MARIETTA — It was another jam-packed weekend on the Marietta Square as thousands gathered for the city’s annual HarvestFest celebration Saturday.
The event featured a variety of family-friendly activities to celebration the fall season. Along East Park Square, the Marietta fire and police departments hosted a touch-a-truck event where kids could sit in the driver’s seat of large vehicles like fire trucks and special operations vehicles.
After exploring the trucks, Marietta SWAT officers gave guests an up-close look at special equipment such as protective shields, field kits, robots and weapons used on the job.
Marietta Patrol Officer and SWAT Team Officer Aaron Wright said community events like HarvestFest give the officers a chance to connect with the citizens they are protecting.
“It means a lot, we’re very community-oriented,” Wright said. “We always try and talk about what we do, so that way (people) are more comfortable … and just know that we’re there to protect them.”
Two-year-old Marietta resident Landon Arias said his favorite part of the day was taking the wheel of the Marietta Station 51’s fire truck.