The 18-by-18-foot long banner of the Constitution in front of the Washington County Courthouse to be signed Saturday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

More than 500 Washington County residents signed the traveling 18-by-18-foot banner of the Constitution on display in front of the courthouse in Marietta Saturday.

Beginning its journey in Seattle, Wa., and set to end in Washington, D.C., on July 4, the banner has been passed off from one community to the next, wrapped up and shipped off in multiple suitcases.

Three groups – Living Democracy, Indivisible MOV and the Democratic Women’s Party – caught word of the banner and reached out to the Backbone Campaign to see if it could make its way to Marietta for a day.

Living Democracy member Betsy Cook said it’s a great way to get the community together and participate in a nationwide campaign.

Cook said they reached out to a group in Springfield, Ohio and met halfway to retrieve the 700-foot-long banner and bring it to Marietta. Its next stop will be in Gambier which is northeast of Columbus.

Washington County residents gather at the courthouse to sign the traveling Constitution banner Saturday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Despite the dreary forecast, community members arrived at the courthouse to sign their names and write a message on the banner.

“It doesn’t have to be just your name, you can write something about democracy if you want,” said Lisa Bammerlin, a Washington County resident and member of Indivisible MOV. “We’ve had exactly 37 people sign since 10 o’clock.”

Bammerlin said there were people arriving before 10 a.m. to sign and write on the banner.

“It’s independent management,” she said. “We are managing it independently and taking it to the next community.”

The banner will arrive in Washington D.C. bearing the names of individuals all across the nation.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com