Plans are in place to celebrate even more in 2026
The lights are out, the sing-alongs have gone silent, and the windows are brown-papered once again because the dismantling of Christmas is far too sad a sight.
But, for nearly two months, it was indeed, magical, a joyful pause where everything was ‘Tis the season and every individual was merry no matter their age, their belief, or their memories. All were welcomed to its glisten and its glow, and it never failed to deliver what it promised one day after another this past holiday season. It invited the grumpy, the grouchy, and the Ba-Humbugs, and it gave them beauty and promise and tradition while Santa smiled no matter what song the singers sang.
And memories were made at the Jingle Bar in downtown Wheeling this past holiday season, and that’s why owner Ken Sexton has already started planning on doing it again later this year.
“We opened up the Jingle Bar with the idea that there’d be a few people here, but there were lots of people here and everyone seemed like they had a great time,” Sexton said. “There were a lot of nights when we saw 300 to 400 people, and I think we saw more than 5,000 from beginning to end. I still have to do all of the math, but we really enjoyed how many people made the Jingle Bar a part of their Christmas.
“Now that we’re taking it all down, it’s bittersweet for sure,” he said. “But we have started talking about what we want to do next, and yes, I went to all of the clearance sales at The Highlands, so …”
There was a wall of wreaths, and another covered in Santa caps, and the lights and bulbs and garlands were hung on the trees with hopes for carols and karaoke and trivia nights, too.
“Now that the process to take it all down has started, it’s been emotional because of all of the emails and text messages we’ve received about how much fun people had and how much they appreciate what we did with it. Those messages have meant a lot to us,” Sexton said. “People hugged us and thanked us, and I shook a lot of hands, too, and all of it was very special. I don’t think we expected those reactions.
“You don’t get that every day, and I taught for 25 years and I don’t think I had that many students, parents, or anyone else thanking me during those years,” he said. “And we had people not just from the Wheeling area but from outside the area, too. People came back to Wheeling for the holidays, and a lot of them came here and celebrated with us, and it meant a lot to us. It made our holiday.”
Boo!!
It was the final Facebook update.
“Last night we gave out our final Christmas Card of the Season!
So many faces … So many memories … Thank you to every single person who walked through our doors, raised a glass, shared a story, and made Jingle Bar feel like home.”
“I also received a text from someone that really let me know we accomplished what we wanted,” Sexton explained. “It was a text from a lady who said her husband had passed two years ago and that she hadn’t felt like celebrating Christmas … (but) her and her family, and the Jingle Bell, (all) made it so much better.
“That’s why I know when some people see the paper over the windows, it’ll be a sad day because we had a lot of regulars,” he said. “I think we accomplished our goal, and that was to give people a reason to come back down to downtown Wheeling for Christmas.
“That’s exactly what happened, too, because people would go to a show at the Capitol (Theatre), to one of the Igloo dinners at the arena, or they would go to a restaurant, and then come here for a few drinks. That’s exactly what we hoped would happen. I felt like downtown Wheeling became a destination again, and it was a lot of fun to be a part of it.”
What’s next?
Well, Sexton and his team already are preparing to pop up yet again, but maybe – just maybe – earlier than November like this past season.
“We are kicking around a lot of ideas, and having a pop-up Halloween bar is one of them,” Sexton revealed. “We were thinking of leasing the location from October through the rest of the year, and if it’s back here (1001 Main Street), then great, but it could be at a different location. We’ll have to see what’s available when that time comes later this year.
“We loved being downtown, and we loved seeing people come back to downtown for a lot of reasons; we were just happy to be one of those reasons,” he added. “And maybe we’ll see more pop-ups and people will have several to visit. That would be perfect.”
