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What a wonderful couple of weekends we had on the waterfront in Marietta!
Following on the heels of yet another successful Ohio River Sternwheel Festival, our levee played host to a floating piece of history. The USS LST-325 brought one aspect of World War II naval history off the pages and onto our waterfront as visitors from across the region were able to walk aboard to learn about the ship and others like it.
Organizers of both the festival and the landing ship's visit are to be commended for capitalizing on both our location and our welcoming community.
Cheri Seevers, director general of the Sternwheel Festival, said she thought the event had been "perfect." And, indeed, those who attended the event would likely agree.
Meanwhile, Marietta-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Deana Clark called the LST-325 visit an "overwhelming success."
Both events were a boost for local shops, restaurants and hotels.
But Courtney Juranovich, the office operations manager for the LST 325 Memorial, gave high praise to Marietta and the Mid-Ohio Valley as host communities.
"Marietta has been wonderful to us," she said. "We have had a great turnout."
Local event organizers and economic development officials are always looking for new ways to bring that "wonderful" to our communities and our guests. They've gotten quite good at it.
"We thank everyone for coming out and supporting a great piece of history," Juranovich said. "We are thankful to Marietta. This has been a wonderful experience."
Yes, there's that word again. But "wonderful" seems to be the best way to describe the events that were pulled together for a sensational sendoff to summer.
Well done, folks. We'll be eagerly waiting to find out how you'll top it.