I was 9 in the summer of 1976, fresh off fourth grade at St. Mike’s and ready for our family vacation to Disney World.
It was a trip that tricked me and my siblings, though, because there were hours of separation between Florida’s north border and the Land of Mickey Mouse outside of Orlando. There was only the Magic Kingdom back then, too, and it was still fresh from its opening eight years earlier.
Cinderella’s Castle, the Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, The Hall of Presidents, The Haunted Mansion … it sure did feel like a small world after all.
But those Disney memories aren’t my favorites from the summer of 1976, and that’s because the United States was celebrating her Bicentennial birthday and it was a very big deal in Wheeling, W.Va. Every storefront in downtown Wheeling was dressed up in red, white, and blue ribbons and flags, veterans were wearing their dress uniforms, patriotism was expected and appreciated, and I swear someone dove off of the Suspension Bridge on the Fourth of July.
The Ohio River was hidden from downtown Wheeling 50 years ago by a giant, steel parking garage known as The Wharf. Those four floors could hold more than 900 cars, and it’s where most downtown employees would park so the street spots were available for customers. On July 4, 1976, every single spot was filled with tailgaters and their kids, and the top, sunny level was the most crowded area.
Rock bands were playing across the river at a barge bar called “The Yacht Club” on Wheeling Island, the water was choppy from all of the boat traffic, and everyone was waiting for the fireworks at dusk. But before the first boom was an amazing splash.
It was just as the valley got golden with the sun beginning to dip behind Bridgeport when everyone’s attention was directed to the historic bridge. There was a man on a small platform directly in the middle of the span, and he was wearing a 1979-style Speedo. And off he went. Like a needle. It seemed to take a while before the man disappeared, and then the crowd roared the moment he resurfaced.
He raised his arm as if he had reclaimed our freedoms with his brave leap into what was a dumping site of a waterway, and the joy was palpable. We The People were proud, and the fireworks had never been better than they were that night.
And here we are today, 50 years later and just seven weeks away from Independence Day, and it’s the country’s Semiquincentennial birthday – or America’s 250th.
The City of Wheeling has partnered with Wheeling Heritage and a number of other organizations to develop the celebrations surrounding the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra’s annual “Celebrate America” performance at Heritage Port, and thousands of local residents will gather along the riverfront in downtown Wheeling.
As long as the weather cooperates, the valley will get gold again as the sun dips down just before the pyrotechnics begin, and while there isn’t a daring diver on the agenda this year, I still have to wonder what today’s 9-year-olds think about their country and its birthday.
