Entertainment/Culture - Events & Entertainment
People in Wheeling know how to celebrate life and they love to entertain. Combine these two qualities, and it is easy to see why the city has developed an international reputation for its array of festivals and entertainment events throughout the year.
Festivals and Fun
 From November through most of January, Wheeling becomes the City of Lights in the most spectacular outdoor winter light celebration in the country. More than one million people annually travel through lighted snowflake-lined streets to view the colorful freestanding displays, animated characters, sparkling lights and decorated trees and buildings. The Wheeling City of Lights and Oglebay's Festival of Lights have been listed as one of North America's top events by the American Bus Association. Both events extend from downtown Wheeling through Oglebay and throughout many residential areas. An illuminated nighttime Christmas parade, great entertainment and a variety of social events complete the celebration and help attract more than 3,300 busloads of visitors annually.
During one weekend in late July, Wheeling becomes "Little Italy" for the Upper Ohio  Valley Italian Festival. Thousands of people stroll through the city's main business district, sampling ethnic foods, browsing through the arts and crafts booths and enjoying live entertainment on multiple stages at the area's largest free warm weather celebration.
During the last weekend in June, the African-American Jubilee is celebrated on Wheeling's waterfront. A fashion show, African-American food, music, entertainment and crafts celebrate the rich background of Wheeling's African-American community.
 Another growing event that celebrates Wheeling's ethnic heritage is the Celtic Celebration, held over a weekend in early March at the Wheeling Artisan Center. Music, dance, crafts and foods celebrate the spirit and strengths of Wheeling's Celtic residents.
The Artisan Center is also the site for another new festival, Oktoberfest, held in mid-September to coincide with its famous counterpart in Munich, Germany. German food, music, and the fine art of brewing are highlighted in honor of Wheeling's German heritage.
Experience the magic of imagination through dolls and dollhouses,
trains, games, riding toys, western toys, toy soldiers, cars trucks
and playsets of days gone by in a beautifully restored 1906 Victorian
Schoolhouse at the Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum! The displays are constantly changing, and always feature thousands upon thousands of toys and trains of the past! A guided tour though the museum will transport you back to those simpler times of childhood! All of the visitors, whether eight or eighty, will find pleasant memories of the past filling the the display rooms!
 Set among the breathtaking fall foliage of Oglebay is Oglebayfest, held during the first full weekend in October. Oglebayfest originated in 1978 as the Wheeling Park Commission's "thank you" to the public for their year-round support, and now draws more than 100,000 people. Most attractions during the three days are free and include a parade, juried arts and crafts show, dances, country fair, sporting contests, amphitheater entertainment and camping exhibits. No festival is complete without food, and country barbecue joins a full menu of German favorites, again, to salute Wheeling's strong German ancestry. A festival highlight is a thunderous fireworks display over Schenk Lake.
 Going back in time, Oglebay also hosts the American Heritage Glass and Craft Festival during the first weekend in August at the park's Special Events area. Old-time crafts, music and foods are demonstrated, while costumed presenters give visitors a personal introduction to Wheeling's earlier days.
A relatively new event, Flower Craft at Oglebay, is the signal that spring and warm weather are just around the corner. A unique arts and crafts show, co-sponsored by the Wheeling Civic Garden Center and the Wheeling Park Commission, is held annually in March. Flower Craft features more than 50 artisans displaying spring/ garden/floral theme handcrafts. Mini workshops and demonstrations are presented by the garden center and green I house staffs.
One of the biggest annual events in the country music arena takes
place a few miles west of Wheeling near St. Clairsville, Ohio. For
four days in mid July, stars such as Tim McGraw, Lorrie Morgan, Leann
Rimes, Ronnie Milsap, The Doobie Brothers, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray
Cyrus and Faith Hill take the outdoor stage before an audience of
90,000 fans. For those who miss the summer event, the hottest country
music entertainers also perform at Wheeling's Capitol Music Hall.
 The Heritage Music Blues Fest '04, being held on August 13, 14 & 15, 2004. For more information, please call Heritage Music at 304-232-8705, or mail 34 Popular Ave., Wheeling, WV, 26003.
Other seasonal festivals include the Ohio Pumpkin Festival at Barnesville, Ohio, which was featured on The Discovery Channel Bellaire Glass Festival; the Apple Festival in Wellsburg WV and Smithfield, Ohio; the New Martinsville River Heritage Days; the National Pike Festival; the Steubenville Regatta; Betty Zane Days and the James Wright Poetry Festival, both in Martins Ferry, Ohio. Civil War reenactments and frontier encampments are also scheduled during warmer months. On a smaller, but no less popular, scale are dozens of church bazaars and fairs, county fairs, firemen's festivals and fish frys.
Running and Other Sports
Wheeling is also a place of distinction for world-class runners, some of whom have competed in the Ogden Newspapers Distance Race. More than 1,500 male and female runners take part in the 20-kilometer (12.4 miles) event which is held annually on Memorial Day Weekend. Activities begin Friday evening with three one-mile events which include the Charity Health Walk, the Open Mile for runners 12 and over and the Tiny Trot Run for children ages 5 and under. The Charity Health Walk is sponsored by the Health Plan of the Upper Ohio Valley and all proceeds go to the Wheeling Heart Association.
The Upper Ohio Valley's love of athletics provides the backing for many golf tournaments, basketball playoffs and local high school wrestling and football tournaments. Wheeling for the second time has captured the West Virginia Super Six, the state football championship series. The WesBanco Arena, home to the professional Wheeling Nailers hockey team of the East Coast Hockey League and affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins, stages state-wide high school wrestling and college basketball tournaments. A full schedule of regional and state tennis, hockey and soccer matches fills the calendar.
 Wheeling hosts, for the sixth year, our own Ohio Valley Greyhounds, a member of the National Indoor Footall League which is one of the two professional sports here in Wheeling. Greyhounds football, leave the hitting to us!
Another outstanding sporting event in Wheeling is the West Virginia Open Tennis Tournament. In early August, 300 entrants converge upon tennis courts at Oglebay and Wheeling Park for the largest amateur tournament in the middle states region of the USTA. For more than 40 years the Open has drawn rising stars to the area.
Entertainment
While festivals and sports add sparkle to life in Wheeling throughout the year, there is much to do every day in Wheeling.
 Entertainment is on hand seven days a week at Wheeling Island Race Track & Gaming Center where sleek greyhounds sprint around the Wheeling Island track.
Each year approximately 16,000 children look forward to Halloween at Oglebay's Good Zoo, where games, parades and special events are featured at the week-long "Boo at the Zoo." Another holiday celebration takes place at Easter, when children and adults can find delightful treats throughout the Good Zoo on a well-supervised "Treasure Hunt."
 Circus fans are never disappointed during the year. The Osiris Shrine Circus is an annual event and the Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey Circus appears periodically. Antique and craft shows, art shows, fashion shows, car shows, boxing and wrestling meets, ice shows, truck and tractor pulls, closed-circuit TV events, NBA exhibitions, rodeos, flea markets, dog shows, horse shows, rock concerts and business, trade and home shows are among special events that keep the Wheeling area informed and entertained.
More than 150 restaurants offer a full menu of dining options, from fast food to international cuisine. The atmosphere at dozens of nightspots ranges from the quiet of a corner tavern to the excitement of lively entertainment establishments featuring a variety of musical offerings, from country to rock to jazz.
Wheeling is gaining recognition as a must-see tourist destination. The combination of festivals, parks, historical tours and entertainment opportunities, along with Wheeling's proximity to mountains, caverns, white water rafting and skiing, draws millions of visitors each year.
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