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WHEELING - Celebrate America 250 with the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra.
The WSO is in the middle of a four-city holiday tour around West Virginia, including their traditional July 4 performance at Heritage Port in downtown Wheeling.
With stops in Clarksburg, Weirton and Canaan Valley this week, the Celebrate America tour provides communities outside of the Wheeling area with the opportunity to see the WSO perform free of charge. The July 4 concert at Heritage Port is sponsored by the city of Wheeling, West Virginia Tourism, and Bellaire Harbor Freight. The July 4 tour is presented in part by Expand Energy, the Cultural Foundation of Harrison County, Tucker County Alpine Festival and the Top of West Virginia CVB.
"The July 4 tour is one of our favorite concert traditions," WSO Music Director John Devlin said. "Not only do we get to perform for one of our largest crowds of the season right here in Wheeling, but through the tour we have the opportunity to connect with individuals across the Mountain State. With this year's celebration coinciding with America 250, I know it's going to be one of the best tours yet!"
This year, tenor Edward Washington II joins the WSO on stage throughout the tour. Selections on the program include patriotic classics like "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America" and "Stars and Stripes Forever." The performances in Weirton and Wheeling will close with fireworks, coinciding with music from Star Wars, as did the performance Thursday night in Clarksburg.
The WSO's performance at Heritage Port is a longstanding tradition. An all-day event, the July 4 celebrations also include food trucks and beer tents on Heritage Port. Thousands of citizens from Wheeling and beyond flock to Heritage Port to celebrate our nation's birth, with some audience members enjoying from their boats on the Ohio River.
"The Fourth of July is an opportunity to celebrate not only our nation's history, but also the people and traditions that bring us together as a great community. We are proud to continue our long-standing partnership with the Wheeling Symphony to provide a memorable evening of music and celebration that showcases the very best of Wheeling, our state and our beloved country on its 250th anniversary. Our city is blessed to have the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. For this 4th of July celebration, they not only provide a wonderful patriotic, entertaining and high-quality performance, but continue that excellence in performing arts throughout the entire year," said Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron.
"The WSO is honored to be part of the city's Independence Day celebrations," Devlin said. "I cannot wait to be back at Heritage Port and hear the city singing along to 'Country Roads,' 'The Star Spangled Banner,' and so many other pieces as we celebrate 250 years of our beautiful country."
All July 4 Celebrate America Tour performances are free to attend.
The performance today, Friday, July 3, at the Weirton Event Center kicks off at 8 p.m. The Saturday, July 4 extravaganza at Heritage Port in Wheeling also starts at 8 p.m. The tour wraps up with a 3 p.m. performance at Canaan Valley Resort on Sunday, July 5.