There are a million bright lights celebrating the holidays, and Wilson Lodge is beautifully decorated, so what could Oglebay add to enhance the holiday season even more?
A dinner show? Sure, why not?
“Jingle That” is a theatrical performance offered in Wilson Lodge’s Glessner Auditorium on Sunday through Thursday evenings, and the two-hour event includes dinner and begins at 5:30 p.m. It is $59 for adults and $49 for children under the age of 12.
“’Jingle That’ is a show that is put on by the West Virginia Public Theatre that we started it last year and we made the decision to offer it again this holiday season,” Faulkenberry explained. “Per my request, they put together a Christmas show so we could increase the number of motorcoaches that travel through the park.
“It’s really a heartwarming, festive production that features stories and songs that are performed by the four cast members, and each of them has experience with Broadway shows,” he said. “It takes place in one person’s apartment, and that apartment could be anywhere, and it’s a show that involves some audience members, as well.”
The stage show is an idea that was implemented last year during the annual “Festival of Lights,” an attraction that began in the mid-1980s and one that attracted thousands of visitors during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020-21.
“During the pandemic, our bus business dropped very significantly, and those buses were allowed only 50 percent of the normal number of passengers on them,” Faulkenberry recalled. “We know of a few different companies in the bus business that went out of business because that kind of travel just went away.
“Then, in 2021, we returned to some normalcy and that’s why we offered our first show during the ‘Festival of Lights,’ and it was an overwhelming success,” he said. “The same show runs from Sunday night through Thursday night, and we’ve from 50 people to 350 people attend the show.”
A Sparkling Park
From early November through early January, visitors from as many as six states visit Oglebay and cruise the six-mile lights cruise that includes most areas of the 2,000-acre public park.
This year’s Festival of Lights route, in fact, includes three new displays and holiday music now can be heard near 15 of the illuminated features.
“I cannot imagine this park with the Festival of Lights. It’s my understanding that back in the 1980s the Festival of Lights was just an idea on the back of a dinner napkin, and what an idea it has turned into,” the marketing director insisted. “From the beginning, it engaged the community and it has provided an economic impact to the city of Wheeling and surrounding areas for decades. So many people come through the lights every single year.
“I ran into one couple at the dinner show who told me they have come to the Festival of Lights every year since 1987,” he reported. “They raved about the dinner because they thought it was a great addition to what we offer, and it’s great to hear from our visitors how much they appreciate their experiences here. The best part is they are now bringing their grandchildren.”
Those visitors who reside at Wilson Lodge also enjoy the elaborate decorations that are put in place each and every holiday season, and “Jingle That” has added to the festive atmosphere.
“There’s really nothing like a favorite Christmas carol to get you into the spirit, and ‘Jingle That’ is filled with those songs, and the audience really enjoys when the show includes a few people to answer questions or to simply sing along with them,” Faulkenberry said. “Every aspect about it concerns Christmas and what we have all experienced at one time or another.
“One of the first things that impressed me when I first came here to Oglebay was when the staff started decorating for Christmas on the first of October,” he explained. “We have a team that comes in every single year to decorate the Lodge from top to bottom because it all has to be ready for Light Up Night which is in early November. They transform Wilson Lodge into a Christmas wonderland. It’s really, really magical.”
