West Side Story: Harmar Days Festival wraps up hot weekend
Marietta resident Tom Voisinet cools off Sunday during the Harmar Days Festival. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
People attending the annual Harmar Days Festival visit vendor booths along Maple Street Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
From left, reigning Sternwheel Festival Queen Genevieve Amanda Rauch and her mother Dawn Rauch of Marietta chat with Kendall Queen, owner of Mountain Momma’s Mindfulls at her booth during the Harmar Days Festival Sunday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Gemma Martin dances as her father Matt, left, performs with Matt, the Phatman & Sasha on Sunday during the Harmar Days Festival. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Marietta-themed artwork created during a live art demonstration Saturday at the Harmar Days Festival is being sold in a silent auction this week to raise money for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company. (Photo provided by Allie Schultheis)
Marietta resident London Voisinet, left and her father Tom find a spot to cool off Sunday during the Harmar Days Festival. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Marietta resident Tom Voisinet cools off Sunday during the Harmar Days Festival. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
People attending the annual Harmar Days Festival visit vendor booths along Maple Street Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
From left, reigning Sternwheel Festival Queen Genevieve Amanda Rauch and her mother Dawn Rauch of Marietta chat with Kendall Queen, owner of Mountain Momma’s Mindfulls at her booth during the Harmar Days Festival Sunday. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Gemma Martin dances as her father Matt, left, performs with Matt, the Phatman & Sasha on Sunday during the Harmar Days Festival. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Marietta-themed artwork created during a live art demonstration Saturday at the Harmar Days Festival is being sold in a silent auction this week to raise money for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company. (Photo provided by Allie Schultheis)
Marietta resident London Voisinet, left and her father Tom find a spot to cool off Sunday during the Harmar Days Festival. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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MARIETTA -- Neither humidity nor rain seemed to dampen the spirits of people attending the Harmar Days Festival over the weekend.
"We have been beating the heat," said Allie Schultheis, communications chairwoman for the Historic Harmar Bridge Company, which owns its namesake and holds the annual festival to raise money for its repair and preservation. "We've had great turnout, great crowds, great energy throughout the weekend."
Saturday included a live art demonstration in partnership with the Parkersburg Art Center and Artsbridge. Thirteen artists produced works in a variety of media, all with a Marietta theme. The pieces were donated to the Historic Harmar Bridge Company for a silent auction going this week online at saveharmarbridge.com.
Crowds continued to listen to music Sunday and browse the wares of vendors along Maple Street, including Mountain Momma's Mindfulls, owned by Kendall Queen of Pennsboro. Queen said she first participated in the festival last year, invited by a friend who volunteers for it.
"I just really like supporting the community," she said. "I love that they're trying to restore the Harmar Bridge."
Larry Kress was in town from Florida for a Marietta High School reunion and heard about the event. He said there wasn't a lot going on in Marietta's west side when he lived here, so he and partner Chris Mack decided to check it out.
"It's his favorite hometown," Mack said.
She and Kress agreed they would have liked the weather conditions to be more different from back in the Sunshine State.
"We (were) hoping to get a little relief - but not so much," Kress said with a laugh.
Schultheis thanked members of the community for "continuing to show up year after year" to support the festival. It helps them raise money for local matches to grant funding to repair and preserve the bridge.
In the last six weeks, the Bridge Company has secured $2 million in grants, each requiring between a 5% and 20% match, Schulthies said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.