The City of Wheeling and the Arts & Cultural Commission proudly announces that the Wheeling Arts Festival will be held at Wheeling Park, tomorrow, Saturday, August 2nd, from 11am-8pm. The festival is free to the public and will feature local and regional performing artists, visual artists, writers and other literary features, and culinary trucks. As this is the third year of the Arts Fest revival, the fest will return with even more art, more fun, and more experiences to offer than ever!
Saturday, August 2nd’s main events will be held throughout Wheeling Park. Prior to the start of the festival, Lindsay Schooler, accompanied by Jennifer Gerhard Mangone, Principal Violaist for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, will host a one-hour yoga event in the Wheeling Park skating rink from 10am-11am as part of the WSO yoga series.
This year, the Wheeling Arts Fest will host more than 40 local artists, including painters, photographers, potters, illustrators, jewelers, printmakers, and more. The Arts Fest will also host multiple community tables from various organizations around the valley. Artist Mindi Yarborough (https://www.facebook.com/
Following the WSO yoga hour, festival patrons can enjoy a wide array of local musical acts on two stages. The main stage is the park’s amphitheater stage, and acts including our very own Steel Cassa from West Liberty University who will open the main stage from 11am-12pm, rock bands Wilhelm and the Screams, and the Adrian Niles Band will all have one-hour sets. Along with these three acts, the Skip Peck Trio and the Old Hometown Bluegrass Band will also perform for an hour. To close the evening, the main stage will feature Aristotle Jones and his Amazing Appalachian Soul Band from 6:30pm-8:00pm.
In addition to the main stage, our side stage will feature local artists, including and in this order: Sean Decker, Bolt Action, Epiphany, Isaiah Keyes, and Stone Campus. These musicians will perform 30-minute sets between main stage acts, with Sean Decker kicking it off at noon, and Stone Campus rounding it out from 6pm-6:30pm.
The Wheeling Arts Fest is very fortunate to welcome Christina Fisanick and her Writer’s Workshop again this year. Christina has planned a multitude of events for readers, writers, thinkers, and creatives of all ages. The Writer’s Workshop will feature many events both inside and outside of the Wheeling Park White Palace, including various literary readings, the return of Mark Twain to Wheeling, a magazine creation workshop, a 2025 flood archiving project, an open mic, and much more, all also kicking off at 11am.
In addition to this year’s entertainment and educational lineups, the festival will feature local food trucks, including Midge’s Hot Dogs, Gringo’s Tacos, and local coffee cart, Tacet Coffee. Wheeling Park will also host food and drink tables as well.
The City of Wheeling Arts & Cultural Commission’s mission is to promote and develop artistic and cultural activities and initiatives that stimulate economic development and advance the quality of life and vibrancy of the Greater Wheeling Area. The festival will encourage the role of arts in education, community, and everyday life and serve to promote cultural enrichment by working in concert with schools, businesses and other organizations in our area.
