While zero restrictions have been in place since the Wheeling Feeling Chili Cookoff took place at Heritage Port at the beginning of June, attendance has been lacking at the majority of events staged this summer season.
This weekend, however, two very popular annual festivals are underway on the Friendly City’s riverfront and in the Center Wheeling neighborhood. The Undo’s Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival kicked off at Noon today and the Grecian Festival along Chapline Street opened at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
“Our festival season is really starting to bounce back after the season really went away because of the pandemic, and we have seen this summer that it is slowly coming back,” said City Manager Bob Herron. “It does seem as if some people are still being very careful about going around a lot of other people, and that’s their choice. That’s why we are not back to full strength yet, but I was very pleased to see some other festivals in other area do well. That gives me hope the same will take place here sooner rather than later.
“I do hope to see the same this weekend for the Grecian and Italian festivals, and so far the crowds have been terrific for the Grecian Festival,” he said. “It all started with the Italian Festival in downtown Wheeling many, many years ago, so we’ll see how this weekend goes as far as the crowds are concerned.”
In With the New
Some festivals have folded up their tents.
The Rib and Chicken Cookoff did not take place in June. The Sternwheel Festival will not occupy Heritage Port in mid-September, either.
Two new events, the Festival of India by the Palace of Gold and the Ohio Valley Pride Festival, took place in July, and the annual Heritage Music BluesFest (Aug. 12-14), the Mountaineer Brewfest (Aug. 19-20), and the Wheeling Vintage Raceboat Regatta (Sept. 2-4) all are scheduled to return during the next two months.
“We have seen some festivals go away for whatever reasons, and we’ve seen some new ones come about, and that’s great to see,” Herron said. “I know the people who are organizing the new events are trying to be as creative as possible, and that will only mean they will be successful in the future because that’s what people want to see.
“There is plenty of room now on the calendar for new festivals right now, but just seven years ago we didn’t have any open weekends at Heritage Port,” he said. “Now, there are organizers who are choosing other venues like Centre Market and Market Plaza, and that’s fine with us. We feel lucky to have options for the folks who wish to operate festivals in our downtown area.”
Herron said anyone interested in organizing a new event in the city should initially contact the City Manager’s Office (304-234-3617) and all his staff to guide you in the necessary directions.
Broken Promises
It had its own Facebook page, and WTRF TV7 reported about it not once but twice.
But a food truck festival, slated for Saturday, June 25, at Centre Market, did not receive an approved permit from the City of Wheeling. The one-day event, proposed by an individual the City Manager refused to name, was rejected because a pledged donation to a non-profit did not take place.
Several of Wheeling’s festivals generate funds for local charities, including the Chili Cookoff (United Way), the Brewfest (Seeing Hand Association in 2022), the Italian Festival (youth scholarships), and the Vintage Raceboat Regatta (Easter Seals).
“It does not happen very often, but some organizers have been turned away for various reasons. The rejected proposal the mayor mentioned during the July 19 Council meeting was denied because that particular organizer did not make good on a pledged charitable contribution, and that’s not acceptable to us,” Herron explained. “Ultimately, the City Manager is the one who issues permits for the festivals in the city, and there were several areas of concern about that proposed festival.
“I made the decision not to issue that permit even though it was being advertised and reported as an event before the application was received by the city. Now, that person is welcome to come back once all issues are resolved,” he said. “They can correct things and get everything at a level where the city can issue a permit.”
