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A Very Bridge + Tunnel Christmas: A Rocking Holiday Concert at Towngate

Members of the Bridge and Tunnel Collective and some very special guests will perform a holiday revue for all ages at 8pm Saturday, December 15 at Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre.

Stellar Line-Up

The concert will put audience members in a festive mood as multiple local musicians take the stage, performing their original takes on traditional holiday favorites in a variety of musical styles. Performers include Adrian Niles, Michael J. Iafrate and the Priesthood, Mr. Fancy Pants, Weird Lightning, Molly Ananga Manjari Martin, Matt Smith, Chad Burrall, The Pussyfooters, Zoe Buccella, Love & Data and Chelsy Keding.

Support YSS Winter Freeze Shelter

The annual concert, organized by the Bridge and Tunnel Collective, serves as a fundraiser for a local community organization. This year the Collective is donating its proceeds to the Youth Services System Winter Freeze Shelter. This is the 10th year for the Winter Freeze Shelter, which provides warm, safe shelter to homeless individuals during the coldest months of the year.

Concertgoers have to option to donate additional funds through a donation basket and are encouraged to bring supplies to help the shelter. Needs include warm socks and gloves, ground coffee, sugar, creamer, powdered drink mixes, bottles of water, lip balm, razors, soap, hand sanitizer, deodorant, shampoo, lotion, zip-top plastic bags, canned food and peanut butter.

“I’m impressed with the giving spirit of these local musicians,” Youth Services System CEO John Moses said. “Not only are they raising awareness and collecting donations for the YSS Winter Freeze Shelter guests, but they’re going above and beyond by donating ticket proceeds to the shelter. The money will go directly to meeting the concrete needs of our guests. We couldn’t do what we do without the help of our generous community.”

Get Tickets

“A Very Bridge + Tunnel Christmas” takes place Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 8pm. Tickets are $10. Purchase online or call 304-242-7700. Seating is limited. Adult beverages will be available for purchase. An after party will follow the show.

Towngate’s Second Season

The show is part of Towngate’s Second Season and is sponsored by Main Street Bank. Towngate’s Second Season programming enhances Wheeling’s arts landscape with literary programming, live music, spoken word performances, improvisation and more. Programs often feature works by emerging and/or local authors, musicians, songwriters, playwrights and poets.

About Towngate

A church-turned-theater, Towngate is located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District. Towngate is a cornerstone of creative life in Wheeling and serves as an entertainment destination for residents of Wheeling, the Upper Ohio Valley and beyond. People of all ages and backgrounds gather here to create and experience art onstage. Dozens of theatrical performances, ballets, concerts, films, exhibits, classes and more take place year-round.

For more information, visit www.oionline.com or call 304-242-7700.

Oglebay Mansion is Decked for the Holidays: Tour the Historic Home

One of the most beloved holiday traditions returns to the Ohio Valley. Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum in Oglebay Resort, Wheeling is lavishly decorated for the holidays and open to the public for tours through December 31.

Each holiday season since 1973, the Mansion Museum, which was the summer home of wealthy industrialist and philanthropist Earl W. Oglebay, has been trimmed for the holidays by professional decorators and talented amateurs. These talented decorators carry out a holiday theme in the Mansion’s 13 period rooms, hallways and staircases. Using their own unique vision, they create stunning results for visitors to enjoy.

The décor ranges from simple elegance to the extravagant, and visitors will find decorating inspiration to take back to their own homes.

Sponsored by Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration, this year’s holiday decorating extravaganza is titled “Holiday Magic.”

Decorators from The Jeweled Bird trimmed the mansion’s dining room around the theme of “Oh Deer!”

Featured Decorators:

• Outside Visitor Entryway:  Nicky’s Garden Center
• Welcome Desk: Lendon Floral and Garden
• Hallways and Staircase: Scott Klinkoski and Dick Taylor
• Dining Room: Joan Berlow-Smith, Jenny Jebbia, Martha Wright and Victoria Yuhase, The Jeweled Bird
• Pioneer Kitchen: Jennifer Christmas
• Victorian Bedroom: Lynn Maguire and Jeanne Guyer, Kruger Street Toy & Train Museum
• Federal Bedroom: Yvonne Jacobs, Collectors’ Cottage
• Sewing Room: Lisa M. Schmitt, Robinson & McElwee, PLLC
• Empire Bedroom: Museums Staff
• Child’s Bedroom: Museums Staff
• Empire Sitting Room: Kristin Irwin and Bev Burke
• Victoria Parlor: Megan Wagner and Jeanette Roupe, Pat Catan’s
• Mr. Oglebay’s Office: Becky Niess and Connie Ahernf
• Game Room: Mary Fahey, Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce
• Oval Sitting Room: Michelle Runkle

“We are so grateful to our corporate sponsor, the volunteer decorators, our staff and the Mansion Museum Committee members who make this event possible,” Museums director Christin Byrum said. “They invest so much time and money to transform the Mansion Museum into a yuletide dream. This exhibit is a wonderful example of the power of volunteerism and corporate philanthropy.”

“The Night Before Christmas” is the theme carried out in the Mansion’s Game Room by Mary Fahey of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce.

Transforming History into Holidays Not an Easy Task.

Byrum said decorating a historic building is a quite a challenge. Decorators must incorporate design elements around the holiday theme and also create period-appropriate trimmings for the Mansion, which was built in 1846. Also, they must take special precautions so that period antiques are not damaged.

“It is a balancing act to ensure that the decorators have the means to express their creative vision and fulfill our professional responsibilities as stewards of a historic home and the collections within,” she said.

Holiday Events at the Mansion

In addition to touring the Mansion, guests can attend special holiday events that are planned for the coming weeks.

Oglebay Institute’s School of Dance performs the classic ballet “The Nutcracker” at 1 p.m. and 3p.m. December 2, 9 and 16. Click here to find out more and purchase tickets.

Community carol singing takes place from 6-8 p.m. December 14 outside the Mansion Museum. Sit around a campfire that burns inside a chimney carved in ice, sip hot chocolate and sing holiday songs. The event is free and open to the public.  Read more.

Curator for the Museums of Oglebay Institute Kara Yenkevich poses by the staircase in the Mansion Museum, which was trimmed by Scott Klinkoski and Dick Taylor.

Tour the Mansion.

You can tour the Mansion and Glass Museums from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday- Thursday and 10 a.m. – 10 p.m Fridays and Saturdays. Guests should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to closing to allow time to tour. The Museums are closed  Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Please call 304-242-7272 for more information or visit on the web at www.oionline.com.