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Summer of Wonder Returns to the Schrader Environmental Education Center

🌞 Summer of Wonder 2026: A Season of Discovery at the Schrader Center

June 1 – August 7

Summer at the Schrader Environmental Education Center is all about curiosity, creativity, and connection with the natural world. Whether you’re exploring the forest, meeting live animals, or crafting something beautiful from upcycled materials, Summer of Wonder 2026 offers hands‑on experiences for all ages — no pre‑registration required. Unless otherwise noted, programs are $5 per person and free for OI members or Oglebay Park guests with activity cards. Space is limited and offered on a first‑come, first‑served basis.

🦋 Daily Programs

Winged Wonders Walk‑Through
Monday–Friday • 8:30–10:30 am
OPENING SOON! Step into a living kaleidoscope inside West Virginia’s only butterfly house. Wander among free‑flying butterflies as they sip nectar, land nearby, and reveal their incredible transformation from caterpillar to winged wonder. Learn how to create your own pollinator‑friendly habitat at home. 🦋

📅 Weekly Programs

Sand Art
Mondays • 11 am
Create your own colorful sand‑art masterpiece using locally upcycled glass sand. Supplies are limited — arrive early!
Upcycled!

Tuesdays • 1 pm
Turn “trash” into treasure with a new hands‑on craft each week. Learn how everyday items can be transformed into something beautiful and useful.

June: 2 – T‑Shirt Bags 👕; 9 – Lanterns 🏮; 16 – Popsicle Stick Kazoos 🍧; 23 – Mug Bird Feeders ☕🐦
July: 7 – Eating Utensil Creatures 🍴; 14 – Plastic Bag Crafts 🛍️; 21 – Crayon Painting 🖍️; 28 – Jar‑Lid Sunflowers 🌻
August: 4 – Marble Snails & Acorns 🐌🌰

Waterfall Wednesday
Wednesdays • 2 pm • ~45 minutes
Explore the living waters of Waddles Run with direct access to our beautiful waterfall area. Catch and release salamanders, crayfish, insects, and fish. Wear boots and clothes that can get wet.

Ambassador Animals Meet & Greet
Thursdays • 3:30 pm • ~45 minutes
Meet the Schrader Center’s animal ambassadors and discover the adaptations that help them survive and thrive.

Nighttime Astronomy
Thursdays • 9 pm • up to 120 minutes
Observe the night sky with local experts from the Oglebay Astronomy Club at the Speidel Observatory. All equipment provided.

Scale‑Craft
Fridays • 1 pm
Create a keepsake using naturally shed snake skin and preserved butterfly wing scales. $8 per person

✨ Special Programs

Tea & Tweets
June 17 & July 22 • 8 am • ~60 minutes
Start your morning with a peaceful guided bird walk. Learn to identify local birds by sight and song while enjoying herbal tea. Binoculars and field guides provided; juice boxes available for young birders.

Forest School Mini‑Sessions
June 4, July 9 & August 6 • 1 pm • ~120 minutes
A nature‑based mini‑camp experience for ages 5–11. Children explore the park’s flora and fauna through hands‑on learning, crafts, and games. $10 per child • Minimum of 3 participants required

Beehive Tours
June 22 & July 27 • 3:30 pm
Suit up and explore the world of beekeeping with a Schrader Center Naturalist. Choose your comfort level — up close or from a distance. Those with bee or smoke allergies are strongly discouraged.

Night Hikes
June 12, July 17 & August 14 • 9 pm • ~60 minutes
Experience the park after dark on a guided hike in search of nocturnal wildlife.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Private Family & Group Programming

All Summer of Wonder programs are available as private sessions for your family, scout troop, or group. $10 per person • $50 minimum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Timeless Comedy at Towngate Theatre: “You Can’t Take It With You” Opens May 8

This May, Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre invites audiences to laugh, reflect, and revel in the joy of being unapologetically yourself as the Pulitzer Prize- winning comedy You Can’t Take It With You takes the stage beginning May 8 in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District.

Written by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, You Can’t Take It With You is a beloved American classic that has delighted audiences since its Broadway debut in 1936. Nearly 90 years later, its humor is as sharp, its characters as endearing, and its message as relevant as ever.

Welcome to the Wonderfully Eccentric Sycamores

At the heart of the play is the Sycamore family – an unforgettable household of dreamers, tinkerers, dancers, writers, and revolutionaries who live by one guiding principle: do what makes you happy. Their free-spirited world is happily chaotic, full of homemade fireworks, off-beat passions, and boundless love.

 

That world is thrown gloriously off balance when daughter Alice brings home her fiancĂŠ’, Tony Kirby — the son of a powerful Wall Street executive. When Tony’s straightlaced parents arrive unexpectedly for dinner on the wrong night, the result is an uproarious collision of values, worldviews, and family expectations. What follows is comedy at its finest: heartfelt, human, and laugh-out-loud funny.

 

A Director Who Knows Towngate and Its Audience

This Towngate Theatre production is directed by Dennis Fox, a longtime educator and theatre artist who taught and directed at Ohio University Eastern for more than 35 years. You Can’t Take It With You marks Fox’s fourth production at Towngate.

Fox brings a deep understanding of both classic text and contemporary audiences, ensuring this production honors the play’s legacy while feeling right at home on today’s stage.

 

Why This Story Still Matters

Beneath the laughs, You Can’t Take It With You offers something deeply resonate.  It’s a reminder that success isn’t measured by money, titles, or social approval — but by joy, love, and living true to yourself.

In an era defined by pressure, comparison, and constant noise, the Sycamores’ joyful rebellion against convention feels refreshing and reassuring. It’s a play that celebrates individuality, champions kindness, and gently asks us all to consider what really makes a life well lived.

 

A Talented Cast Bring the Comedy to Life

Penelope Sycamore — Catherine Brooks
Essie — Makayla Carney
Rheba — Micah Underwood
Paul Sycamore — Justin Swoyer
Mr. De Pinna — Jon J. Coffield
Ed — Alex Danehart
Donald — Wayne McCord
Martin Vanderhof — Rich Ivaun
Alice — Kaylee Nedrow
Henderson — Gavin Rheinhardt
Tony Kirby — Brian Jeffries
Boris Kolenkhov — Frank Wilson
Gay Wellington — Cathie Spencer
Mr. Kirby — John Reilly
Mrs. Kirby — Karissa Martin
Olga — Maria McKelvey
Three Men — Gavin Rheinhardt, Emma “Eddie” Weese, Bill Daniel

Supported by a skilled production team led by set designer Dave Henderson, stage manager Bill Daniel and lighting designer Grace Milliken, this Towngate Theatre production promises warmth, energy, and unforgettable moments.

Plan Your Visit

You Can’t Take It With You begins performances May 8 at Towngate Theatre.

Tickets

Purchase Online

or by calling 304-242-7700.