Wheeling kicked off its centennial year with a gala “Celebrate Tomorrow with Yesterday’s Memories” last weekend at the Chevy Chase Country Club in Wheeling.
More than 900 celebrants, who paid $18.94 a person-a nod to the year Wheeling was founded-meandered through three rooms of entertainment.
In the main ballroom, the New Odyssey show and dance band performed an eclectic selection, from Beethoven to “Achy Breaky Heart.”
At one point in the evening, five couples got a quick lesson on how to do the Virginia reel from a professional dance troupe in Civil War regalia.
“We just learned in about 30 seconds,” said Joel Reznick of Wheeling, who danced with his wife, Ricki. “It was crowded and we were running into hoop skirts, but it was a lot of fun.”
A more sedate crowd lounged in the piano bar, while others packed the local entertainment room to hear the performances of the Senior Pavilion-Aires Choir and the Wheeling High School New Dawns.
In the silent auction room, Joanne Marion of Buffalo Grove and Kathy Woods of McHenry, who work at the Addolorata Villa, a senior community complex in Wheeling, were on a mission.
“Our poor husbands are at the table with the nuns, and we’re bidding on Reggie White’s uniform for Sister Pat (Ferguson),” who is an assistant administrator at the home and a fan of the Green Bay Packers, where White is a defensive end, Marion said.
Although Marion left the auction room empty-handed, she was reflective: “Wouldn’t it be nice if someone else did bid on it for her and she got it?”
Taking a break, the Cielinskis of Wheeling summed up the collective mood of the evening.
“It’s like one big happy family, and you can go from room to room like you’re in someone’s home,” said Mary Cielinski.
“Wheeling’s our home, and an occasion like this comes around only once,” said Jerry Cielinski.
Proceeds from the gala will fund the proposed Wheeling Centennial Fountain Plaza, tentatively scheduled for dedication in June.
“We raised $9,000 during the silent auction and additional monies from corporate sponsors and ticket sales,” said chairwoman Debbie Santy.
