Howdy Folks! Hope your summer is going great.
Well, great news. The Delta Queen should be coming tomorrow morning in Evansville, In. We've not seen the Delta Queen since 1983. There was a river barge accident on the Tennessee River and the Delta Queen was on the right side to get here, evidently. YEE HA!!! Some boats were diverted to other routes.
The Delta Queen is coming to Evansville, IN.
We are all jazzed about it and in awe. What is so odd is that I've had so many folks ask if they can board for tours/cruises. Yes, there are folks that remember the days when and think times haven't changed. They won't understand it until the boat gets here. Citizens have been asked to come and greet the boat and wave when it leaves. Our local CVB, which is incharge of the docking and the event has worked hard to make the passengers feel important. It is a great moment. It is bittersweet as Bruce Nierenberg isn't on board to celebrate. So, I gave Rick Simonson a message on his machine and thanked him that the Delta Queen is coming. It is a great day. Our citizens will demand more boats finally, and the politicans will think they invented boats. Yeah, right. I've had to fight for every boat to come in since the LST 325 has come from Mobile, Alabama. I hope they make it, but golly, everyone needs to work together. Tough crowd.
Our politicians still don't have a clue that Henderson, KY, is the standard for great docking. I hope the Queen series can educate anyone, just anyone. Owensboro, Ky, is going to, if not already, start their courting of the Queen series as they are building a new dock and river front to the tune of $45 million dollars in a five year term, two years to see docking. They will be an awesome area for boats. I'm jazzed about it.
I'm still waiting for a Canoe fundraiser to take place to help a non-profit group to raise money for purchasing canoes for an inner city program. I'm also preparing for a Yacht, the CQ Princess to possibly come early November to the Nu Plaza Yacht Club, at marker 797. That will be exciting. There is a neat boat ramp marker, say a 797 1/2. Better docking for boats in our area and not hassle of the city and their rules.
This past two years has been very interesting. I'm trying to promote steamboats, river boats, and yachts in our area and the politicians are not on the same plane. In our river region they are, but not in Evansville, IN. In the process, our new municipal dock has been operated not so "municipally". So, I've had to file complaints with state and federal folks. Pretty soon we'll have a municipal dock. All complaints filed, the agencies agree and I'm plowing through the process: American Civil Liberties Union, the Indiana State Attorney Generals office, the Indiana Civil Rights Commisssion, and the Indiana State Gaming Commission. I've heard from the first three and all are positive "Houston, we have a problem".
I anticipate that one or two of the agencies will clear the air pretty fast as no one wants to go to jail. Taxpayer money and gaming money out of a city development fund, and local hotel/motel tax money was used to build the dock. Geez. I'm the only one in the fight, lots of cheer leaders, and in the middle of party politics. One side wants a failed dock to work and the other side wants to see a failed dock. It has been an interesting two years. I have 30 years of non-profit experience, lots of projects under my belt, and this past two years it has been in the mud fighting to get boats here. I have gone to a private dock that handles things completely the opposite for the 150 seaters on down boats. It is the bigger boats that may need the new municipal dock and it isn't being allowed to be run as a municipal dock. That cheats boats and our citizens. So, I've got to continue the fight.
I know the greatness of having these boats in our city and region. The Spirit of Jefferson will be in our Ohio River Region this fall and those cities are all abuzz, want to step up to the plate to get any boats in. They know the importance of it all. I'm guessing the politicians are now seeing the product of my hard work and even an ad I was to have in the newspaper to welcom the Delta Queen is .......going to be late, a belated ad by use of a lawyer if need be. What a world.
I'm heading in the right direction as in time we'll see more boats come in, my numbers will increase better each year which boats can actually make it here and make it here safely for the passengers. I've even expanded to yachts and MEGA yacht cruises and looking into plane charters for a needed leg in our airline system in our part of the state. Not bad for a poor gal. Always wealthy, but not ever rich. (sustained) Yet. I'll keep fighting to get the boats here and in the region as we need them here for job growth and creation, tourism, and possibly help growth in population because we'd have more great things to do than watch crickets and hear the grass grow. WOW---what heat this year. It is going to be a chilly winter, y'all. (News story on TV shows cookies being baked in a closed car with no air conditioning. Whew, hot.)
Well, just wanted you to know that the Delta Queen is coming and our city is so proud. If you get the camera scan on the dock you 'll see the boat dock right up against and LST 325 cargo ship from WWII. Our city is excited and welcome each and every passenger. Our local CVB has some great goodie bags for the passengers, I've asked if the newspaper would give some free papers--but, don't believe the gal got approval. Believe it or not, they're not too grand on river boats either, but slowly chipping away and being a tad more helpful. Real progressive group. The goal is welcome the folks, make them feel welcome, and have a safe departure. The CVB group will make that happen.
(I think it is odd our Mayor is greeting the folks as they leave, but he is the Mayor. He's just not made it great for steamboats, river boats, and yachts to be so welcome here. The saga does continue.)
Hey, Mt. Vernon, IN, got a $500,000 tourism grant to help beautify their river front landscaping. They want to do a two million dollar change over on the dock and river front. They are so excited in their possibilities.
Keep ya' posted on our area of the Ohio River. We love the river boats. Our Citizens love the boats and we'll all stick together and get more in here. Have a great remainder of the summer. (May have some other news coming up soon, I'm hoping.) Mary K. Hukill
