Wheeling's Billy

Yes, I have been to Wheeling West Virginia, for the first time in 1970 to be exact. At that time life was quite chaotic for me and one of the only rays of light was country & western music (along with trains and baseball). A classmate had gotten me interested in it, as we were in Nashville the year before at the Grand Ole Opry. He also told me about Wheeling's WWVA Jamboree so I decided to check it out. I took the bus from New York and when I finally arrived there I checked into my hotel - the Downtowner - at 949 Main Street, right near the Suspension Bridge and the Capitol Music Hall where the Jamboree is held. I was able to take in a Jamboree show and saw Loretta Lynn and her troup, along with several other country acts. I even got to talk to one artist, Kenny Biggs, in the lobby. I only saw show live once, but did listen in to the Jamboree on the radio at my hotel on the other days that I was in Wheeling. Finally I got the bus to Huntington where I boarded a train to head for Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry.

I had so become enamored with Wheeling that in 1971 I wrote a song in tribute to the little Iron City, Wheeling Town, which was copyrighted. While it was fun to write a song, I still needed a day job.

The next time I was in Wheeling was in 2001 when the 3 of us drove through on Interstate 70 on the way home from Dayton OH. We did not stop but it was good to see the city again.

While I am no longer a country music fan, I still look back fondly on my days in the Little Iron City.

On August 24, 2009 my wife, daughter and I did stop in Wheeling on the way home from a visit to the Midwest (Chicago, Fort Wayne, Notre Dame, Archbold OH & Dayton OH). We drove down Main Street past the Capitol Music Hall and the hotel I stayed at in '70 and headed to River City Ales at 1400 Main Street. However, since it was a Monday the place was closed. The Wheeling Visitors Bureau across the street advised that we could get a decent cheap lunch at DiCarlo's Pizza at 1205 Market Street. So that is where we headed, and after lunch took two pictures near the Westbanco Arena before heading back onto Interstate 70 and home.

Today Wheeling is home to the Wheeling Nailers hockey team, which is an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is no minor league baseball, but Pittsburgh (the Big Iron City) and the Pirates are not too far away.