On Saturday, May 16, Marietta will take the fun to the streets. The annual Marietta Day festivities will run along seven blocks of Market Street, which will be closed to vehicles, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A rain date for the event is set for Sunday, May 17.

Highlights of Marietta Day include tables of yard sale items, said Bob Heiserman, event coordinator.

"We have residents reserve spots in front of their house, and if they don't live in the event area, but they live (in) town, they can reserve a spot along Market Street," he explained. "The streets are closed from Perry to Locust streets."

Outside vendors are also included in the event.

"We have some people who have come for years," Heiserman said. He added that an artisan section will also be set up.

"We reserve about 40 spaces in a designated area for people who make art - jewelry, painting, woodcraft, stone craft," he stated. "We also have numerous food trucks coming - I think about 12 this year."

He noted that organizers carefully select the food trucks to not compete with the restaurants in Marietta.

"We have a pizza shop in town. We have a coffee shop in town," he said. "We have a barbecue place in town. We try not to duplicate those with our food trucks."

Participating food trucks will include Bricker's Fries, Joe's Fish and Rita's Italian Ice.

"The Marietta Boat Club sells sausage sandwiches every year," Heiserman said. "The Lions Club sells roast beef sandwiches."

Restaurants and bars in Marietta will be open during Marietta Day, along with businesses in the borough.

The event draws more than 200 vendors, selling everything from household items to specialty clothing.

"It's a big variety," Heiserman said. "You never know what you're going to find."

Marietta Day has a long history. It began in the late 1960s when a resident named Mary Ann Ruby came up with the idea.

"She lived on West Market Street, and this was something she thought of for the borough," Heiserman said. "This was before the term 'yard sale' became popular. She called it 'attic and cellar day,' and it ran spontaneously every year."

In 1979, Marietta Restoration Associates assumed responsibility for Marietta Day, and the organization ran it for two years under the direction of Dave White, Heiserman said.

Then, an organization called Main Street Marietta formed, and a grant provided funding for 10 years as the group oversaw the event before the Marietta Area Business Association (MABA) took over in 1992.

"That's when I started running it," Heiserman said, noting that he's helped in organizing the event by Pat Shinkosky, Suzanne Rende, Susan Snider, Molly Fisher and Steve Ulrich.

"This event has evolved over the years," he remarked. "We've had a 5K run during the event in the past. We've had belly dancers. We've had cloggers. We've had speakers. There was a supper dance after it one year. There was an antique car show connected with it, a quilt show and the Zembo String Band played. We've also had other bands, but we don't do the music anymore. We leave that to the Cherry Blossom and Blues and Brews events in Marietta."

Residents who live in the borough pay no fee to participate in Marietta Day, but money from other participants supports the nonprofit MABA in its efforts in Marietta.

"We have a subcommittee called the Beautification Committee, and we take care of the square," Heiserman said. "We take care of the planters. We also take care of the cherry trees on Front Street, and we mow that area. We also support community efforts like the Marietta Community House."

He noted that Marietta Day typically draws a crowd of more than 3,000 people.

It's a good opportunity to bring people into the borough, he said.

"We have a lot of people who come in for our events, and they say, 'Man, I never knew Marietta was so beautiful and so historic,'" he said. "It's amazing how many people say, 'I've lived in this county my whole life, and I've never been to Marietta.' Come to Marietta Day. You'll see we have a lot of neat things in Marietta."

For more information, visit http://www.discovermariettapa.org and click on the "Events" tab.