If you've got the blues, bring them to Marietta on Saturday, Oct. 8, and you'll be in good company. That's the date of the Marietta Blues and Brews Street Festival, featuring live entertainment, food and vendors. The event will run from 1 to 6 p.m.

The festival will be held along Front Street in Marietta, between McCleary's Public House, located at 130 W. Front St., and River Trail Brewing, located at 40 E. Front St. Live music will be featured on outdoor stages at both locations, said Dodd Gross, entertainment director of McCleary's.

"Pre-COVID, Marietta bar venues had two pub crawls a year," Gross stated. As Craig Trissler, owner of River Trail Brewing, explained, "We had a meeting with other restaurant owners to discuss events that would help bring people to the area, and we decided to try music festivals to replace the pub crawls." The first event, the Marietta Music and Beer Fest, was held in July. The Blues and Brews Street Festival will operate in much the same way, Gross said. "We set up our street stage in the middle of the street with two bands," he recalled. "So, we're going to do it again at the Blues and Brews."

At McCleary's, Moe Blues will perform from 1 to 3 p.m. Gross described the group as "an awesome traditional harmonica-driven blues band from Lancaster." From 4 to 6 p.m., Six Whiskey Revival will entertain. "They perform hard-driving blues and rock," Gross remarked. After the official festival concludes, Little Buddy Blues Band will perform inside McCleary's from 9 to 11:30 p.m. At River Trail Brewing, the Octavia Blues Band will perform for the duration of the festival. The four-piece group features high-energy blues mixed with jazz, funk and R&B.

Trissler said the Blues and Brews Street Festival is meant to bring people into Marietta, to showcase restaurants in the town and to provide a fun afternoon. "McCleary's and our place are the places that will have a stage, but Nick's Bistro and Shank's Tavern are also participating," he stated. Front Street will be closed to traffic, allowing festivalgoers to peruse vendors, enjoy food trucks and take in everything the festival will offer, he said, adding, "People will be able to see great musicians and have really good food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere."

For more information on the event, search for "Blues & Brews Street Festival" on Facebook.