Saturday. Among the entries in that event was a pink 1966 Dodge Dart that had come a long way since owner Karen Boothe acquired it.

"It was a basket case when I got it," she said. "I can't tell you how many parts were missing."

Staff reporter Kristen Hainkel contributed to this story.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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