DANCING STARS
One of the most anticipated events in the valley waltzes onto The Capitol Theatre stage at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. Nine couples will be competing for the shining mirror ball trophy on Saturday night in the 2018 Dancing With the Ohio Valley Stars, including:
- 7News This Morning meteorologist Emily Goodman dancing with professional freelance dancer Mike Kittle
- Wheeling Fire Department Lieutenant Bob Heldreth dancing with Megan Campbell from Studio MC Performing Arts Centre
- Collections representative for United Bank Keith A. Jones III dancing with Cassidy Sansone from Studio MC Performing Arts Centre
- Assistant Ohio County Prosecuting Attorney and member of Hoorah 2 Heroes National Administration Team Josh Norman dancing with Claire Norman from LDT Dance Centre
- Director of sales and merchandising for Riesbeck Food Markets Brian Riesbeck dancing with Taylor Lucas from Take A Bow Dance Centre
- United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley executive director Jessica Rine dancing with 2015 star-turned-professional Walker Holloway
- Chef Travis, executive chef of Elmhurst, dancing with Chelsea Loy from Take A Bow Dance Centre
- Local musician Tim Ullom dancing with Alex Mitchell from Studio MC Performing Arts Centre
- Zambito Flooring America’s Ric Zambito dancing with Carly DiCola from Turn it Out Dance Academy.
Last year’s winning couple, Allison O’Konski and Walker Holloway, will reprise their number, “Despacito,” at this year’s event. Allison also will be part of an “all-star” group of ladies performing a routine choreographed by Taylor Lucas to a mix of female empowerment songs. The dancers include Jamie Ward, Natalie Humphreys Brown, Laurie Conway, Holly Stillion and Katy McKinley, all of whom have participated in past competitions. Co-hosting this year’s event will be WTRF News anchor Rachael Dierkes and David Blomquist from the Bloomdaddy Experience. Tickets are $30 and are available at WesBanco Box Office, online at www.augustalevy.org and www.capitoltheatrewheeling.com and at the door on the night of the event starting at 6 p.m.
BARKING UP THE RIGHT BEER
Don’t miss another favorite event, the Wine, Craft Beer and Cider Tasting to benefit the Marshall County Animal Rescue League, set for 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, at River City Restaurant. Besides all of the tasty beverages, there will be a 50/50 drawing and Chinese auction. $25. Tickets at the door.
FIRST FRIDAY ART & WINE
- Come meet Artist Helen Sweeney, who will be the guest exhibitor at Artworks Around Town for the month of November, at a reception from 5:30-7 p.m. The opening is free and open to the public. Sweeney, who lives in Weirton, paints nostalgic scenes of flowers, homes, front porches and more. A realistic watercolor artist, she tries to “capture the feeling of my subject” in her paintings, she says. Artwork by students at Union Local Elementary School will be featured in the North Gallery. Artworks Around Town is located at 2200 Market St., Wheeling.
- Also in the Centre Market area, stop in to Casa di Vino — House of Wine for its First Friday Walk-About Wine Tasting, 6-8 p.m. Try six wines that are being featured, along with cheese and meat trays. $10. 2261 Market St., Wheeling; 304-905-8537.
- If you are lucky enough to have reservations (this one is sold out), you can get a taste of Wheeling’s finest at First Friday First Class Flight, 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 2 at Good Mansion Wines. This event, held the first Friday of the month, is a sit-down tasting featuring a flight of five fine wines, starting with a Champagne. Each wine is served with hors d’oeuvres or small plates from the kitchen and ends with a dessert from the patissier. www.goodmansionwines.com
BUSY STAGE AT TOWNGATE
- Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre welcomes back the Crazy 8s for an evening of improvisational comedy at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. These young performers are brave, talented and oh, so funny! Tickets are just $5, and the show is fun for all ages. The improv troupe is made up of high school and college-aged thespians, who, under the direction of Tim Thompson and Elle Artman, perform without a script, using only their imaginations, their adrenaline and the suggestions that come from the audience members. Tickets at the door; 304-242-7700; www.oionline.com
- Earlier on Saturday, Oglebay Institute will present “How Dog Became Man’s Best Friend” for one show only, at 3 p.m. Nov. 3, at Towngate Theatre. Part of Towngate’s children’s theater season, this delightful play explores this relationship between dogs and humans. The story has origins in Native American and African folklore and includes colorful costumes, valuable moral lessons and audience participation. After the show, children can ask questions and interact with the cast. $8. 304-242-7700; www.oionline.com
BONUS BOO!
Your favorite Halloween event has been extended! Grab your favorite costume for a bonus weekend of Boo at the Zoo, from 6-8:30 p.m. Friday Nov. 2, and 4-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. Children are encouraged to dress in costume as they experience trick-or-treat stations, a spooky train ride, zoo animals, and other family-friendly entertainment. Admission also includes access to exciting LASER shows at the zoo’s Benedum Theater. Boo at the Zoo admission and train ride tickets can be purchased online.
COUNTRY ROADS LEAD TO WHEELING ISLAND
A Tribute to John Denver is traveling country roads to Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. This tribute act will bring all your favorite hits to the stage, including Country Roads, Take Me Home, Rocky Mountain High, Sunshine on My Shoulder and many more.
TAKE THE STAGECOACH
The 2018 Ohio Valley History Expo will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the completion of the National Road from Cumberland, Md., to Wheeling, with a number of events, beginning this weekend. The festivities will kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, with a tour of the Osiris Shrine Temple, also known as Monument Place or Shepherd Hall, led by Jeanne Carter portraying Lydia Boggs Shepherd Cruger. At 1 p.m., Dr. Billy Joe Peyton, professor of history at West Virginia State University, will talk about the “Making of the National Road.” The events continue at noon, Tuesday, Nov. 6, at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library when Hilary Miller will discuss the experiences of travelers on the National Road during the road’s heyday. Many travelers kept accounts that described their travels on the National Road. Miller is a doctoral candidate in American Studies at Penn State University. Her dissertation, tentatively titled, Popularly It Was Known as the National Road: The National Road, the Expansion of American Culture and the Creation of American Identity, focuses on the history of the National Road and its place in American cultural memory and history. She is a seasonal park ranger with the National Park Service at Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site. She has previously taught history and American studies courses at Washington & Jefferson College, UNC Charlotte and multiple Penn State campuses. www.ohiocountylibrary.org
AT THE ‘CROSSROADS’
Check out the paintings of Wheeling artist Cheryl Ryan Harshman at the Gallery on 43rd in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. “Crossroads” opens Sunday, Nov. 4, with a reception from 1-4 p.m., and will be on display through Dec. 31. The gallery is open from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. www.galleryon43rdstreet.com
‘BRAVE MISS WORLD’
In 1998, Linor Abargil was crowned Miss Israel. Two months later, this 18-year-old woman, while on a modeling assignment in Italy, was brutally kidnapped, stabbed and raped. She escaped her attacker and reported it to the authorities but the horrific incident went largely ignored. Shaken but determined, Linor went on to represent her country in the Miss World competition and was successfully crowned Miss World. The next day her story was reported by the press, and she became the face of rape victims around the world. “Brave Miss World,” a documentary about her story, premiered in 2013 and has been seen around the world. Director Cecilia Peck, daughter of Gregory Peck, will be in Wheeling to lead a discussion before and after the local screening of the 88-minute film at the Highlands Conference Center. The event begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4, and is free to the public. www.bravemissworld.com
SHOP ’TIL YOU DROP
Kick off your holiday shopping with Ladies Night at Centre Market, from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7. There will be food, activities, discounts and prizes at participating Centre Market businesses. Upon arrival, ladies will check in at Artworks Around Town to receive their shopping guide. 304-234-3878
