Bob Peckenpaugh, president and CEO of the Wheeling Park Commission, deemed this past season that wrapped up in early January “a great success.”

“Our retail store sales were up,” he said. “Our Christmas dinner show, presented in conjunction with the West Virginia Public Theatre, saw a 12% increase over last year. The Good Zoo had great attendance numbers, and occupancy of our lodging for the month of December was the highest on record,” he said.

Visitors to drive the lights tour also increased this season.

“This year we saw a strong return to pre-COVID numbers with 41,345 vehicles (cars, buses, motor coaches, etc.) coming through the lights,” he said. “This combined with other activities represents approximately a quarter of a million visitors to the parks.”

photo by: Photo courtesy of Oglebay Park

The Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights was a rousing success in the eyes of Wheeling Park Commission leaders. More than 41,000 vehicles passed through the displays this past holiday season.

Peckenpaugh said a favorite new addition to the show was “Reflections on Schenk Lake.”

“This entire experience added a new level of ‘wow’ for the entire park,” he said. “It also appears that a new family tradition has been started as both young and old alike enjoyed the Arctic Express Train Tour at the Good Zoo.

“Additionally, bringing back old favorites, like the Suspension Bridge display and last year’s 70-foot tall Welcome Tree, were also very well received.”

Regarding what might be new in the future, those plans won’t be revealed until the new season begins.

“We like surprises. The Festival of Lights team works year-round to ensure that each year is the best show yet,” he said. “That said, there are several fun ideas that will be distilled down to yet another reason to see the lights again next year.”

Peckenpaugh said the Festival of Lights was originally created to give Ohio Valley residents and beyond a reason to enjoy the parks during the winter.

“Today those residents enjoy new displays every year along with new visitors from various parts of our greater region and across the United States,” he said. “I want to thank Randy Worls, Doug Dalby and the teams they worked with over the years for such a wonderful gift to our community and visitors.”