The jubilee at Armory Square on Friday will mark the final one of the season and will also be the last for event founder Mayor Michael Mullen, whose term is up this year.
Mullen is running for a city council seat but is not seeking re-election as mayor.
"I have no way of knowing what will happen next year (with the jubilees) but I will certainly assist the next mayor or the Friends of the Armory if they want it to continue," Mullen said. "Anything I can do to help, it would be something I would enjoy very much."
Article Photos
Stacy Grubb
Over the eight years that Mullen has been in the mayor's office, there have been 30 of the Mayor's Third Friday Jubilees.
The first concerts were held in the summer of 2003 in the midst of a major cleanup effort for the armory.
"Some of our objective (in having the concerts) was to prove how important the armory is as a place for the community to gather," Mullen said. "The more consistently we do these types of events, the more people from out of town will think of Marietta as their special event destination. It really is a great way to market Marietta."
Fact Box
If You Go
What: Final Mayor's Third Friday Jubilee of the season.
When: Friday, beginning at 6 p.m.
Where: Armory Square on Front Street in Marietta.
Who: Performances by the Mud Ducks at 6 p.m., Stacy Grubb Band at 7 p.m.
For information: Contact the mayor's office at 373-1387 or visit mariettoh.net.
According to Mullen, tens of thousands of people have gathered over the years to enjoy the many bluegrass, folk and country musicians that have been invited to perform, including Johnny Staats, Stewed Mulligan, Connie Townsend and the GinSangers, The Slack Family Bluegrass Band, Grasstowne and others. The final jubilee of the season will feature the Stacy Grubb Band and the mayor's band, The Mud Ducks, as the opening act.
"It's always inspiring to be on the stage with these national acts," Mullen said.
The Stacy Grubb Band consists of Stacy Grubb, a native of McDowell County in West Virginia, guitar player Brandon Davis, of Virginia, banjo player Eric Hardin, of North Carolina, Bryan McDowell, of North Carolina on fiddle and mandolin and Beth Lawrence, bass player from Tennessee.
Grubb says she has been influenced by the likes of Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert and Waylon Jennings. But perhaps the biggest and earliest influence was her father, Alan Johnston.
"Dad would sing those sad songs and tell me about how he and my grandma would sit around the record player and just cry and cry listening to them," Grubb said in a statement. "They loved it and I did, too. It just made sense to me that a song's worth should be measured by how sad it can make you feel."
Friday's event will also include at least a couple vendors from the River City Farmers Market.
For those who might be lamenting the end of the summer concert series, a CD entitled "Moon Over" features several live performances from 2009. Musicians on the CD include Mullen, Staats, Todd Burge, Rob Schafer, Sherm Koons, Scott Carnahan and Mike Vigue. The CD is available at Over the Moon Pizzeria with the purchase of a brick for the Armory Square Community Walk from the WASCO website at www.wascoinc.org. "Pickin' parties" and jam sessions will also continue at the pizzeria at 107 Front St.
As for his time as mayor winding down, Mullen sad he was both apprehensive and grateful.
"Change is often a bit scary but I've loved every minute of it and I wouldn't change a thing," he said. "I learned a lesson from my grandfather to leave a place better than you found it. I hope that has been accomplished."
