Blog

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

Celebrations of the Season!

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.

Decorators Joan Berlow-Smith, Jenny Jebbia, Sharon Mendelson and Martha Wright decorated the Mansion’s dining room, which they titled “Scottish Tartan Traditions: Christmas is for the Birds.”

 

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 “Celebrations of the Season.”

“Trimming the Tree” is the theme carried out in the Mansion’s Game Room by Kristin Irwin and Bev Burke.

Featured Decorators:

• Outside Visitor Entryway:  Nicky’s Garden Center
• Front Desk: Lendon Floral and Garden
• Hallways and Stairs: Scott Klinkoski and Dick Taylor
• Dining Room: Joan Berlow-Smith, Jenny Jebbia, Sharon Mendelson, Martha Wright
• Pioneer Kitchen: Tom and Judi Tarowsky, West Virginia Storytellers Guild
• Victorian Bedroom: Michelle Runkle
• Federal Bedroom: Becky Niess and Connie Aherns
• Sewing Room: Mary Fahey, Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce
• Empire Bedroom: Christine Muldrew, Suzanne’s Fashion and Bridal
• Child’s Bedroom: Museums Staff
• Library: Kristin Irwin and Museums Staff
• Empire Sitting Room: Temple Shalom
• Victoria Parlor: Museums Staff
• Mr. Oglebay’s Office: Mary Dorcas Washington Questers and Elizabeth Brown
• Game Room: Kristin Irwin and Bev Burke
• Oval Sitting Room: Megan Wagner and Jeanette Roupe, Pat Catan’s
• Reception Room: Yvonne Jacobs, Collector’s Cottage

Judi and Tom Tarowsky of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild decorated the Pioneer Kitchen as a “Welsh Christmas.”

Thank You!

“We are so grateful to our corporate sponsor, the volunteer decorators and our Mansion Museum Committee 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.”

Yvonne Jacobs of Collector’s Cottage transformed the reception room of the Mansion Museum into the “Freezin’ Season.”

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.

Mary Fahey of the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce decorated the Mansion’s Sewing Room. Fahey, left, is pictured with Chamber president Erikka Storch.

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 3, 10 and 17. Click here to find out more and purchase tickets.
  • Community carol singing takes place from 6-8 p.m. December 15 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.

mansion-winter-2016

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.

 

Dave Henderson: It’s a Wonderful Life In Community Theater!

By Mario Muscar

There are people who have impacted my life in different ways. Some of these include my high school biology teacher, Anita Byrd, who instilled in me an appreciation of science and steered me toward Wheeling Jesuit University (Wheeling Jesuit College at the time) or my best friend’s father, Mike Simons, who showed me that being funny is one of the greatest things that one can be. And there were many directors and other theater people who fostered in me the love of performing for people. One of these directors was Dave Henderson.

Dave Henderson wasn’t the first director that I ever came across. I had been acting in plays since I was in elementary school. I didn’t meet Dave until my freshman year at college. But he wasn’t the first director I met there either. The first play I was in at college was a one act directed by the Dean of the college. Dave wasn’t even the second director I came into contact with at Wheeling Jesuit. That honor goes to current Towngate director of performing arts Tim Thompson. Tim was employed at Wheeling Jesuit at the time.

Towngate artistic director Dave Henderson, left, and OI director of performing arts Tim Thompson.

I auditioned for their production of “The Glass Menagerie,” directed by Tim. I wasn’t cast (Don’t worry, Tim. I’ll forgive you someday!) It wasn’t until the late fall of my freshman year that I met Dave. There were auditions for the children’s play that year, and Dave was the director. The show was “Rumpelstiltskin” I remember auditioning for him in a room of what would eventually be named Ignatius Hall. I did a silly laugh in my audition and hopped around like a fool. It must have been good enough as Dave cast me as the mischievous imp himself. It turned out to be one of my favorite roles of all time.

A Life in Theater

Dave, who started full time at Towngate Theatre on July 1 of this year as the artistic director, has been working with theater in the area for decades. I chatted with him about his history with theater.

“I’ve been doing theater since high school—about 35 years,” Dave said. “I was the full-time technical director at Towngate for seven years and then was at Wheeling Jesuit for 30 years. I have also been doing theater at Central Catholic High School for 14 years.”
Like me, I am sure that all of this time working in theater has certainly affected many people who have had the great fortune to work with Dave. Dave said that he is happy to be involved in their lives.

“As I have spent most of my career working with younger actors, watching them develop as actors and performers as well as human beings, knowing that I had a very small part in that process has always given me great satisfaction,” he said.

Dave Directs the Holiday Show at Towngate

Dave is currently working on the upcoming Towngate Theatre production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.” He is directing the show, which takes the beloved American holiday classic and brings it to captivating life as a live 1940s radio broadcast.

“Performing this classic piece as a radio show will be very challenging,” Dave said.

“The actors are only able to bring the characters to life using their vocal skills, and there will be lots of Foley sound effects created live during the performance. This style of a performance might seem strange to audiences at first, but I am sure that the talented cast and crew will be able to create a charming and entertaining version of the iconic story that will be sure to get audiences into the holiday spirit and offer a welcome respite from the chaos of what is going on the world today.”

The show runs December 1-3 & 8-9. Click here to read more about the show.

While Dave’s entire life may seem like it is all theater, he certainly enjoys less dramatic things. He likes gardening and working outside in the summer, doing projects around his house, spending time with his dog, Sancho, and rummaging through antique stores, junk stores, and flea markets, in search of the perfect treasure or maybe even a great stage prop.

I am very fortunate to have a person like Dave in my life. And we are all fortunate to have him as part of the Towngate Theatre community.