To commemorate the multimillion-dollar renovation of the Ogden Marriott, hotel executives have produced a bottled beverage - Marriott's Ogden Original Old-Fashioned Root Beer - for a grand reopening ceremony from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight. Ogden Mayor Matthew Godfrey will kick off the gala with a 4:30 p.m. ribbon cutting.

The event, which recognizes Marriott as a "True Ogden Original," also will serve as a fundraiser for The Ogden Christmas Box House, which provides 24-hour, 7-day-a-week emergency shelter to victims of child abuse and neglect.

After the reopening gala, the root beer bottles will be used as gifts for hotel guests and in sales and marketing pitches. Root beer also will be incorporated into some recipes at the hotel restaurant, said General Manager Scott Sloan.

- Mike Gorrell