Mike Duplaga knew the need for more cowbell well before Will Ferrell discovered the deficiency in 2000 on Saturday Night Live.
That’s because the Generations owner used to sell cowbells at the Capitol Theatre as a grade-schooler in the late 1970s while his parents operated The Ballroom Lounge on the second floor of the historic structure. The establishment was at its busiest on Saturday evenings when two Jamboree USA shows often featured some of the biggest names in country music.
The Duplaga family also owned and operated the Swing Club along National Road in Wheeling, another venue where live bands would play each weekend. Mike opened Generations Restaurant in the late 1990s on the same property where the Swing Club operated and the eatery has become one of the most popular in the Upper Ohio Valley. Plus, Duplaga has hosted local and regional performers for indoor and outdoor shows that have attracted thousands to the city.
“The live entertainment thing is definitely in my blood thanks to my parents, and that’s why Generations will have Phil Vassar and Deana Carter at the Capitol Theatre this December 3rd,” Duplaga said. “And yeah, I sold cowbells back then because the Jamboree (USA) was a really big deal.
“I was always around live entertainment when I was a kid and I remember it as always exciting,” he recalled. “So, when I opened Generations back in the late 1990s, I wanted to do the same because my goal was to make it a destination place. We’ve always hired the local performers, but I also brought in bands from outside this area because that’s what I believed would make the place a destination for people from outside the Wheeling area.”
The Vassar-Carter “Coming Home for Christmas” show on Dec. 3 will begin at 8 p.m. and will feature several Christmas classics along with originals to be performed by the country music stars. The artists also will perform a few of their all-time hits, as well.
“I’ve always done country shows at the Capitol, but I am looking to do so some classic rock shows in the future and I’ve been close to booking Styx and REO Speedwagon in the past,” Duplaga revealed. “Those shows fell through for whatever reasons, but that really is what I want to do next and my plan is to just keep going. I would really like to do a show at the theatre once per (fiscal) quarter moving forward.
“My big goal, though, is to do a show that will be so big that we can put 5,000 people into WesBanco Arena,” he said. “That’s what I plan to accomplish next and it’s going to be a lot of fun getting there.”
Grandfather, Father, Son
During the months of November and December, Duplaga traded the cowbells for Christmas trees when he was a kid. He joined his father and his Uncle Stan in the Swing Club’s parking lot and he would sell, carry, and rope the saplings onto whatever vehicle they brought to the lot.
It was Uncle Stan, too, who constructed the Swing Club’s disco floor in the basement area back in the 1970s.
“Listen, a lot of Duplagas have tried a lot of different things inside and outside this building,” he said with a laugh. “So, when I decided to come on in the late 1990s, I guess it was my turn.”
The year was 1998 and Duplaga had graduated from Bethany College, he married his high school sweetheart (Alyssa), and the two started a family while living in Elkins, W.Va. He was being groomed to be a publisher for Ogden Newspapers when he realized his grandfather’s Fulton-based property no longer was generating revenue like it should.
“And my father-in-law John Daniel told me once that if I ever had the chance to take control of this property, I should do it,” he recalled. “He even told my wife to stay out of way if that’s what I decided to do, and that put it in my mind.
“I was in the newspaper business in Elkins and this property was not functioning the way it could so we made the decision to come home and buy it all so that’s what I did,” Duplaga explained. “Everything worked out and I bought the property in March 1998, and I really wanted to get it finished so my grandfather could see the final product. Unfortunately, he passed away before we opened the first version of Generations in May 1999, but he saw us working on it. He was happy about what we were doing and that meant everything to me.”
Many changes have taken place to the building ever since, including dining expansions, deck constructions, and, yes, the additions of indoor and outdoor stages.
“It will be 24 years this May since my family came home and now my kids are involved,” Duplaga said. “So, we’ll plan something pretty cool to celebrate.”
The Big Show
There are more than 2,000 tickets inside the Capitol Theatre and Duplaga’s plan is to fill each and every one of them on December 3rd.
Vassar’s most popular recordings have been “Carlene,” “Bye Bye,” and “My Next 30 Years,” and most can sing along to Carter’s “Strawberry Wine.” Their “Coming Home for Christmas Tour” begins this weekend in Kentucky and concludes on Dec. 18 in Alabama, and downtown Wheeling will be their only stop in the Mountain State.
“I think it’s going to be a terrific show because so many people in this area loved this time of year very much,” Duplaga said. “And these two artists are very popular around here because we really love country music and have for a lot of years. That’s why, when I have brought bigger shows to the theatre, they’ve been country artists.
“We’ve had Craig Morgan, Easton Corbin, the Ely Young Band, and Luke Bryan at the Capitol Theatre, and the biggest shows we’ve had here at Generations were Eric Church twice, Luke Bryan one time, Joe Diffie, and Randy Houser,” he said. “Right now, I’m not sure how many more of those big shows we’ll have here at Generations because of the insurance industry and some changes that have taken place, but I’m always going to look for opportunities we can bring in for the Capitol Theatre.”
What show may be next? Duplaga is not sure just yet.
“I’m always looking, though, because now that I’ve established Generations as a regional place for touring bands to play, I receive no fewer than three emails per week from managers and promoters who want to bring their performers here,” he said. “That’s why we’re going to do what we need to do to be able to at least have some big outdoor shows again on the Generations property so we can fill the hotels with fans from the tri-state area and from Maryland, Virginia, New York, and Kentucky like we have before.
“And yes, Generations will have a show at Wesbanco Arena,” Duplaga insisted. “It’s coming, trust me.”
