There will be hog calling, baby crawling, pony pulling, rock throwing, and old fashion butter making all at the same location this weekend, and there’s only one place it could be.
The Ohio County Country Fair kicks off Friday with the 4-H Pet Show at 6:30 p.m. at Site 1 and the Levenson Shelter, and the event will continue through Sunday afternoon. The opening ceremonies are scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m., and quilting demonstrations will take place at Camp Russell from 12-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Oh, and by the way:
- Hog calling – Saturday @ 12:30 p.m.
- Butter making – Saturday @ 12:30 p.m.
- Baby crawling – Sunday @ 2 p.m.
- Pony pulling – Saturday @ 12-4
- Rock throwing – Sunday @ 1:30 p.m.
Randy Worls currently is chairman emeritus of Oglebay after serving as the park’s general manager and president and CEO for the Wheeling Park Commission for 30 years, and he was the boss when he invited organizers in Ohio County to add the fair during the annual OglebayFest.
“Once OglebayFest became an annual festival, we started adding a lot of activities near the Children’s Center and the Hess Shelter as far as entertainment for the kids and their parents,” he recalled. “And after about 10 years we talked with the people in Ohio County about adding it. We offered them that area, and it’s become a nice part of OglebayFest ever since.
“People have a lot of fun with all the different events at the fair, and it’s serious business for the people who are competing in all of those contests,” Worls said. “It’s always been a great place to take the kids because there’s so much to be curious about, and it’s very much a family-friendly environment.”
The Annual Thank You
Oglebay became a public park in 1928, so in 1978, the time arrived to celebrate 50 years of operation. Worls and his team arranged for live entertainment, free access to the many activities, and special food and beverage stands. It was supposed to be a one-time, one-day appreciation party for local residents.
“We had activities taking place at Wilson Lodge, the Oglebay Mansion, in the lake area, and the Pine Room, and we had local radio stations doing remote shows in those four different areas of the park,” Worls said. “We also had the big band in Glessner Auditorium at the Lodge. It was a lot of fun.”
And it was a hit. A BIG, BIG hit.
“We attracted such a large crowd that first year we decided to make the October event an annual one,” he said. “It became our fall festival and that’s when we started working on expanding what we offered and that’s when the artisans and vendors began the area behind the Mansion near the (Anna Kuchinka) Amphitheatre. That was more than 40 years ago and here we are today getting close to another 50 years for Oglebay.”
The 45th Annual OglebayFest begins this weekend in all corners of the park, and the Rathskeller, or Hess Shelter, is the center of activity and will be open from 4-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m-11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Mansion Woods and the artisan vending area is scheduled to operate during those same hours, and live entertainment will feature local performers in a few different areas.
The OglebayFest Parade is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Good Zoo, and the OglebayFest fireworks show will light the skies beginning at 8:30 p.m. that evening. The three-day event, presented by WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital and Reynolds Memorial Hospital, concludes on Sunday with the 0.5 Beer Dash, the W.Va. State Championship Pony Pull, and live performances at Mansion Woods by Bob Gaudio, The Muddle, and Josh Sokolowski.
A complete list of activities and menu items can be found here.
“We’ve had meetings following each festival and we discuss how we can make OglebayFest better than it already is, and there are always the tweaks that are made,” Worls revealed. “It’s become one of the most popular events we have here at Oglebay and I think that’s because of the time of year, because summer has wound down and people want one more big festival, and because local residents continue to appreciate the big thank you from Oglebay and the Wheeling Park Commission.
“OglebayFest still is a thank you to our local supporters,” he insisted. “That’s why there’s no charge for any of the entertainment or activities. We just want people to come to the park and have a terrific weekend, and if people are coming in from outside the area, our hope is that they see how beautiful our area is and they come to visit us again sometime.”
