Directed by Ohio State Marion Dean and higher education innovator Jennifer Schlueter, Who We Are Now invites you to experience an inspiring evening celebrating the stories that shape our community. Who We Are Now honors Marion’s rich history and the remarkable individuals who make it “America’s Strongest Town.” This special event features live storytelling alongside musical performances from talented local individuals and groups. Celebrate the timeless art of storytelling in a night filled with connection, creativity, and community pride. Don’t miss this unique celebration of Marion’s past, present, and future.
Dr. Jennifer Schlueter has coalesced Who We Are Now by collaborating with scores of contributors because she believes it is a gift to be part of the Marion community, and she wants to give back by offering this event as part of the America 250 celebration.
Five Nights turns block party. This evening won’t be like other Five Nights: it’s part neighborhood festival, part oral history project, part original theatre,
part pep rally - all Marion. The evening moves from the informal joy of community gathering (food, music, neighbors, memories) into something
more intentional and reflective (stories performed on a stage), and then launches outward again into civic pride and anticipation with the drum corps
and the return of The Marion Open. There's a through-line of belonging - to a place, to a history, to each other - that holds all the pieces together.
• 6:30 p.m. — The Party Starts Outside and in the Lobby of Morrill Hall. Join us for a pre-show festival on the Ohio State Marion grounds:
live music, local Marion food, lawn games, and the company of your neighbors. Bring memorabilia - Ohio State Marion volunteers are working
with the Marion Historical Society on site to scan your treasures. Browse local history titles from Birch Tree Bookery. Chat with experts who know
Marion's story best. Food will be served at 6:30 p.m. outside Maynard Hall in the portico.
• 7:30 p.m. — A Performance Created by Ohio State and by Marion itself. Who We Are Now, convened by Ohio State Marion dean and theatremaker Jennifer Schlueter, brings real Marion voices and stories to life in a short original performance celebrating who we are, where we've been, and what we carry forward.
• 8:00 p.m. — The Marion Open is Back. Marion Harding High School's drum and bugle corps kicks off the return of The Marion Open - coming home to Marion after a long hiatus, thanks to the Marion Arts Legacy Alliance and Pillar Credit Union.
• Your story belongs here. We're gathering Marion memories - the everyday, the inherited, the tender - to weave into an even bigger community performance at the Marion Palace Theatre in December 2026 to conclude Marion's America 250 celebration. Tonight is your first chance to become part of it.
• One night. One town. All of us. This is Marion joy in full - history, music, community, challenge, and celebration. Come for the festival. Stay for the
performance. Leave knowing a little more about the place you call home.
