Photo by Emma Delk Dr. Jim and Jan Kowalski enjoy the Heritage Port Fourth of July celebrations with their neighbor Anna Brinkmeier, left.

WHEELING — Crowds gathered at Heritage Port on Friday evening to enjoy a variety of Independence Day celebrations, from renditions of patriotic tunes by the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra to a fireworks display on the waterfront.

Families gathered decked out in red, white and blue attire for the event. Brady and Tatyanna Crum brought their daughters, 3-year-old Daelynn and 7-month-old Layla, to enjoy the symphony and fireworks that night.

The family had made the trip from Bethesda to see the show.

“I’ve been going to the Fourth of July celebration here since I was 3 or 4,” Tatyanna Crum said. “I’m 24 now, so it’s been fun to continue the tradition with my kids for the past couple of years. We planned patriotic outfits for our daughters to wear tonight, too.”

Daelynn’s favorite part of the celebration was the fireworks. Tatyanna was excited for Layla to experience the fireworks for the first time as well.

Maithili and Schree Kamble and Nivedi Desai were excited to enjoy Wheeling’s Independence Day celebration for the first time. The three had stopped in the Friendly City during a road trip from Kansas to New York. The group enjoyed a funnel cake while waiting for the concert to begin.

“We wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July somewhere on our trip, and we had never been here before,” Schree Kamble said. “It’s been fun to stop by and see everything.”

Maithili Kamble said the Heritage Port celebration had an “old-time feel.”

“It’s a really fun and lively environment here, and I like the buildings,” Mathili Kamble said. “We got some funnel cakes and have a nice shady place to sit.”

Dr. Jim and Jan Kowalski were veterans of Independence Day at Heritage Port, attending the show annually since moving back to Wheeling in 2012. The husband and wife were ready to enjoy the WSO in a shady spot in front of the food trucks with their neighbor Anna Brinkmeier.

“It’s a really nice night, a little bit warm, but that’s what it is,” Jim Kowalski said. “We’ve come here every year and have sat in various positions. We’ve been on the bridge a couple of times and there’s also a little platform down the road that we sat on for a couple of years.”

A site that drew attention at Heritage Port on Friday was the “American Melody” cruise ship from American Cruise Lines, which was docked on the Ohio River in front of the stage at Heritage Port. The boat would stay in Wheeling through Sunday, and passengers enjoyed the WSO show from the ship’s balcony.

Jim Kowalski said they had been eyeing the layout of the boat as he and his wife were attending a cruise at the end of the year.

“I was commenting that they have a little table and chairs outside each suite there, which is pretty cool,” Jim Kowalski said. “The ship is also helpful because, once the sun drops low enough, it will be behind the ship and cool us down.”

Lilian Payne was another long-time attendee of Fourth of July celebrations at Heritage Port, attending the show for the past 25 years. A highlight every year for her was seeing familiar faces from across the Ohio Valley each year.

“It’s a real pleasure to come here and be with Wheeling people and Ohio people,” Payne said. “All the years I’ve been here, I’ve enjoyed every one of them.”

Payne was decked out in a red, white and blue outfit, adding that she was a patriotic person “to a point.”

“The patriotism here doesn’t seem nearly as blown up as in the past, but everybody should be a little more patriotic than we are, for the right reasons,” Payne said. “I’m just happy to be here. I’ll be 85 and I’ve spent many Fourth of Julys at Heritage Port with my family.”

Before the WSO began its performance, Wheeling Mayor Denny Magruder gave a speech about the holiday. He said during the “fantastic celebration of our nation’s birth,” the crowd had gathered to “celebrate the spirit of America that brings us together.”

“What a way to celebrate that spirit, but with world-class music by our world-class symphony orchestra, and that a phenomenal fireworks show will follow,” Magruder said.

Magruder also took a moment to remember the members of the community who have suffered following the flash flooding on Saturday, June 14, in Valley Grove and Triadelphia.

“Let’s not forget the members of our community who have suffered in the floods during these last couple of weeks,” Magruder said. “Our thoughts and prayers as a community are with those families, friends, volunteers, first responders and businesses as they try to rebuild and regroup together,” Magruder said.

WSO Music Director John Devlin read the names of the nine flood victims before a moment of silence. The WSO then began its performance, which featured several popular and patriotic pieces, including “Country Roads,” “The Star Spangled Banner,” and “America the Beautiful.”

Soprano Vanessa Becerra was the performance’s guest artist. She performed several operatic pieces as well as patriotic tunes

The night wrapped up with plumes of fireworks in the night sky at the waterfront as the WSO played.