What's Happening
Wheeling 250 Bicycle Challenge
Results
Results are in for the Wheeling 250 Bicycle Challenge, sponsored by Ohio Valley Trail Partners and Bike Wheeling. The citywide cyclists logged a total of 28,072 miles from April through November 1 – enough to travel completely around the world. Twenty-seven people reached the individual goal of 250 miles. Bob Strasser of Wheeling recorded the most miles – 3,830. Other cyclists reaching or surpassing 250 miles include:
| Bob Strasser | 3829.7 |
| Robert Morris | 2118.46 |
| Art Burnside | 1875.23 |
| Larry Starkey | 1840.2 |
| Mark Kuntz | 1815.78 |
| Jacqueline Lemasters | 1774.98 |
| Martha Kuntz | 1294.45 |
| Eva Starkey | 1097 |
| Lance Letterio | 1056.2 |
| Tiffany Boury | 1011.22 |
| Maria Shipley | 911.05 |
| Drew Seabright | 908.4 |
| Jay Frey | 880.9 |
| Andrew Hollis | 839 |
| John Lane | 723.52 |
| Linda Kostelia | 714.93 |
| Louis Hart | 683.5 |
| Gemma Twaddle | 490.8 |
| Andrew Barger | 436 |
| Shelby Smith | 361.59 |
| George Krelis | 344.2 |
| John Carenbauer | 332.68 |
| Kevin Costlow | 305.5 |
| Candace Kesselring | 300.99 |
| Rick Foose | 268.3 |
| Kasi Rogers | 259.88 |
| John Hargleroad | 252.1 |
Several teams competed, with the highest scoring team, Art B Skinny Tires, riding 9,212 miles. Team members included Robert Morris, Art Burnside, Larry Starkey, Jackie Lemasters, Eva Starkey, Candace Kesselring, and Marcia Morris. The Vance Memorial Presbyterian Church Team placed second, with 7,338 miles, followed in third place by The Lane Experience, with 1,867 miles. Sixty-eight people registered for the challenge.
Celebrating Together
A YEAR LONG CELEBRATION OF WHEELING'S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
In 2019, Wheeling will commemorate its 250th anniversary. History, education, arts, culture, and community events will be at the forefront of our programs that will reflect on our treasured heritage, recognize our progress, celebrate our current achievements, and collaborate with our community for a bright future.
Save the date, better yet, save the YEAR!
We have organized many events and programs with our partners and sponsors to bring our history to life and celebrate Wheeling! Visit the events calendar often so you don't miss anything! We will be adding more events throughout the year.
A New Flag for a New Era
Read about the fascinating meaning and symbolism behind our new flag!
The City of Wheeling flag was adopted by City Council on September 5, 2018. It was designed by Erin Rothenbuehler, with input from Travis Henline and Jay Frey, and with history milestones developed by Sean Duffy to commemorate Wheeling’s 250th anniversary.
The flag’s two horizontal blue bars at the top and bottom represent the Ohio River and Wheeling Creek, with a third white bar in the flag’s center. Together the three bars symbolize the three major modes of transportation that built Wheeling: river, road, and rail.
In the white bar or field are five stars, each representing a major era in Wheeling's historic past:
1) THE INDIGENOUS STAR
This star represents Wheeling’s indigenous people including the Wyandot, Shawnee, Delaware (Lenape) and Mingo. "Wheeling" is derived from the place name “Wee-lunk” given by the Lenape, meaning “place of the skull.”
2) THE FRONTIER STAR
The star symbolizes the Zane brothers’ settlement of Wheeling in 1769. It also represents Fort Henry, which was besieged in 1777 and again in 1782. Wheeling’s most famous acts of pioneer heroism occurred in connection with the sieges. It was during the first siege that Major Samuel McColloch leapt on horseback down Wheeling Hill, escaping capture and death. During the second siege Betty Zane made her dash from the fort to her brother’s block house, returning safely to the fort with gunpowder to resupply the defenders. The second siege is recognized as the last land battle of the Revolutionary War.
3) THE TRANSPORTATION STAR
This star represents Wheeling’s significant role as a hub of early modes of transportation: the Ohio River, the National Road (1818) and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (1852).
4) THE STATEHOOD STAR
The star symbolizes Wheeling’s importance in the Civil War as birthplace of the only state born of that conflict and West Virginia’s first capital. It also honors the abolishment of slavery.
5) THE INDUSTRIAL STAR
This star represents Wheeling as a manufacturing center producing iron, steel, cut nails, glass, tile, cigars and other goods. Wheeling’s industries attracted an influx of immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Poland, Italy, Lebanon, Greece, and Eastern Europe. Wheeling was in the vanguard of the labor movement and formation of labor unions.
Design Elements and Colors
The eight-sided "navigation" star was chosen for the flag to honor Wheeling’s role as a transportation hub. This star is traditionally used on compasses, maps, nautical charts and monuments to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (N, E, S, and W) and their intermediate points (NE, SE, SW, NW). As the birthplace of West Virginia, the official state colors are used in the City of Wheeling flag.
All Wheeling 250 flag products are made in the USA by the Annin Flag Company.