Wheeling Gives Warm Welcome to Winter on the Plaza
Photos by Eric Ayres - Santa Claus made a dramatic entrance to the Winter on the Plaza event Wednesday night on the boom of an aerial ladder truck, stopping to light the Market Plaza Christmas tree and kick off the holiday season.
At right, Branic Griffin, 8, of Wheeling, gets into the holiday spirit by sharings lighted balloons to his siblings and cousin, from left, Rowan Griffin, 6; Duke Howell, 6; and Eva Griffin, 4; Wednesday night during Winter on the Plaza.
Dempsey Reardon and Maddie Wetmore, both 4, of Wheeling, get into the holiday spirit Wednesday night during the annual Winter on the Plaza. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Santa Claus made a dramatic entrance to the Winter on the Plaza event Wednesday night on the boom of a aerial ladder truck, stopping to light to plaza Christmas tree and kick off the holiday season. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Photos by Eric Ayres - Santa Claus made a dramatic entrance to the Winter on the Plaza event Wednesday night on the boom of an aerial ladder truck, stopping to light the Market Plaza Christmas tree and kick off the holiday season.
At right, Branic Griffin, 8, of Wheeling, gets into the holiday spirit by sharings lighted balloons to his siblings and cousin, from left, Rowan Griffin, 6; Duke Howell, 6; and Eva Griffin, 4; Wednesday night during Winter on the Plaza.
Dempsey Reardon and Maddie Wetmore, both 4, of Wheeling, get into the holiday spirit Wednesday night during the annual Winter on the Plaza. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
Santa Claus made a dramatic entrance to the Winter on the Plaza event Wednesday night on the boom of a aerial ladder truck, stopping to light to plaza Christmas tree and kick off the holiday season. (Photo by Eric Ayres)
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By ERIC AYRES, Staff Writer
WHEELING -- Unseasonably warm temperatures Wednesday didn’t stop the city of Wheeling from kicking off the holiday season in grand fashion with the return of Winter on the Plaza.
Despite the balmy forecast, city leader promised snow for the event -- and they delivered. Bubble machines atop the Mmm ... Popcorn! building blew a gentle flurry of artificial "snow" down onto a crowd of families that packed Market Plaza. Building owner Dean Connors was able to blast "snow" via remote control from the ground, but occasionally had to run back up to the roof to refill the machines with soap.
"It’s a really nice touch," Megan Palmer of Wheeling said of the "snow" bubbles. "Everything was wonderful. It was a really festive event."
But is mid-November too early to ring in the holidays?
"No way!" Palmer said. "We’ve already decorated for Christmas at home."
The plaza was lined with fun activities for children, vendors, free hot chocolate, inflatables and other attractions. The star of the night, Santa Claus, arrived in dramatic fashion. St. Nick made his grand entrance in the boom of the Wheeling Fire Department’s newest aerial ladder truck, sprinkling magic dust to help light the plaza Christmas tree and posing for pictures with children. Some kids shared their holiday wish lists, while others tried to negotiate their way back off of the "naughty list."
"We’re going to make this an annual event," Mayor Glenn Elliott said. "Folks who grew up in Wheeling have special memories of this plaza. For me as a kid, I remember coming down here to Stone and Thomas, and playing on the turtle and the dolphin. It’s great to see the plaza being brought back to life, and we’re thrilled to see such a great turnout tonight."
The Winter on the Plaza event first took place two years ago, but was canceled last year in light of the pandemic. The festivities Wednesday night served as a preface to the return of the Main Street Bank Fantasy in Light Parade on Friday night.