It was a slogan adopted more than 50 years ago to attract tourists to the city of Wheeling, but it has been construed and twisted many different ways ever since.
Initially, it was simply bait in the water to lure gamblers to the horse racing at Wheeling Downs. The racetrack, one that now features live greyhound racing and a casino with video lottery along with table games like Blackjack, still uses “Wheeling Feeling” as a part of its marketing maybe once or twice per year.
“If I recall correctly, the ‘Wheeling Feeling’ was a slogan that was used by Wheeling Downs back in the early 1970s, and then it was embraced by the other amenities that we had downtown at that time,” explained Frank O’Brien, who was a long-time WTRF news anchor before becoming the executive director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau. “So, it was used as a way to attract tourism, and the casino does use it from time to time, but it’s not a slogan that we have used for the CVB is some time now.
“’Wheeling! Get That Feeling’ is one way the slogan was used, and it could still be used today depending on how someone would frame it,” he continued. “For instance, imagine an image of three kids down at Heritage Port at a festival on a warm sunny day, and they have a giant lollipop in their smiling faces; you then hear, ‘Get That Wheeling Feeling.’ To me, that speaks about enthusiasm and good times.”
Bustling.
That’s one adjective that can used when describing downtown Wheeling in the 1960s-70s, when vacant lots and shuttered storefronts were not a part of the commercial mix along Main and Market streets. Even today, most Wheeling residents are aware of the history that includes crowded sidewalks, retailer after retailer, and food fare that ranged from the ETC Steakhouse to Elby’s to Louis’ Hot Dog.
Now that the city has announced the Wheeling-Pitt Lofts will be developed along Market Street in the former steel corporation’s headquarters that reaches 12 floors high and possesses 144,000 square feet inside, there is hope the foot traffic will increase to a level where new businesses will follow. Following a two-year process, 128 new apartments will be leased at market rate, and the developers, both of whom reside in the state of Ohio, hope to fill the unit quickly once it is available.
But it was history most responders referenced when this question was posed on Facebook earlier this week: To you, what does “The Wheeling Feeling” represent?
“The Wheeling Feeling to me is grasping the historical history of this fine city from the time of Wheeling, Va., to today in all of Wheeling’s fine facets.”
“It’s a feeling of family rooted in history. A close-knit community, caring for each other with genuine compassion. Trying to look past our differences and find common ground.”
“It still exists … quietly, but in the hearts of people who grew up in the city and its suburbs. It may be the same in other towns of our size, or larger like Pittsburgh.”
“Get the “Wheeling Feeling” will always be associated with Jamboree USA for me,” replied one person who referenced the former country concert series that was staged in several venues in the Friendly City but most often at the Capitol Theatre when it was still known as the “Capitol Music Hall” on Main Street.
There’s History to Consider
The slogan could make a comeback, O’Brien said, because destinations like Oglebay, Centre Market, and Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack could coin the phrase with appropriate visual imagery.
Plus, Heritage Port is home of annual festivals that have utilized “The Wheeling Feeling” slogan in previous years, including the Wheeling Feeling Chili Cook-Off and the Mountaineer Brewfest. Whether or not other events like the Upper Ohio Valley Heritage Italian Festival or the Sternwheel Festival adopt it, too, remains to be seen.
“That’s why another obvious use of the slogan would be if there is a commercial scene of some people playing the machines, and suddenly one of them hit a big jackpot, and you hear, ‘Get That Wheeling Feel.’ That would work, too, and I’m sure that’s why Wheeling Island still uses it from time to time,” O’Brien said. “The CVB doesn’t plan to use it again soon, but I do really like it as a slogan for the city and its attractions.
“It’s a part of Wheeling’s history, and that’s why we have a carpet in our visitor’s center, and on it reads, ‘Wheeling! Get That Feeling,’” he said. “That slogan has been around for a long time, and I know sometimes I have heard local residents use it, too, during our festival season on the Ohio River. Of course, I know we weren’t able to have any of those festivals last summer, but I know there are a lot of people who are very anxious for those events to be held again.”
But … There’s Always a But …
While some respondents apparently were too young to experience the retail mecca that once was downtown Wheeling (“An old slogan from my childhood that I never understood.”), one other Facebook member described her native city as something of a get-away.
“It’s my hometown away from the chaos, traffic, and divisive political arena of the D.C. Metro area. The ‘Feeling’ comes from being with family and hometown friends.”
Another person recalled when Alex Keaton from the TV sitcom from “Family Ties” was turning 18 years old, because Keaton’s home was fictionally located in suburban Columbus, Ohio, a trip to Wheeling with his friends Neil and Doug seemed like a good birthday present.
Why? The episode, “Birthday Boy,” was aired in 1984, and at that time an 18-year-old could not consume alcohol legally, but the state of West Virginia did not increase the legal age to 21 until 1987. In Wheeling at that time, though, many bars were between those retail shops, and Keaton and his friends sought a place called the Camelot Inn.
“I do remember that episode,” O’Brien said. “And if I am remembering correctly, his mother followed him to Wheeling and took Alex home.”
But there is another piece of Wheeling history that many local residents have erased from their minds, and that involves the plentiful prostitution industry once operated by organized crime inside and outside city limits. That, in fact, is why another responder stated: “The hookers that used to come to your window at Dallas Pike truck stop.”
“That’s one of the reasons why there were some people who thought it provoked a negative connotation because of the long histories the city of Wheeling has,” O’Brien explained. “Of course, we cannot erase our history here, but some people have chosen to give the slogan a negative spin, and that’s why some folks just want it to go away.
“I remember most of the people really loved that slogan because, to them, it reminded them of all the great things, but there were some people a bunch of years ago who were not too keen on it and wanted it to go away forever,” he added. “Like I have said for a long time, it depends on how it is used and what it is promoting. The ‘Wheeling Feeling’ has always been a positive thing to me because there is a special feeling about this city and its people.”
