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There was a time in the Ohio Valley when streets were teeming with people on Saturdays in downtowns for shopping or for the nightlife of shows, movies or dance clubs. The population of many cities, such as Wheeling, supported these crowds and activities.
During those years, you could open your local paper phone book and find listings for just about anyone who lived in your town or the businesses that were located there. Before the invention of the Internet, a phone book was an invaluable tool, especially for someone in the news business.
The countless times I perused the yellow pages where the businesses could be found, I would be amused by the fact that there were almost as many bars (referred to as clubs) as there were beauty/barber shops in the Wheeling proper. We were definitely a city that enjoyed bending an elbow among other club goers while nicely coiffed, too.
Times have changed for the most part. However, this valley remains strongly attached to its clubs. I'm not talking solely of its liquor-selling, bar-stool studded clubs.
We are blessed with a host of other clubs, some private and some open-armed for members.
Some of the more long-established clubs have members who recall when presidential candidate John F. Kennedy visited Wheeling and enjoyed a beer with some blue-collared workers who stood shoulder to shoulder at the Cave Club. Kennedy's large photo still graces the wall of that Center Wheeling establishment.
There were traditions of fathers passing on club memberships to their sons as it was considered a badge of honor to be accepted in these places where guys could be, well, guys without women in the room. I don't have a problem with men enjoying their time without the women folk as long as they stay out of our card parties.
There are remnants of the heavy-hitter clubs but nothing like days gone by. How some clubs, i.e., the Snake Club, the IOLA or the VooDoo, got their names is something for another history dive.
After the era of gambling dens subsided, dance clubs were the craze. Whether it was with live bands or at the hands of record-spinning DJs, if you wanted to disco the night away, the valley certainly offered numerous choices.
Today, the Ohio Valley has mellowed somewhat. The true dance palaces have disappeared, replaced by more sedate wine bars and microbreweries. But do not be dismayed. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy in this grand valley. And there is still no shortage of places for a new cut and style before next Saturday. Have a great weekend.
Heather Ziegler can be reached via email at hziegler@theintelligencer.