READY FOR PERFORMANCE — The Wheeling Symphony Orchestra presents Music Under the Stars Aug. 31 at the Oglebay Amphitheater. Thanks to the event sponsors, the concert is free and open to everyone. From left are Mike Oliver of the Musicians Performance Trust Fund; Harold Migias of the Elizabeth Stifel Kline Foundation; Gail Looney, director of grants and governmental relations with the WSO; Sumner Riddick, interim executive director for the WSO; Josh Wack of Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal; and Bob Peckenpaugh, president and CEO of the Wheeling Park Commission. -- Eric Ayres

WHEELING — As the summer season winds down, plans are in the works to celebrate the occasion in a big way at Oglebay Park Resort as the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra presents Music Under the Stars.

The free event is an annual tradition, and it caps off Oglebay’s Sunday Funday Summer Concert Series, taking place at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31 for Labor Day weekend.

“This is the 96th year that we’ve done this with the symphony orchestra, and it’s always a pleasure to have them,” said Bob Peckenpaugh, president and CEO of the Wheeling Park Commission. “It’s a nice way to end our summer concert series. We do concerts from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and they’re all free to the public. Music Under the Stars is just a perfect end cap to it — to have the symphony come in and show off what they do for the community on a regular basis, but underneath the stars at our outdoor amphitheater.”

Music Under the Stars is a free event, thanks to sponsors that help make the community extravaganza possible.

“I think it’s just uncommon in a city the size of Wheeling to have such an amazing and talented symphony, so any chance we get to highlight them or support them, we’re proud to do so,” said Josh Wack of Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc., which is serving its fifth year as the title sponsor for Music Under the Stars. “You can’t have a better setting than Oglebay park for an event like this — it’s beautiful here.”

In addition to Kalkreuth Roofing & Sheet Metal, this year’s Music Under the Stars is sponsored by the Elizabeth Stifel Kline Foundation, the Musicians Performance Trust Fund and Oglebay.

While the show celebrates the end of many outdoor summer activities, it marks the beginning of a new subscription season for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. The WSO’s 2025-26 season is titled The Place I Belong.

“We have been doing Music Under the Stars since our very first year as an organization in 1929,” said Sadie Varlas, marketing and development coordinator for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. “So this will be our 96th year.”

The concert itself will offer something magical for music lovers of all ages.

“This year our theme is Movie Magic! Scores from the Silver Screen, so the program will be all sorts of beloved and iconic music from movies that we all know and love, like ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Lord or the Rings,’ ‘James Bond,’ ‘Mission Impossible’ and others,” Varlas said. “This is a totally family friendly event. Bring kids of all ages, bring your grandparents. You can sit in the amphitheater or bring a blanket and sit on the lawn — whatever you want to do.”

Music Under the Stars will be the marque event among a variety of activities slated for an eventful Labor Day weekend at Oglebay.

“Immediately following the concert on Sunday night, we’ll be doing fireworks in the park,” said Peckenpaugh. “The whole weekend gives people a reason to come out to the park. All day long, we’ll have kids activities down by Schenk Lake, we’ll have lots of food and dining opportunities around the park, people can enjoy a day at the swimming pool — just make sure that you save time and energy at the end to be there for the concert.”

There will be plenty of activities all weekend long at Oglebay, including jump houses and fun attractions for children, an Americana skydiving show, a foam party and fun zone, the annual Woodcarver’s Show in the Pine Room and Fort Henry Days with historic reenactments at Camp Russel, live entertainment, face painting and more.

For information about events at Oglebay, visit www.oglebay.com. For information about the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, visit wheelingsymphony.com.