Music, Arts and Heritage FestivalTall Stacks began as a celebration of Cincinnati's 1988 Bicentennial. The first year, there were fourteen riverboats; this year sixteen riverboats were in Cincinnati for the festivities. The riverboats came from far and near. 
The Colonel has the distinction of traveling the farthest - 1700 miles from its home port, Galveston, Texas. 
The Majestic, twenty-three feet shorter than a football field, is actually a tug and a barge seamlessly joined to give the illusion of a large riverboat. The Majestic's port is Pittsburg.
The Natchez is one of only six true steam-powered paddlewheelers on the inland waterways today. It has a 32-note, steam-powered calliope and a famous house band, the Dukes of Dixieland. We enjoyed listening to the songs played on the calliope. The Natchez is from New Orleans. 
The Belle of Louisville originally operated as a ferry and day packet carrying passengers, freight and livestock. Jefferson County, Kentucky, bought it in 1963 and turned it into a popular excursion boat. The Belle was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
The Celebration Belle is the largest luxury excursion boat operating on the upper Mississippi River. Its home port is Moline, Illinois. 
The General Jackson, based at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, is a true showboat, offering 40 minute Opryland-type shows in its huge Victorian theater. 
The Serpentine Wall along the Ohio River. It's still early in the morning. 
The Harriet Bishop is a gingerbread-laced excursion boat named after Minnesota's first schoolteacher. The Harriet Bishop was built in 1987 in Utica, Indiana. It's home port is St. Paul, Minnesota. 
The Spirit of Peoria is decorated in the elaborate "wedding cake" style popular in Mark Twain's day. It's particularly noticeable on the river because of its huge 21-foot diameter paddle wheel, the boat's only source of propulsion. The Peoria was built in 1988 in Paducah, Kentucky.
People took the opportunity to walk across the 'Purple People Bridge' to view the activities on the river. Some adventurous souls even climbed to the top of the bridge for a better view!
Along with the steamboats, there were four stages with musical entertainment, a large area called Sawyertown with activities for the children, folks dressed in 'period costumes' and food booths galore!
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus greeted visitors to Sawyertown.
# posted by Martha @ 3:28 PM
