Get a rare peek at some of the most exquisite kitchens in Wheeling during Oglebay Institute’s Secret Kitchens of Wheeling Tour and Gourmet Market on Saturday, June 8.
Presented by the Committee of the Museums of Oglebay Institute, this biennial event ushers in summer with a self-guided tour of Wheeling’s grandest kitchens and an opportunity to shop from more than 40 vendors. Proceeds benefit the Mansion and Glass Museums.
Maps for the kitchen tour will be available outside the Mansion Museum in Oglebay, where the brick pathways will be transformed into an outdoor marketplace.
There is a fee to tour the kitchens. Cost is $17 in advance or $20 the day of the event. The vendor market is free. Dozens of merchants and artisans will sell items such as home décor, garden items, artwork, textiles, pottery, baskets, candles, jewelry, kitchen accessories, plants and herbs, gourmet foods and more.
The Secret Kitchens Committee carefully selects the tour homes, looking for unique features, interesting décor and varied locations around town, and this year promises to showcase more design and architectural gems. Four homes are featured on the tour and vary in style, size and design.
“Each kitchen on the tour has it own unique story to tell and reflects the personal style of the homeowners, from color choices to creative uses of space to whimsical decorating touches,” said Christin Byrum, Oglebay Institute museums director.
To discover whose kitchens are being featured, arrive at the Mansion Museum between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., June 8. After tickets are purchased, guests will receive a detailed map to find each of the secret kitchens.
The last tickets are sold at 2 p.m., and guests have until 4 p.m. to take the self-guided tour. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside the Mansion Museum.
To register in advance for the Secret Kitchens Tour, call the Mansion Museum at 304-242-7272 or visit www.oionline.com.
Gourmet Market vendors include: Apartment Two Art; Appalachian Booksmith; Ashton Woods Studio; Avenues of Barnesville; Avon; Barnesville Crafts Made Easy; Bob’s Woodturning; Wishful Crafts; Camera Club; Ceil’s Creations and Crafts; Crochet & Sew; DW and Co.; Dolce Pizzelles; East Wheeling Clayworks; Glam, Grace and Heart; Hannah’s Clay Creations; Haven Collection; Hello Haberdashery; My Daily Choice; Images in Bloom; Art by Janet; Lilley Designs; Lippencott Alpacas; Little Grave Creek Design; Lipsence; Lone Stone Designs; Lularoe & Color Street; Mary Kay; Misty Mountain; Paint by Numbers Craft Parties; Happy Pappy’s Workshop; Pottery by Winnie and Teresa; Pure Romance; Sandy Yokum Art; Thirty-One; Three Labs Salvage; Touch of Amish; Pink Zebra; Tupperware; Usborne Books; YartArt Creations; Whimsy in Wool; Yardscape LLC; and Zeb’s Barky Bites.