[Pat Fitzhugh]

I was treated to a "calliope concert" last night (June 1) as I sat on the riverbank waiting for the Delta Queen to approach Cheatham Lock. That was the first time I heard the calliope, and it sounded great! My teenage daughter (also a DQ fan in every sense of the word) called it "carnival music," but what does she know!? Kids.

The sun had just disappeared behind the hills and the DQ wasn't anywhere around. Then suddenly, the DQ's captain radioed to Cheatham Lock (they had their outdoor loudspeaker turned on last night). He gave an ETA of 9:15 P.M. About 30 minutes later, he radioed again and said they still had a concert going, and that they were just going to slowly make their way to the lock.

Shortly thereafter, I heard the faint sounds of her calliope echoing through the hills and across the fields. Man, was that a sweet sound! I listened for 20 minutes as the sound grew louder. The concert ended just as the Delta Queen's spotlight came into full view. Man, what a treat!

And now for the inevitable question..... what's the history behind the DQ's calliope? Can someone provide a link to more information about it?

By the way: I shot LOTS of DQ video last night, and the preliminary results are very good. Because there's so much, it will take me a while to get it all prepared and uploaded to YouTube. But, stay tuned....