Sternwheelers and Ice Cream Trucks

The majestic Mississippi Queen was inspired by Mark Twain’s famous quote: “Someday, they’ll build the biggest steamboat the world has ever known; and she’ll be long, white and gleaming in the sunshine…And that one shall be the Queen of the Mississippi.”

This weekend is the Sternwheeler Festival at Heritage Port. I love Sternwheelers. I always envision gamblers with garters around their arms and dancing hall girls with feathered costumes performing on them. When I was small my parent's took me to see the Mississippi Queen when it was in town docked at what is now Heritage Port. It was so glamorous. It had lights and bright big ornate decor. Calliope music was played through the loud speakers.It would probably be considered tacky by today's standards. But to an 8 year old it was glorious.

Over the years I took my own children to see the Delta Queen in Pittsburgh and when it came to town. They weren't as impressed as I was when I had been their ages. It did work to my advantage though. When Alex and Tony were small we'd get their baths and then snuggle on my bed to read bedtime stories. When they were about 4 and 5 years old calliope music would start to play around 8:45 in the evenings. Alex looked at me the first evening he heard it and said; "That sounds like one of those big boats on the river." I replied that he was right it did sound like a big boat on the river.The calliope music played every evening all summer long. We'd wonder where the boat was going. I was able to share with the boys how the sternwheelers played into the city of Wheeling's history along the Ohio river. Those times when they were small are such precious memories.

One evening when the boys were around 8 and 9 years old I didn't get them into the house in time. A friend was visiting her parents up the street. The music began and my friend looked at her son and my sons. She said those dreaded words, "C'mon let's go get ice cream off the ice cream truck!" The boys were astonished. Tony looked at me and said; "Mom, can you believe it all these years we could have been getting ice cream."

I just smiled.

If you'd like to learn more about The Sternwheeler Festival visit: http://www.sternwheeling.org/
Or like their page on FB: http://www.facebook.com/groups/157721918266/

If you'd like to learn more about sternwheelers visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sternwheeler