By Cynthia Morris
The Viennese Winter Ball will take place in Wheeling, WV, early next year. The ball events are historically held over a two-weekend period and involve community members as volunteers and patrons. With volunteers and sponsors being the heart of the ball, it is the cotillion that is the soul of it. The two-weekend event starts with the Patron Party at Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Arts Center on January 27, 2024, where the cotillion is introduced, and the patrons are celebrated. The following weekend, the ball will be held at Oglebay Park, Wilson Lodge, on February 3, 2024.
The ball is grounded in a committee of 17 members who donate time and talent to both events. It is a collaboration of community. At the heart of this event are volunteers of all ages, many are members from the Wheeling Symphony Auxiliary, with student volunteers from area high schools. Organizations like Oglebay Institute, Capitol Music Hall, Oglebay Park and several generous local businesses play a significant role towards its success. It is through their help that the Ball Committee secures monetary sponsorships and other donations that make the Viennese Winter Ball the grand event that it is, steeped in elegance and tradition. The ball’s success leads to the contribution of several thousands of dollars annually to the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. Notably, Wheeling is proudly the smallest city in America to have its own symphony. The Viennese Winter Ball Committee and the ball’s executive board are one of the most significant annual donors to the symphony.
Sheila Barrett and Joan Robbin co-founded the Viennese Winter Ball more than 40 years ago after taking a trip to Vienna, Austria. After being asked to consider a new Wheeling Symphony fundraising event, Barrett and Robbin patterned the event after the grand balls they witnessed during their travels in Vienna. Many of those traditions they carefully patterned more than 40 years ago are still present today.
On the last Saturday in January, the lights shine brightly at the Stifel Fine Arts Center welcoming the cotillion members, their parents and the patrons of the Viennese Winter Ball at the annual Patron Party. The cotillion will be formally introduced to the guests that evening by walking down the grand staircase in the front hall of the Stifel Mansion. The cotillion members include 20 high school seniors, 10 young men and 10 young ladies. At the party, the guests mingle while waiting for the cotillion’s introduction. Following the introductions, an elegant dinner buffet is served. The Patron Party is organized by the Patron Party co-chairs and an array of volunteers who decorate the beautiful mansion and prepare amazing food for the cotillion and the patrons.
One week later, on the first Saturday of February, the Viennese Winter Ball takes place at Oglebay Park’s Wilson Lodge. The Cotillion members, their families and the ball guests all arrive at Wilson Lodge in formal attire. Glessner Auditorium and the key areas of the Lodge are transformed into stately halls by volunteers dedicated to details. The cotillon members have attended countless waltz lessons throughout the fall and winter from Cheryl Pompeo, the ball’s dance instructor who has choreographed the events for decades. The evening begins with a formal receiving line. Following cocktails, the guests enter an Austrian-themed Glessner Auditorium and are seated. The ball’s Grand Herald and Chamberlains lead the march, and cotillion members enter the room to perform a traditional Austrian waltz. Following the waltz, everyone enjoys a beautifully plated dinner and additional presentations by the students, followed by an evening of dancing. The final grand highlight of the evening is the ball’s dessert room located in an Austrian wonderland filled with hundreds of desserts just beyond Glessner Auditorium.
Wheeling’s Viennese Winter Ball is one of the few formal balls with a cotillion left in America, and it is a magical experience.
