Ellis, Ronald Reagan, and Sausage Sandwiches

Marietta was the quietest I've ever heard it Sunday morning. Everyone seemed hungover from Marietta Days on Saturday.

Now Marietta Days isn't really "days." It's just one day, one day of closing down Market Street and lining it with vendors, sidewalk sales, food and whoknowswhats.

Barb and Alyssa agreed that they would have a sidewalk sale in front of our house this year. For weeks Barb has gathered stuff from our basement and throughout the family, and its collected in the front room. Saturday it met the street. It must have been pretty successful because far less came back into the house than went out.

Now its time to call the junk man.

I keep my involvement in Marietta Days to a minimum. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kinda' big and scarey. If I'm standing behind some sale items people just don't approach like they would with Barb and Alyssa working their saleswomanship out there.

For me Marietta Days is about Youndt's sausage sandwiches. This year it was also about family dropping in, and bumping into local friends we haven't seen in awhile.

As for the sausage sandwiches - I had two. They're big, grilled perfect, served with sauce, green peppers, and onions. I had my first one at 8:50 a.m. It's so good.

As for family, our nephew Ellis stole the show with his energy and "squishy" dinosaur. Ellis's energy is boundless and he sprinted from corner to corner of the house, to the sidewalk, to the back porch, and all over again. When he first arrived he took off upstairs to look for Freckles. I went along to play "lion tamer" if necessary. Freckles was no where to be found.

"C'mon," I said. "I know a few places he likes to hide."

Ellis would not be content until he said "Hi," to Freckles.

We found him on the first floor under a couch. Ellis gave him a couple hello growls. Freckles watched with concern.

Around 1 p.m., after my second sausage sandwich, I went upstairs to rest for an hour. Ellis followed me quickly and looked in the bedroom and said, "Goodnight Uncle Jim." Then took off, leaving me to rest.

Out on the sidewalk the instant hit was my Ronald Reagan mask. Right at the start of the sales day a few customers expressed serious interest in the mask. It was a mask I was given from a Halloween shop when I did an odd election story in Philadelphia. It went quick at $10.

Marietta has always had a reputation of being a little weird. Marietta Days provides us with a nice, up-close glimpse of that.

I'm OK with weird though. Austin, Texas started a business campaign called "Keep Austin Weird." It was a big hit. And I think it would be appropriate for Marietta too.

"Keep Marietta Weird"