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Loft tour adds cookies, nonprofits to event

Photo by Janelle Patterson Michael "Moon" Mullen rearranges chairs Tuesday in the banquet room lofted above Over the Moon Pub & Pizza in preparation for Saturday's loft tour.

With 14 stops and empty cookie boxes ready to fill, Marietta Main Street’s annual holiday loft tour is back on the schedule Saturday.

“This is often the only time of the year where the public can explore those upper floors of our downtown buildings and learn some of the histories of downtown,” said Main Street Director Cristie Thomas.

Tickets are for sale online through 5 p.m. Friday at $20 per participant, then are available at the door of 204 Front St., Saturday beginning at 2 p.m. for $25 per person

“There are two twists this year, the first is the cookies–every ticket holder will receive not only a program of participating locations and an event wristband but also an empty cookie box,” said Thomas. “Then, each of the stops are giving away homemade cookies as part of the self-guided tours, and nine of the stops have partnered with local nonprofits to highlight the work they do.”

The 14 stops featured include:

• The Galley/Adelphia/Hackett Hotel.

• Incswell, second floor of 204 Front St.

• Hot Tomato Portraits in the Dime Bank building.

• Over the Moon Pub & Pizza.

• The First Congregational Church (tour of the sanctuary and bell towers).

• The bed and breakfast loft above Passiflora Studio in Harmar.

• Threadz.

• The Original Pizza Place.

• Sugar Maple Boutique.

• Green Acres of Marietta.

• Baker & Baker Jewelers.

* Jeremiah’s Coffee House.

* Wit & Whimzy.

*The final two stops feature discounted items for sale as a pop-up perk to ticket holders.

“The Riley Suite is going to be showcased for the loft tour here at the Hackett,” said Katie Radabaugh, marketing manager for the Galley, Adelphia and Hackett. “A lot of people don’t realize we have rooms up there and how unique a space it is. They don’t realize it was an old brothel years ago.”

Nonprofits joining in on the fun for the first year are the Marietta Noon Lions, MOV’n Dragons, GoPacks, Ely Chapman, The O’Neill Center, Humane Society of the Ohio Valley, the Boys and Girls Club, the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival committee and the Wood County Society of the MOV. Representatives will be on-site to highlight what they do.

“Of course we’ve paired with the humane society, we just love them,” said Michael “Moon” Mullen, owner of Over the Moon. “We always do it for the dogs.”

The pizza shop holds multiple fundraisers and drives for the canine and feline shelter throughout the year.

“Saturday, we’ll have the shelter members set up upstairs and hopefully encourage more memberships but then to piggyback off that we’re inviting people to come back later for our (fifth annual) ‘Three Dog Nights of Christmas’ benefit show,” said Mullen.

The benefit show kicks off two hours after the close of the loft tours, giving attendees time to grab dinner and pick up a bag of dog or cat food before listening to Moon and the Shiners at the pizza joint.

“And we’ll be collecting food all through December for the humane society if you can’t make it back that night,” said Mullen.

Janelle Patterson can be reached at jpatterson@mariettatimes.com.

How to participate:

• Purchase $20 tickets online at http://bit.ly/2019LoftTours, deadline: 5 p.m. Friday.

• Purchase $25 tickets in-person at 204 Front St., Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.

• Loft tours are self-guided, 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Source: Cristie Thomas.

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