Thousands of visitors from near and far will be in Greater Akron this weekend to mark the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Like in year’s past, this Founders Day gathering will be at University of Akron but visitors will be touring sites in and around the city that played roles in the organization’s history.

The university has a relatively new clear-bag policy in place for this year’s gathering so all visitors are not allowed to bring in traditional purses, fanny packs or even camera cases into the event.

The event marks the 89th anniversary of group’s founding in Akron, and 9,000 or so participants typically attend to listen to the speakers who share stories of their paths to sobriety and take tours.

The annual gathering, which starts Friday, is held on the weekend closest to June 10, which marks the day in 1935 when AA founder Dr. Bob took his last drink.

For more information about the event, visit https://foundersday.org/.

Some of the places that played a key role in AA’s history — like where Bill W. and Dr. Bob first met at the Gate Lodge at Stan Hywet Hall and formulated the organization’s founding principles — will be open for tours.

Admission to the Gate Lodge and its exhibit, Henrietta Seiberling: A Spark for a Movement, will be free.

There will be a Reflections Tent on the grounds where visitors can share their recovery stories, and the Summit Wellness by 91.3 The Summit will feature recovery music over the weekend.

A free shuttle will travel between Stan Hywet and the University of Akron.

The Gate Lodge is where Henrietta Buckler Seiberling brought together Bill W. and Dr. Bob on Mother’s Day in 1935 for a conversation about their drinking problems.

This conversation led to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Dr. Bob’s Akron home and museum on Ardmore Avenue will also be open for tours.

His gravesite in the Mount Peace Cemetery will be another likely stop as members visit and often leave sobriety coins on his gravestone.

Hundreds of motorcycles make the trek from the University of Akron campus to the gravesite Sunday morning.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Thousands expected in Akron this weekend for AA’s Founders Day Weekend