Mayor, Council Members, City Manager:
As longtime fans, we would like to suggest a “more than usual” celebration be planned to celebrate the late Slim Lehart this coming April 7th. That’s the date that was set aside as “Slim Lehart Day” thanks to Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, and honoring Slim’s longtime dedication to the Capitol Theatre and the tradition of live music in downtown Wheeling would be more than appropriate.
The gentleman, born in 1935 as Richard Hartley of Marshall County, passed away last August at the age of 88, but throughout his lifetime he was known as “The Wheeling Cat” as he performed at the Capitol Theatre and up and down the East Coast. Slim was a fixture during the weekly Jamboree USA shows in downtown Wheeling, and he joined the fight for the venue when it was closed down and in danger back in 2008.
He was an ambassador for the city, for country music, and for those legendary Saturday evenings along Main Street, and he sure would be happy to see how busy the Capitol is these days, that’s for sure.
Sincerely,
The Sim Lehart Fan Club
