Rain Doesn’t Dampen Heritage Port Fireworks Show
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Nothing was going to rain on the City of Wheeling’s fireworks show Saturday night at Heritage Port.
Not even the actual rain.
While the storms that blew through the Ohio Valley on Saturday kept many at home, hundreds of hardy souls braved the raindrops to sit along the Ohio River in downtown Wheeling and enjoy the annual fireworks display that went on as scheduled.
The Baldwin and McBride families from Lewisville, Ohio, had come from an hour away to arrive in Wheeling for the show. Leora Baldwin said she attended last year’s show and enjoyed it so much, she made sure to return for the city’s display on the 250th birthday of the United States with her husband Jason, son Sam, sister Kelsey McBride, brother-in-law Jeff McBride and their three children. The kids — 7-year-old Loretta McBride, 5-year-old June McBride, 18-month-old Wade McBride and 10-year-old Sam Baldwin — were decked out in homemade patriotic t-shirts as they snacked on watermelon chunks and waited for the fireworks to begin.
“They were really good last year,” Leora Baldwin said. “Probably the best in our area that I would travel an hour to see. We really like the family environment. And it’s America 250, so we’re not going to sit at home.”
As the weather got gloomier and the heavens opened Saturday afternoon, many did opt to forgo the fireworks to stay dry. Earlier in the afternoon, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, which performs each year at Heritage Port for Independence Day, announced that the weather would force it to cancel the concert.
"This is a highlight for the WSO every year and we are deeply sorry to make this call, but the safety of our patrons, musicians, and all others involved comes first," the WSO wrote on its Facebook page.
The Symphony said the city would make a decision on the fireworks show itself later in the evening, and shortly after 8 p.m., the city posted on its Facebook page that the fireworks would go on as planned. The post said the display would start around 9:15 p.m., but the night sky lit up closer to 9 p.m.
The usual packed house at Heritage Port was not to be seen, but there were plenty of people in attendance. Many were decked out in their patriotic best. And many had umbrellas over their heads to shield them from the raindrops that kept coming down as they waited for the fireworks to begin.
Kathy Gray of Moundsville and Michael Rust, an Ohio Valley native now living in Atlanta, Georgia, were among the umbrella-wielding members of the audience. Gray said she usually holds a party to watch the Moundsville fireworks, but Rust wanted to come up to Wheeling, and she was happy to oblige.
“There’s nothing like the fireworks among these hills,” Gray said. “You go down south, and you don’t hear the echo of the fireworks in the valley. It’s the echo of the fireworks that makes it special.”
While Saturday’s event was soggier than usual, it was still one those in attendance wouldn’t miss. It’s not just the fireworks decorating the sky. It’s being able to share that with loved ones.
“This is how memories are made,” Kelsey McBride said.