A late afternoon thunderstorm in Marietta had me viewing the city in a new light Wednesday.
Actually, there was no light through most of the city -- the storm knocked out power downtown and in several neighborhood areas. It was strange to stroll down a dark Putnam Street and then see a fully powered glowing Harmar on the other side of the Muskingum River.
So some people had power and others didn't, but surprise, surprise, I think the people without power Wednesday had much more fun.
At the Marietta Times, there wasn't much we could do -- most of the computers were dead and the phones were down. Although downtown had been without power since 4:30 p.m., the power at the Times didn't go out until 8 p.m.
Sneaking a peek outside, we encountered a Marietta Fire truck in our parking lot. The power outage had tripped the building's alarm and they were checking to make sure things were okay. It had been a full day for the city's fire crews. Minutes after the storm swept through, firemen spread across the city reporting to various wind damages, several lightning strikes, three downed trees, and two inquiring journalists.
Being outside for the first time since chasing the same fire crews through the rain, I was pleasantly surprised to find out it had turned into a beautiful spring evening. I borrowed a cell phone to call my fellow reporter Brad Bauer and we decided to meet up downtown and walk the city to see how Marietta's nightlife was coping without power.
My first impression of downtown Marietta at 8:15 p.m. was that I've never seen so many people out in the city with no specific event or place to go. It was as if the storm's winds had picked up a few dozen folks from their homes and then plopped them down to fill and wander the streets of Marietta.
"We came home to no power, so we came out for a walk," Marietta resident and former Washington State Community College President Carson Miller said as we crossed him on Front Street. "I guess there's no 'West Wing' or 'American Idol' for people tonight," he said with a laugh. Ironically, Wednesday was the middle of Turnoff-TV week, and many residents found themselves involuntarily participating that evening.
Further down Front Street, Marietta's nighttime businesses were bustling, even without light. If couples were looking for that romantic candlelight dinner, places such as Austyn's and the Town House kept the wax burning. Burning the midnight oil had a true meaning at Brownie's Bakery where owner Neil Brown called a friend to bring more lanterns upon hearing that the power would be out well past midnight.
As we walked to the Ohio River end of Front, Brad had a great thought: If the power was out that meant business cooling systems were out too, including at Dairy Queen! We rushed to the downtown ice cream stand hoping to see a "Get it Before it Melts Sale," but we were let down to discover everything closed.
Marietta proved to be an eventful place Wednesday night, even without the amenities of electricity. The electricity was in the people talking, walking and eating outside instead of being cooped up inside. So, when I arrived to my Norwood neighborhood home later that evening, I was a bit disappointed -- the power was on.