If you’re at least a semi-regular reader of my blogs, you’ll have got the idea by now that there’s a huge choice of rivers across Europe and the Far East to explore. Something you may not necessarily have known, however, is that America is a country which takes its river cruise heritage seriously too. Almost everyone’s familiar with the iconic image of the paddle steamer, carrying passengers along the Mississippi and indeed, I’ve explored the development of this legendary mode of transport in a previous blog.
Well now the humble paddle steamer has been granted its chance to bath in the spotlight with the recent announcement that the Centennial Festival of Riverboats will be held in a year’s time, in Louisville, Kentucky. Taking place between 14-19 October, the festival will celebrate America’s riverboat heritage in typical southern style, with plenty of bluegrass music, bourbon tastings and one would imagine, plenty of fried chicken.
A total of nine boats will take part in the celebration, including the long-serving paddlewheeler Belle of Louisville, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday during the time of the festival. Initially designed as a ferry, the veteran craft was built in Pittsburgh in 1914 and completely paddlewheel-driven. America’s most widely-travelled steamboat, she was named a National Historic Landmark in 1989.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear was clearly honoured that his state would be hosting the festival, saying: “Riverboat heritage is one of the most celebrated traditions in American history, and we’re lucky to have one of its most enduring symbols -the Belle of Louisville – here at home in Kentucky.”
Many of today’s modern Mississippi river boats are more contemporary in design and are run by a combination of state-of-the-art, diesel-powered engines and paddle wheels controlled by modern propulsion units.
By Simon Brotherton
Google
