When?
When will we be able to collect again at Centre Market for a street show? Crowd Eden’s on the Island? Go to Happy Hour at The Bridge or River City or up at The Lube? To see a parent in a nursing home or hug your 80-something mother for the first time in a month.
It was released Monday evening that the annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival has been canceled for mid-July, and it’s yet another example of a process that’s continued since March 13, when the “Night at the Races” for the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley was postponed indefinitely. Ever since, schools have closed along with restaurants, bars, gyms, barbers and stylists, nail salons, and the rest of the non-essential businesses.
So, when?
Yes, It’s Been a Month
No one knows the answer to that “When” question. Not EMA directors or health officials or even the president of the United States. It’s true that there’s no script for this. A month ago, in fact, Ohio County EMA Director Lou Vargo did not believe local residents would be forced to wear protective masks, but here we are.
“That was my hope at the time, but we really didn’t know what we were dealing with a month ago,” he said. “Once we saw how contagious the virus is, we knew we were going to have several positive cases here in Ohio County. We are very active around here, and we don’t see borders when we’re visiting our family and our friends.
“But we have self-distanced in Ohio County, for the most part, and people are staying home because you don’t see the traffic we’re used to,” Vargo explained. “Wheeling Hospital’s testing area was busy (last week), and the (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) changed projections for this area. Now, April 15 is expected to be the apex for positive tests, but then we have to go down the other half of the curve.”
Gigging on The Market
The schedule had been completed for a few weeks when governors in the tri-state region issued stay-at-home orders in mid-March.
Kurt Zende, the manager of Centre Market for the city of Wheeling, works with promoter Jon Banco to stage live performances one Friday per summer months, and to schedule local bands to play for a pair of all-day events. The first has taken place in June the past few years, and the second is the Fall Fest that serves as a fundraiser for the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley at the end of September. The two shows have drawn thousands of people, but those events are in question.
“At this point, I doubt the June event will take place, but that’s just considering how everything looks right,” said Banco. “If there is suddenly a vaccine that actually works, then maybe, but those things aren’t developed in just a couple of months.
“We’re going to have to wait to see what everything looks like, but I do know all of the musicians in this area are anxious to get back out there,” he explained. “And not just because of the money we make, either. I mean, sure, that’s a part of it, but it’s also about the relationship we have with the people who came out to see us play.”
Favorite Festivals
Throughout the Upper Ohio Valley, fairs and festivals also raise thousands of dollars for scholarships and non-profit organizations, and the first popular weekend usually features the Ogden Wellness Weekend that has been cancelled for Memorial Day weekend.
“I know the projections have been lowered,” said Ohio County Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble, “but we’re sticking with late April for this area. If it is (this) week, that would be good news, but confirmed cases will continue.
“Even when the number of positive cases slow down, people will need to continue being careful,” he explained. “For how long, no one knows, but a continuation of social distancing is something that will likely be around for a while.”
