BOOGIE ON DOWN
Boogie on down to Friday Night Fever — Wheeling Health Right’s 26th annual Chef’s Auction — at 6 p.m. Friday, May 3, at WesBanco Arena, 14th St., Wheeling. Guests will dine on delicacies from the best chefs in the Ohio Valley, as well as participate in silent and live auctions. Auction items include dinner packages from each of the participating restaurants, get-away weekend trips, tickets/packages for various sports venues and many other exciting items donated by area merchants. Twice As Nice will provide ’70s dance music. Participating chefs include: Healthy Vibes For You; In The Mix Bakery; Kirke’s Homemade Ice Cream; Kroger Sushi; Oglebay Resort & Conference Center; Ohio Valley Sno; Pickles Eatery & Bar; Texas Roadhouse, Wheeling; Tito’s Sloppy Doggs; Vagabond Kitchen; Valley Cheese; Wheeling Coffee & Spice Co.; Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack; Wheeling Park White Palace; Ye Olde Alpha; and Otey’s Smokehouse. Single ticket, $85; couples ticket, $160; 304-233-1135; tickets available online
CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE AND MORE CHOCOLATE
Do you like chocolate — freshly baked, cooked, grilled and melted chocolate? If so, the 30th annual Chocolate Extravaganza, 1-3 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Temple Shalom, is for you! For 30 years, Temple Shalom has hosted a myriad of local and national chocolatiers who come and make unique and yummy chocolate treats. Upon entry, ticketholders will make their way through each station where they will be given a sample from every vendor. Fabulous chocolatiers bringing chocolate treats include: Brew Keepers, Dominos, Figaretti’s, Kroger, Oglebay Resort, Wheeling Park High School Patriots Café, Sarris Candy, Temple Shalom, The Cheese Melt, Undo’s, Valley Cheese, Wheeling Coffee & Spice, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack, Ye Olde Alpha and Ziegenfelder. Tickets can be purchased at Mmm … Popcorn, Valley Cheese, The Cheese Melt and Temple Shalom or online; $12 in advance, $15 at the door.
VISIT ‘OUR TOWN’
Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre presents “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder, Friday, May 3, through Sunday, May 5, and Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11. Curtain is at 8 p.m. with the exception of a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, May 5. Considered by many to be the greatest American play ever written, “Our Town” illuminates the powerful bonds that hold communities together through everyday life and moments of crisis. The play follows two ordinary families through life, love and loss in the fictional small village of Grover’s Corners. With humor, wit and powerful storytelling, Wilder delivers universal truths about what it means to be human. $12.50 ($11 OI members); 304-242-7700; www.oionline.com
CROSSCURRENTS
Crosscurrents Art Exhibition opens at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, with a free reception and awards ceremony, at the Stifel Fine Arts Center. The awards for the annual juried multi-media art exhibition will be announced at 7:15 p.m. Guest juror, artist Frederick H. Carlson, has selected pieces from more than 250 entries by 94 artists. Crosscurrents will be on display through June 21. Regular gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
ARTWORKS ‘REVEAL’
A freshly renovated Artworks Around Town will be revealed at a free reception at 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 3. The paintings of Bob Dombrowski will be featured at the Gallery Hop. A St. Clairsville native, Dombrowski is a nationally known artist. For the past two decades, he has produced privately and commercially commissioned projects, as well as personally inspired pieces. His paintings span a full spectrum of mediums — oil, acrylic and watercolor. He has rendered crisp images in pen and ink as well. His paintings have been featured in galleries in New York City, Los Angeles, Provincetown and other parts of the country including several closer to home, such as the Stifel Fine Arts Center, Three Labs Salvage and the Nutting Gallery. The newly refurbished North Gallery will host the work of students from Union Local High School.
3K AND OUTDOOR MUSIC
The 2019 Centre Market Outdoor Concert Series kicks off on First Friday, May 3, featuring the band Pocket Change from 7:30-10:30 p.m. The stage will be located near SMART Centre Market. The concert will coincide with the American Cancer Society’s Don’t Fry 3K event, which will raise awareness and funds for research and treatment of skin cancer. The 3K begins at 7 p.m. Proceeds from wristband sales at the concert will benefit the American Cancer Society.
WINE, WINE, WINE
Join friends at Casa di Vino – House of Wine for the First Friday Walk About Wine Tasting, 6-8 p.m., Friday, May 3. Stop in and try the six wines that will be featured. Cheese and meat trays will be provided. $10. 2261 Market St., Wheeling; 304-905-8537.
MEAN MR. MUSTARD
Undo’s Elm Grove features the band Mean Mr. Mustard from 9 p.m. to midnight Saturday, May 4. The band faithfully performs music by the Beatles, from the earliest recordings through the Abbey Road album. Band members include Sean Decker, Steve Farrow, Tommy Brannan and Steve Jenkins. Undo’s is located at 1253 National Road, Wheeling.
‘TALK DERBY TO ME’
“Talk Derby To Me,” Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack’s Kentucky Derby party, begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4. The day’s events include a hat and bowtie contest, giveaways, outdoor party with music by Tim Ullom and more. Party packages ($40) include access to an exclusive party on the third floor of the racing terrace with served appetizers, buffet, $2 racing wager, racing program and two free drink tickets. 877-846-4373
LEARN TO SEE WATERCOLORS
Wheeling Heritage will host an opening reception for “Learning to See,” an exhibit featuring works by local artist Rosalie Haizlett, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Thursday, May 9, at the Artisan Center, 1400 Main St. The exhibit will run through May 30 on the third-floor gallery. Haizlett’s watercolor paintings focus on various aspects of nature. The Artisan Center gallery is open to the public Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
‘CRAZY FOR YOU’
The Park Players of Wheeling Park High School will present the classic Gershwin musical production, Crazy for You, Friday, May 3, through Sunday, May 5. The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday, in the high school’s J.B. Chambers Performing Arts Center. A zany rich-boy-meets-hometown-girl romantic comedy, Crazy for You tells the story of young New York banker Bobby Child, who is sent to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a rundown theater. In Deadrock, Bobby falls for spunky Polly Baker, the theater owner’s daughter. But Polly takes an instant dislike to the city slicker, so Bobby vows — through cunning, razzmatazz and a hilarious case of mistaken identity — to win Polly’s heart and save the theater. Memorable Gershwin tunes from the score include “I Got Rhythm,” “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” “Embraceable You” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” 304-243-0417, 304-243-0400 or wphswv.booktix.com
POP-UP HISTORY
See characters and events from history come alive as Wheeling 250 presents its Pop-Up History, a series of live storytelling events designed to bring attention to the forgotten history buried in our own backyard. The Suspension Bridge collapse is the topic to be presented by Rich Knoblich, at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the east end of the bridge.
WEIRD STORIES BREWING
We all know Schmulbach and Reymann, but Ryan Stanton has a pint full of odd and quirky stories about beer brewing in Wheeling that you’ve probably never heard. Listen to his presentation at the next People’s University, 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, at the Ohio County Public Library. 304-232-0244; www.ohiocountylibrary.org
LUNCH WITH BOOKS
In observation of the 250th anniversary of Wheeling’s founding, Bill Barry, retired director of Labor Studies at the Community College of Baltimore County, a guide at the B&O Railroad Museum and at the Irish Railroad Worker Museum in Baltimore, and author of The 1877 Railroad Strike in Baltimore, will discuss the importance of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to Wheeling’s history, at noon Tuesday, May 7, at Lunch With Books at the Ohio County Public Library. Lunch With Books programs are free and open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring a bag lunch, and complimentary beverages are provided. 304-232-0244; www.ohiocountylibrary.org
DOWN THE ROAD …
• The Eckhart House will host a Tea Luncheon in celebration of Mother’s Day on Saturday, May 11. The menu will include freshly prepared tea sandwiches, scones served with sweet cream and jam, seasonal fruit, confections and gourmet tea. For more information or to make reservations, call 304-232-5439.
UP THE ROAD …
• “Every drink has a story” is the philosophy behind the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Second Annual Cultured Cocktails event on Saturday, May 4, at the Benedum Center. Guests are invited to walk through time, exploring the unique histories behind their favorite drinks and spirits. Acclaimed mixologists Mikey Mills and Stevie P of Liquid Flair, along with the hottest local bartenders, will mix, shake and stir the evening away while crafting signature cocktails with their individual creativity. Cocktail samples will be paired with food selections prepared by some of the most exclusive restaurants in Pittsburgh including: Braddock’s Rebellion, Bridges & Bourbon, Burn by Rocky Patel, The Capital Grille, The Commoner, Con Alma, Eddie Merlot’s, Hough’s, Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, NOLA, Scratch F & B, The Warren, Yuzu Kitchen and Or, The Whale. Rhythmic beats and intimate performances will set the mood for this spirited soiree, as the ambiance for the evening pays homage to upcoming shows and inspires the chef and bartender offerings. General admission ($45) and VIP tickets ($95) available. trustarts.org/CulturedCocktails
• Pittsburgh Public Theater will present the Pittsburgh premiere of Paula Vogel’s Tony Award-nominated play, “Indecent,” April 18-May 19 at the O’Reilly Theater. In “Indecent,” an ensemble of 10 actors and musicians follow the trajectory of Sholem Asch’s controversial “God of Vengeance,” the first play by a Jewish playwright to open on Broadway. It was created in 1906 when the Yiddish writer was 26 years old. As “Indecent” theatrically moves through time, we learn the story of a Jewish brothel owner who uses his profits to arrange a marriage for his daughter, until she falls in love with one of his prostitutes. “God of Vengeance,” which sketches the romance of these two young women and features a luminous scene of them dancing in an onstage rain, is a hit in Europe. But when it arrives on Broadway in 1923, the entire cast is arrested for obscenity. 412-316-1600; ppt.org
• The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the 2019-20 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Season, which collectively boasts more than 30 Tony Awards. The shows coming to Pittsburgh include: The Band’s Visit, Mean Girls, A Bronx Tale, Jesus Christ Superstar, Miss Saigon, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and Escape to Margaritaville. Season specials include, Cats, Les Miserables, The Illusionists and Disney’s The Lion King. It has also been confirmed that Hamilton will return for the 2020-21 season; 2019-20 season ticket-holders who renew for the 2020-21 season will receive priority seating for the show. 412-456-1390; TrustArts.org/Broadway
