TL Photo/GAGE VOTA: Ohio Valley residents are out in full force at the Classic Fall Deer Sale at Cabela’s in Triadelphia.
TRIADELPHIA – Twenty years ago, the Highlands welcomed Cabela’s to the Ohio Valley.
Before Cabela’s, the land that would eventually become The Highlands was nothing more than empty space with a lot of potential.
“When I was hired, there was a trailer where Texas Roadhouse is today, and I had my interview for the job in it,” Said longtime Cabela’s employee Kay McCleery. “The distribution center was built, but there was nothing else, there were no restaurants or shops, there was nothing except us.”
She also mentioned an on-ramp and off-ramp on Interstate 70 so people can get to Cabela’s once it opens.
“We all had to come via the back road because there was no other way to get here,” She said.
McCleery remembers the day the store opened two decades ago.
“We closed the motorway that day, it was wonderful,” said McCleery. “We had between 300 and 400 employees, it was a completely different world. It was the first time something like this had happened in our area.”
On Saturday, Cabela’s celebrated its 20th anniversary in the Ohio Valley with a major community event. The day-long event included more than 60 local vendors, live music, food trucks and fireworks.
“We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary, we’re inviting our local vendors to hang out, and we’ve got lots of food trucks and live music, as well as some fire trucks for the kids,” Said Issac Knight, Group Sales Manager at Cabela’s.
Knight originally started working as a seasonal employee at Cabela’s, but then moved away and worked for Robinson Auto Group for 15 years. When Robinson opened in The Highlands, Knight returned to Triadelphia, where he rose to become a sales group manager at Cabela’s.
“We’re happy to be here and it’s been nice to see The Highlands evolve and continue to grow. And it’s a really beautiful facility and they do a great job of maintaining it overall, it’s just a beautiful venue,” Said Knight.
Although the event was a 20th anniversary celebration, Cabela’s didn’t want the event to be limited to the store.
“It started as a small celebration for us in the shop itself and then developed into a kind of Highland celebration,” Said Gina Haney, office manager at Cabela’s.
Haney started working at Cabela’s when the store opened in the fudge shop on the second floor.
“It was crazy, people loved the fudge,” Haney said, recalling the store opening.
Although Cabela’s is a nationwide store, it still makes it a priority to be a prominent member of the Ohio Valley community.
“It is the community that keeps us going. Without the community, we would not be here.” said Haney. “We try to give back to the community as much as we can.”
