Get Out ... with the Wind?

Essential Marietta happenings for the weekend:

1. Celebrate Gone with the Wind. In the 1930s, the connections between Margaret Mitchell and Gone with the Wind with Marietta were nebulous, if not non-existent. But the folks at the have managed to change that…significantly. For in the 21st century, Marietta has established itself as the hub of obsession with the movie and the novel.

And so it goes this weekend with “A Tribute to Margaret Mitchell: The Book that Touched the World,” the museum’s two-day celebration of the 75th anniversary of the great Southern novel.

The event, which runs on Friday and Saturday at the museum and other Marietta-area locations, includes meals and panels with surviving cast members from the 1939 movie, fan tributes, autograph sessions and even a Scarlett Look-Alike contest.

For details, check out this Patch article, visit the museum’s “Tribute to Margaret Mitchell” page, call 770-794-5145 or send an email to csutherland@mariettaga.gov.

2. Measure a year with the cast of Rent. The Atlanta Lyric Theatre debuts the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical at 8 p.m. Friday at the .  The musical, loosely based on Puccini’s La Boheme, follows a year in the lives artists and musicians struggling to survive in New York’s Lower East Side.

The musical plays through June 26. Tickets range from $30 to $45 with discounts for seniors, students and groups. This play is for mature audiences. For information, visit http://www.atlantalyrictheatre.com, call 404-377-9948 or send an email info@atlantalyrictheatre.com.  

3. Learn how to add music to your garden. The Cobb County Master Gardeners from noon to 1 p.m. Friday will present “Lunch & Learn: Birds in the Backyard” at the . The program is designed to show bird lovers how to attract a wide variety of the feathered friends by choosing plants that appeal to specific species and by providing appropriate nesting and water sources to create a bird-friendly habitat. Bring your lunch.

4. Hit Marietta Square for your shopping needs. Saturday mornings are always great for visiting the square because of the Marietta Square Farmers Market that is open every morning from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the north side. The second Saturday of every month is even better because the Marietta Artists Market joins the fun. This Saturday is triple better because the Marietta Gone with the Wind Museum is sponsoring a swap meet from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m as part of the Margaret Mitchell tribute.

5. Buy a very, very, very old book. The Georgia Antiquarian Booksellers Association is sponsoring a Rare and Antique Book Fair in Hudgins Hall of the . The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For information, call 404-936-7737.