Last night, our crew headed to The Capitol Theatre to attend the fifth round of Show of Hands, hosted by Reinvent Wheeling (a group of awesome community leaders, wanting to change the way people look at our city).  We’ve been in attendance four times total for this event and we were lucky that Mary had a clear schedule and was able to come with us this time around.  Every time Show of Hands happens, it grows a little more with the amount of people in the room.  That is an awesome thing.  No one is tired of hearing about new, upcoming and interesting things in this city that they live in.  We have all decided to invest in Wheeling and see what we can do for her, and what she can provide for us.  It’s pretty remarkable to be a part of that crowd.

You can check out the other three events we were able to attend: HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The presenters are always changing but the format of Show of Hands remains the same.  You pay $5 at the door and are handed a ballot in exchange for your ticket price.  That small entry price is all you need to pay and the rest is free.  Vagabond Kitchen was there last night with super delicious food, Wheeling Brewing Company was passing out samples of their local brews, and Casa di Vino was offering up some of their best wine to the attendees.

How Show of Hands works (borrowed from the event page’s description on Facebook): 

• Attendees make a donation of at least $5 for a vote.
• Four pre-selected proposals for projects that benefit the community are presented.
• Attendees cast their vote for the project they want to help fund.
• The project with the most votes receives all of the money raised at the door + the $1,000 prize from Orrick.
• Winners come back to a future Show of Hands to tell the audience how their project went/is progressing, how they used the money, and the impact the project had on the community. 

As always, they have rockin’ entertainment there.  We really enjoyed hearing Kevin Hamric, from The Roils, play while we first arrived and in between all of the happenings on stage.

Half of the fun of the evening is just getting a chance to be around people who really care about Wheeling.  They care about local businesses and art and events.  They want to be a part of it all, big or small.  They want to see people thrive in this community, so they can thrive as well.  Wheeling is a fabulous place to raise a family.  It’s safe, small, beautiful and filled with things to do and great people to do them with.  No joke.  I’m so glad we chose to stay in Wheeling when we did.  We would have missed out on all of this.  

Last night’s presenters were all wonderful.  And apparently this was the closest vote to-date with Show of Hands here in Wheeling.  Here was the lineup:

– Architects of Change- a project that aims to promote change for both individuals who attend the Marian House Drop-In Center and the community in which they reside through participation in a mural project

– Green Plate, LLC – a new foodservice venture that focuses on using local ingredients and healthy preparation

– Mmm Popcorn – a gourmet popcorn store that is in the process of opening in Wheeling

– The Ohio Valley Hip-Hop Awards – a showcase concert & an awards banquet to help cultivate and sustain the growing Hip-Hop scene in Wheeling.

The winner, and recipient of $1890 for his project, was Ron Scott and the Ohio Valley Hip Hop Awards.  Well deserved!  And I’ll tell you why he won.

First.  Ron is quite the presenter.  He has a great presence, voice and personality.  He also had an itemized list for what his winnings would go toward and it seemed like such a reasonable amount and a win from last night would greatly impact his ability to make this happen.  If you think about Wheeling, you probably would never even consider it to have a hip hop scene.  We are a small area that really is getting it’s footing in the music scene in general.  Mr. Scott is working on having an award show for the few, proud people in this area that deserve a little recognition for their efforts in what many would consider to be a subculture.

I think the crowd was sold when he explained that we don’t have to be a lover of that particular genre of music.  I’ll admit that it’s not the first thing I put on the radio.  But, he did say that these people, who live in the same town as us, are incredibly passionate about their work.  They find themselves to be in an “underground” scene, which can often times lead them to feel more like outcasts.  They are different in that they have a different passion than we do…but creating this showcase concert and award banquet and creating a basis for recognition for these individuals could be life changing for them.  

It’s no different than my epic passion for crocheting or sewing or dorky
shirts.  Not everyone is interested in what I do.  Not everyone “gets” why I do it.  But it’s the lifeblood in me, my passion.  It drives me to do more and try harder.  Their hip hop music is my nerdy love of making things.  How could I do anything but support that?

Also.  I just have to say this.  Ron’s shoe game is strong.  Haha.

Congratulations to the Ohio Valley Hip Hop Awards for taking home the big check!  But really, congratulations to all of the presenters tonight.  Not everyone can win the cash prize, but everyone had a chance to stand in front of a remarkable group of people and tell them their plans to be a part of the growing excitement in Wheeling.  I guarantee that all of them have sparked new interest in people who will now be seeking out a chance to assist them in making their project/business dreams come true.  No one loses at Show of Hands.  That’s the whole point of it.