Tag Archives: Wheeling

Why We’re Organizing SQL Saturday in Wheeling, WV on April 28th

Some of my friends know I am a huge fan of the song “Havana” by Camila Cabello. They also know I like to remix songs and if I was to remix the song I would just change the word “Havana” to “Wheeling, WV” because half of my heart is in the Ohio Valley.

Why?

Wheeling is where I grew up as an adult and to this day it is one of the special happy places I like to visit. On April 28th Wheeling will host their the third SQL Saturday. Anyone can attend for FREE! l look forward to sharing my favorite city with the SQL Community and my SQL Family.

Free SQL Server Training in Wheeling, WV

Free SQL Server Training on April 29th in Wheeling, WV

Procure SQL will be teaming up with the Wheeling Chapter of AITP (only IT group in Ohio Valley) to bring some expert SQL Server training from MVPs, MCTs, and community experts to the Ohio Valley. I hope Data Platform professionals in nearby cities like Columbus, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Cleveland and Washington DC join is un the fun as well.

Things to Do?

Check out this quick five-minute video to find out some of the great things you can do in Wheeling, WV and why I fell in love with Wheeling!

Food

Colemans Fish Market – It is #1 on TripAdvisor for a reason. Best-fried fish sandwiches.
Ye Old Alpha – The Bridgeport brownie is legendary good.
DeCarlos Pizza – Wheeling’s special version of Pizza. If you get it make sure to eat it quick. Locals typically will eat it on the hood of their cars.
Undos – My personal favorite Italian food restaurant.

Places to See:

Good Mansion Wine – If you like wine, the selection here is fantastic. They will also have an open wine tasting event April 27th at 6 pm. If you are looking for something fun to do the night before the event I would recommend this.
Suspension BridgeIf you like history. You have to check out one of the oldest suspension bridges in the USA. You can still walk and drive across it.
Wheeling Artisan CenterGreat small tour of the history of Wheeling, WV.
Center Market
– Historic part of town with a lot of shops and places to eat. Its an easy walk from the SQL Saturday venue.
Oglebay Resort – Depending on the weather the driving range or ski lift will be open. Seriously, a great five-star resort with epic holiday events including Christmas lights, ogalbayfest, and 4th of July.
Wheeling Island Casino – If you like to play cards and win money its a great location. Used to do it a lot on lunch breaks.

WordPress Community Podcast

I had the pleasure of catching up with John Parkinson, one of my mentors and a great friend of mine. It feels like yesterday John, GWC of AITP, and I brought two SQL Saturday’s to Wheeling, WV (#36 and #$80).

It’s fun to see how we both stayed highly involved in the IT Community over the years. John is highly involved in the Greater Wheeling Chapter of AITP and WordPress while I am highly involved in the SQL Server Community.

John reached out to me to do a podcast with him talking about my SQL Saturday experiences so people in the WordPress community could learn about other all-day training events. The result is the 10-minute video which is provided below.

December events to attend in Wheeling, WV

Hello everyone,  I want to share some cool events going down in Wheeling, WV in December. 

If you like wine or technology I highly recommend catching the Greater Wheeling Chapter of the Association for Information Technology Professionals meeting on December 9th.  This meeting is open to the public. We will meet on the forth floor of Wheeling Central High School at 6pm.  All attendees will have the change to share their 2009 accomplishments while we chow down a pizza dinner.  Dinner will be followed by a wine tasting at the Good Mansion Wines store. Check out the event page to signup for the 2009 December meeting.

Are you a young superstar go getter? If so, OVConnect is the group for you.  The mission is to bring young professionals in the valley together.  This months installment includes a holiday toy drive with a happy hour twist.  On December 17th at 5:00pm we will socialize and get our drink on at River City.  In order to attend all you have to do is signup and bring a toy or make a ten dollar donationAll donations benefit Catholic Charities.

Bonus Pittsburgh Technology Event

Are you a .NET programmer and interested in what’s going on with MVC?  If so, this months installment of the PGH.NET User Group is a must attend free event.  The PGH.NET meeting is on December 8th. You can find more info here or register here.

Can SQLSaturday happen in Wheeling, WV?

I noticed a great event that is occurring down south.  Its called SQLSaturday and one of my short term goals is to see if it’s possible to bring this great event to Wheeling, WV. 

What is SQLSaturday?

SQLSaturday is a platform for free one day training events for SQL Server professionals. This event focuses on speakers, providing a good variety of topics, and making it all happen through the efforts of volunteers. Whether you’re attending one or thinking about hosting your own(this would be me), we think you’ll find it’s a great way to spend a Saturday.

Initial Goals:

  1. Bring technology professionals from Pittsburgh, Columbus and Morgantown to Wheeling.
  2. Have 50 to100 attendees attend this initial event.
  3. Provide great speakers to present topics about SQL Server and .NET
  4. Utilize sponsors to make the event 100% free to all who attend.
  5. Provide the opportunity for IT Professionals to network with their peers.
  6. Provide exposure for AITP and the Greater Wheeling Chapter of AITP 

Conclusion:

Will this event happen?  I sure hope so, but  I am still planning.  I hope to have an answer soon.  If we do go live I am targeting early 2010.

I will post my future action items and the decisions I make soon.  I hope that this series of posts are helpful for people who are contemplating if they should start a similar event in their area.

If you have any comments, thoughts or suggestions please share them.