Marietta Main Street Hosts 2023 Annual Celebration

Once a year, we take time to uplift and celebrate area leaders, volunteers, business owners, and property owners who have positively contributed to downtown Marietta. We invite folks from across the Marietta community to nominate individuals, groups, and/or businesses who they feel are worthy of this year's award categories.

The top three nominees in most categories will be celebrated and the award winners will be recognized during our Annual Celebration, our spin on an annual meeting, being held Thursday, October 19th starting at 5:30pm at the Adelphia Music Hall in downtown Marietta, Ohio.

MAIN STREET AWARD CATEGORIES

  • Building Improvement Award To be awarded to a building/business owner with the most improved façade or strongest building development project in 2021.

  • Outstanding Collaboration Award To be awarded to the event/project that showcased a strong collaboration of local organizations to make a positive impact on downtown Marietta, Ohio in 2021.

  • Overachiever of the Year Award To be awarded to an individual who has gone above and beyond in championing the Main Street mission in both revitalizing downtown and of preserving and enhancing our downtown for all to enjoy in 2021.

  • Community Builder Award To be awarded to an individual who has facilitated the development of our downtown community and unified people for the betterment of Marietta, Ohio.

  • Volunteer of the Year Award - Individual To be awarded to an individual who has volunteered their time and talents to support downtown Marietta and/or nonprofit organizations that call downtown Marietta their home.

  • Volunteer of the Year Award - Group To be awarded to a group who has volunteered their time and talents to support downtown Marietta and/or nonprofit organizations that call downtown Marietta their home.

  • Main Street Award Categories - Just for “Downtowner” Nominations

  • Best Neighbor Award To be awarded to a downtown neighbor (business owner, property owner, employee, etc.) who is always willing to offer a helping hand to fellow "downtowners"


Marietta Main Street Public Art Committee Installs Post Street Mural Gallery

The bump-outs along Post Street are enjoying a fresh pop of color now that Marietta Main Street’s Public Art Committee has installed its Mural Gallery installation. Three sculpted frames were designed and fabricated by local artist Todd Morrow, each featuring two works of art by local artists. The Post Street Mural Gallery was envisioned and commissioned by the Public Art Committee and supported by donations from community businesses and residents.

Six pieces of art by local artists were selected from a total of 92 submissions. The artists whose work was selected are Jessica King, Jon Eells, Beth Nash, Liz Davenport, Cam Benson, and Joe Ryckebosch. The curated collection showcases a variety of style and media, from mixed-media collage to oil and digital painting to sharpie.

Morrow is a Marietta artist and sculptor who specializes in sculptures made from found objects. Each of the three frames has a distinct personality, made with a variety of found objects from wrenches to gears and springs. The frames feature a double-sided metal panel with vinyl applied to each side featuring the artwork selected from local artists, visible to both pedestrians on the walking path and drivers along Post Street.

“It’s been a great experience working on this project with Todd Morrow for the past year and a half and it is so wonderful to see the pieces finally installed,” said Bobby Rosenstock, chair of the Public Art Committee. “Todd is a skilled builder and welder but he is also a great artist. There is so much thought that goes into everything he does beyond surface construction. For these three pieces, Todd came up with the concept of an industrial frame that slowly morphed into a natural frame as you went along the bike path, to represent the industrial and natural history of Marietta.”

Getting to spend a few days in Morrow’s shop, he had an incredible story for just about every spring, rod, old tool, etc that is welded and manipulated on these frames, said Rosenstock. “Stories of who and where these bits of ‘junk’ came from, coming together to build these incredible works of art, help tell the stories of Marietta,” he said. “These unique works of art that are framing other pieces of art, represent Marietta to me on so many levels. So go check them out, look closely at all of the time and detail that went into creating them, and enjoy.”

The Post Street Mural Gallery was sponsored by Denyse Fordham, Susan Boyer, Merrill Lynch, the Rivers, Trails and Ales Festival, Wark Accounting, and JustAJar Design Press, and supported by donations from Syrie Roman, Sherm Koons, Tammy Morrow, Linda and Joe Veraldo, Judith Phillips, and Rebecca Phillips. The Public Art Committee would also like to thank Debbie Waterman for assisting Todd Morrow with the frames and installation, the City of Marietta for their support and site preparations, West Side Sign Co. for printing the art, and community members who have donated to the Marietta Main Street Public Art Committee.

“What we now have on Post Street is a beautiful display of art created by very talented artists. We are very fortunate in that we have such a diverse pool of artists in our region and the fact that we received 92 amazing submissions of work for this mural gallery is proof of that,” said Jen Tinkler, Executive Director of Marietta Main Street. “Each piece is a representation of the artists’ skills and techniques. I am in awe of the talent that is now on display along the bike path. We have created a public art corridor that starts by walking through the tunnel under the Putnam Street Bridge and leads the traveler right down Post Street.”

BUILD UP MARIETTA FALL SPRUCE UP GRANT NOW LIVE!

We are thrilled to announce that we have brought back Build Up Marietta, a building improvement grant program for the C4 District managed by Marietta Main Street. Our Fall Cycle for Build Up Marietta starts today! 

Our Fall Spruce Up Flash Grant will award up to $5,000 or 50% of project costs to downtown building and business owners for exterior and/or interior building improvements. 

Projects can include: 

Interior improvements, such as lighting fixtures, plumbing/HVAC, flooring, painting/drywall, permanent fixtures, mechanical/electrical, accessibility compliance, and support mechanisms are eligible. 

Exterior improvements such as painting, brick maintenance, new or replacement awnings, lighting, new or replacement signage, & door/window repair, or outdoor dining/seating are eligible. 

Timeline for the 2023 Fall Spruce Up Grant Flash Grant: 

Application Live: Monday, August 7th

Application Deadline: Monday, September 25th

Awards Announced: Friday, September 29th

Project Completion & Final Report Deadline: Friday, March 29, 2024

 

All funds for the Build Up Marietta program are distributed on a reimbursement-only basis. This program is administered by Marietta Main Street in alignment with our mission to promote, preserve, and enhance downtown Marietta according to the Main Street Approach.  

Build Up Marietta: Summer Spruce Up Flash Grant now live!

We are thrilled to announce that we are bringing back Build Up Marietta, a building improvement grant program for the C4 District managed by Marietta Main Street. Our Summer Cycle for Build Up Marietta starts today! 

Our Summer Spruce Up Flash Grant will award up to $5,000 or 50% of project costs to downtown building and business owners for exterior and/or interior building improvements. 

Projects can include: 

Interior improvements, such as lighting fixtures, plumbing/HVAC, flooring, painting/drywall, permanent fixtures, mechanical/electrical, accessibility compliance, and support mechanisms are eligible. 

Exterior improvements such as painting, brick maintenance, new or replacement awnings, lighting, new or replacement signage, & door/window repair, or outdoor dining/seating are eligible. 

Timeline for the 2023 Summer Spruce Up Grant Flash Grant: 

Application Live: Thursday, June 29th 

Application Deadline: Tuesday, July 25th 

Awards Announced: Friday, July 28th 

Project Completion & Final Report Deadline: Friday, January 26th 

 

All funds for the Build Up Marietta program are distributed on a reimbursement-only basis. This program is administered by Marietta Main Street in alignment with our mission to promote, preserve, and enhance downtown Marietta according to the Main Street Approach.  

Christmas in July Parade

On Saturday, July 22nd at 5 p.m., our Christmas in July Parade will hit the streets of downtown Marietta! You read that right - we're hosting a Christmas in July Parade downtown to bring the community together for fun in the sun with the big jolly guy himself, Santa Claus!

Want to join in on the fun? Registration is only $40.

FLOAT GUIDELINES

  • Distributing candy is permitted but please do not throw it and create a mess on the streets.

  • This is a family-friendly parade and we encourage you to get in the spirit of Christmas in July

  • Live animal units are fully responsible for their own immediate clean-up.

  • Santa Claus will be on the final float of the parade, coordinated by Marietta Main Street. We ask that Santa Claus not be included on any other floats.