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Come Hungry: Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival Gets Underway in Wheeling

Shelley Hanson

WHEELING -- The 40th annual Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage festival kicked off Friday at Heritage Port with a ribbon cutting ceremony that included a visit from West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.

Justice said he was honored to stop by the festival, adding he was given the idea to do so by state Sen. Ryan Weld, R-Brooke. Justice was in the city to attend the opening of the Orchard Park Hospital just before the festival ribbon cutting.

After participating in the ceremony and visiting the festival's board members for a few minutes, Justice said he was off to another event in Brooke County.

During his visit he also brought his pet bulldog, Babydog, out of his air-conditioned SUV briefly to pose for photos and receive some love.

"I'm honored to stop by. At one time in 2011 I was an honorary Italian of the Year, a long time ago," Justice said. "Now what that really means is that I always wanted to be Italian because I am so proud of your heritage, your honor, your tradition -- and I mean that from the very, very bottom of my heart."

Following the ribbon cutting, Tom Fato, this year's Italian American of the Year for the festival, said he was looking forward to the camaraderie of the event and how people of all cultures come together to enjoy it.

"This festival is time-tested and it brings in thousands of people," Fato said.

"That's good for a couple reasons: The economy here gets a little bit of a boost, which is good, and for the citizens of Wheeling this is a very big event.

"This is the granddaddy of all of them," he added. "There's so much to enjoy. There's something for everybody here and I hope everybody has a great day.

"It's not just for the Italians by any means. I want everyone to have some food, fun and I hope you brought your family."

The festival, which features food, live music, a bocce ball tournament and more, runs through Sunday.