Trending
WHEELING - An assortment of events presented at WesBanco Arena and the Capitol Theatre over the past few months not only have kept local residents entertained but also have drawn throngs of visitors to Wheeling.
The Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority Board met this week for a monthly review of fiscal numbers and to receive the latest operations report from Executive Director Kelly Tucker.
Fiscal officer Nancy Hughes presented the financial report for the most recently completed month of operation for the GWSEA
"February was a great month," Hughes said, noting that revenues were the second highest she has seen since she has kept the historical records of the organization’s finances. "Our $430,000 of revenue in February comes only second to last year’s $464,000 for the month - so we were so close."
In addition to a solid run of shows at the Capitol Theatre over the past few weeks, the GWSEA has seen WesBanco Arena host everything from hockey to basketball, indoor football, bull riding and more. Last weekend’s successful two-night run of PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour was preceded by the Mountain East Conference college basketball tournament, along with Wheeling Nailers home hockey games and Wheeling Miners indoor football games.
"So far this month, we’ve executed 20 basketball games, seven hockey games, two nights of PBR, Miners’ football and 10 theater shows," Tucker said. "And we’re not finished yet - we’re going to have three Nailers games this weekend, and Ancient Aliens will wrap up the theater run."
February and March have been some of the busiest months the GWSEA has seen in recent years, with only seven days on the March calendar with no scheduled events taking place in downtown Wheeling.
The floor at WesBanco Arena has gone from hardwood to turf to dirt and back to ice in a matter of days.
"We just came off a week of dirt here, and we had one issue with the dirt," Tucker noted.
When bull rider or monster truck events need a dirt surface inside WesBanco Arena, the GWSEA keeps a supply on hand. It is usually stored beneath the Interstate 470 overpass, but because the state is currently working on nearby construction projects, the dirt needed to be moved. City crews help transfer the dirt to the North Park Tank Field.
During the transfers, however, some rocks and chunks of asphalt ended up getting mixed in with the dirt, which had to be sifted within a week’s time. Savage Construction was able to help with this, and Tucker noted that the organizers of the PBR show and upcoming monster truck events have agreed to share in the costs to keep the dirt usable.
"The dirt was not in good shape, and we had to have it sifted before PBR - we couldn’t have bulls on it," Tucker said. "Other than that, PBR was a great event. We were down about 100 tickets on Friday night, but on Saturday night, we were completely sold out, selling standing-room-only.
"Overall, it was just a great weekend for us."
The PBR organizers were very complimentary of the WesBanco staff, the venue and crowd, and concessions for PBR alone tallied around $60,000. They also sold around $40,000 worth of merchandise last weekend.
Tucker added that the MEC also delivered a great weekend.
"They’ve signed on to three more years, which is very exciting," she said.
March kicked off with sold-out events at the Capitol Theatre with the Aaron Lewis concert and Vicki Lawrence show. The Aaron Lewis concert generated $28,000 in concessions, Tucker noted.
"Just at the theater, that’s a remarkable number," she said.
Last week’s Dream Theater concert was also a tremendous success, and the promoter that was new to working with the GWSEA was so pleased, they are already looking to book a handful of additional shows in the near future, Tucker said.
The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac tribute shows - Rain and Tusk, respectively - were great shows, but they did not perform as well in terms of ticket sales, Tucker noted. Touring tribute acts have become a popular and regular attraction at the Wheeling Island Showroom, so future shows of this nature may be trimmed back at the Capitol.
While many out-of-town visitors regularly patronize Wheeling’s events, the limited availability of modern ride-sharing service providers like Uber and Lyft drivers in the city has been a challenge, particularly for visitors who stay in town on the night of their show or event.
Tucker said the GWSEA is working with the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau and IC Cab on strategies to help make more rides available after shows. The Hampton Inn provides shuttle services for its guests, but dedicated cabs and additional options would help patrons get to their destinations after the shows, Tucker said.
Tucker said that looking ahead, April will be another busy month, and upcoming shows and events for this summer and fall continue to be booked. This past week, the GWSEA announced concerts by Steve Earle on June 17 and Indigo Girls on June 24, a show by Celtic Thunder on Sept. 26 and Monty Python legend John Cleese on Oct. 12. All shows take place at the Capitol Theatre and are on sale now. Big announcements for other upcoming shows are expected to be made as early as next week, Tucker said.