Show of Hands

Nov 19, 2014

Remember when Bennett got to stand up in front of a bunch of community members and pitch his ‘Meet Me in the Alley’ photography project?  Reinvent Wheeling is a group of people in our wonderful city that are trying to inspire people to get behind other people’s businesses and projects by hosting Show of Hands in a quarterly manner.  This was the third Show of Hands in Wheeling…but only our second time attending.  We feel guilty about missing the second round, but I believe we were out of town during it.  

The turnout was remarkable.  So much so that they had Bennett take a shot of the crowd of people.  It’s inspiring to see so many people in my city actually care about small businesses and art projects.  I mean, really.  Where else do you see a broad range of ages and faces that want to give their money and support to someone with an idea and the drive but maybe not the funds?

Dear Wheeling, I puffy heart love you.

There are four presenters selected out of a pool of applicants.  Each presenter gets four minutes to win you over with their presentation.  It’s apparently a little like Shark Tank.  You have to wow the crowd with a short speech and after, there is a question/answer portion.  Then you’re done.  Boom.  Four minutes.  Four presenters.  And a cash prize!

There is a small cover charge to get in.  I think it was $5/person?  (Don’t blame me for not remembering…Bennett handled the entry fees, haha.)  Each person gets a ballot and they vote for the project they think should win over the other three.  And then there is also a sponsor.  All of the monies collected from the entry fees and the money from the sponsor goes to the one winner.  The more people that attend, the more prize money goes to the winning presentation.  It’s such a brilliant idea.

Because Louis paid to get in, he also got to vote.  And we let him pick his favorite.  Yay for the democratic process being taught at such a young age!  Not that we can escape it in our family anyway…ha.

The presentations are awesome and so is the crowd that goes to Show of Hands.  I probably say this too much, but I am always inspired by the people who we’ve surrounded ourselves with.  Everyone we spend time with cares with their entire being about the city we live in.  All they want is to keep it moving in a forward direction.  Events that get people out of their houses, fundraising for the less fortunate, saving and restoring old buildings….everything.  They all have such a giant impact in our small city.  I’m humbled to be a part of it all.

I feel the need to give a GIANT shoutout to the Reinvent Wheeling team.  They are amazing.  Without this group of people, a lot of things wouldn’t be moving in Wheeling.  These wonderful people have orchestrated some really awesome things in Wheeling…the Show of Hands event included.  Thank you for all that you do!  (Ps…we are working on being a part of this team, I swear.)

On that team (why I keep saying the word team, I don’t know) is probably one of my favorite Wheeling cheerleaders.  Allison is adorable, sweet and sassy.  She is exactly the person I would pick to be involved in the City Manager’s office and all of the good things that are happening in the Friendly City.  She’s awesome.  No, really.  And…it happened to be her birthday the night of Show of Hands.  Playing that night was the incredibly talented Ezra Hamilton.  Every single time I hear this man play, I love it.  He’s amazing, as is his band Hit Play.  

Bonus points that night that Ezra played ‘Happy Birthday’ so we could sing for Dimples Mc-Cutie Pants.  
If no one has called Allison that before, they should probably start. 

A big ole’ congratulations goes out to ‘Second Life Arbor‘ – the development of a wood working shop that will be open to local wood workers.  I think he won the presentation based upon passion alone.  Second Life is a full service arborist company and woodworking shop (soon to be open to teaching woodworking to the public!) that is dedicated to tree preservation and reclamation.  His work looks amazing and it sounds like such a fantastic addition to the arts in Wheeling.

We wish the best of luck to all of the presenters.  Every single project sounded amazing and we look forward to the different elements that they can bring to our beautiful city.

Disclosure: As always, you’ll find some affiliate links scattered within my post, which means I receive a small amount of compensation if you end up purchasing something I’ve recommended.  Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.  Purchasing from my links does not alter the pricing in any way for you, it simply helps feed my sewing, creating and blogging habits.  Thank you for your support!

2 Comments

  1. Meghan Hayes

    Wow. When you told me a few weeks ago that your little city is changing, no joke! I wish my little town would do something like this. We're know for being super consistent I guess.

    Reply
  2. Katy McKinley

    Show of Hands is such an awesome idea. It doesn't cost much to feel like you're being involved in the grassroots of someone's business or project. This time around, people were pitching ideas for a Children's Museum addition, upgrading the facade of an apartment building in a restorative area in town, woodworking shop/education and a grilled cheese food stand. Such a variety of things to be excited about!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to Wild+Wanderful!  I’m Katy.
Momma. Wife. West Virginian.
Designer. 
Dreamer. Coffee Consumer.
DIY-er. 
Craft Beer Enthusiast.
Purple Obsessor. Lover of Handmade.

MILDLY WILD. MOSTLY WANDERFUL.

LATEST FREEBIES

The Little Wanderer Skirt | A Free PDF Sewing Pattern from Wild+Wanderful!

I'm excited to share that I've been able to update another pattern for y'all! The Little Wanderer skirt is the youth version of my beloved Wanderer Skirt pattern (which is also free). It's an adorable high/low half circle skirt with two hem lengths and optional...

Irish I Were Sewing :: FREE St. Patrick’s Day Themed Silhouette + Cricut Cut Files!

I've been super missing making fun themed outfits to wear. And I've been missing sharing fun cut files on here like I used to. So I remedied both of these things by creating a super fun St. Patrick's Day themed sewing design AND am giving it to you as a freebie on...

The Wanderer Skirt | A Free PDF Sewing Pattern from Wild+Wanderful!

I know, I know. You might be thinking: "Katy, didn't you release The Wanderer Skirt back in 2017?" Yes. I did. But it's been six years of learning how to draft and design and I really wanted to go back and give it a little facelift. So here we are! On the surface,...

The Snuggler Sweater | A Free PDF Sewing Pattern from Wild+Wanderful!

A sewing friend of mine sent me a photo of this adorable sweater, with no sleeve seam, a cross-over front and back, and a "batwing" style dolman sleeve. And I was obsessed with the idea of turning that rtw sweater into a sewing pattern. And that's what I did! Meet:...

Elffire Club :: FREE Stranger Things Inspired Silhouette + Cricut Cut Files!

I saw someone use my free Elf on the Shelf Clothing Pattern the other day for a Stranger Things Eddie / Hellfire Club outfit and immediately was struck by a Christmas pun.  It had to be made.  I couldn't resist. If you need a little refresher on what I was...

Pencil Bow :: FREE Back-To-School Inspired PDF Sewing Pattern (In Two Sizes!)

Happy (almost) Back to School season, y'all!  Once July comes to a close it feels like everything just starts to speed up at an uncontrollable pace in my household....ESPECIALLY since Bennett is a teacher now.  It feels like summer is over and we need to...

RECENT POSTS

Fabric for Pirates :: March 2023 Reveal

Woot! It's share day! My favorite time of the month! It's when I get to show off what we sent with the Fabric for Pirates subscription AND I get to share what I made with my portion of the...

IG-11 “Would Anyone Care for Some Tea?”

How FREAKING AMAZING are Wednesdays for Star Wars fans right now? Getting a double header of new episodes on Disney+ is absolutely the best thing that's ever happened to my family. Not joking. The Mandalorian is back AND we're still getting The Bad Batch...and to top...

AFFILIATES