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50th Sternwheel Fest in the books

By Brett Dunlap 6 min read

MARIETTA - The 50th Ohio River Sternwheel Festival this weekend in Marietta is in the history books.

About 30 sternwheel boats docked at the Ohio River Levee where residents gathered and enjoyed food and live music from performers, vendors, artisans on Front and Second streets and elsewhere in downtown. A car show was held on Sunday.

Organizers estimated more than 100,000 people attended the festival.

Rain hit the area Saturday afternoon, but stopped in time to allow the fireworks celebration to go on Saturday night.

"The festival has been going very well," said Cheri Seevers of the Sternwheel Festival Committee. "It is the 50th Anniversary and we are celebrating 50 years of the Sternwheel Festival in our community."

Organizers were preparing for rain as it had been in the forecast as well as the usual challenges that come with putting the festival on each year.

"As every other festival we have had over the last 49 years, things come up, we take care of it and move on," Seevers said. "Everything had been going as planned."

Recent rains over the past week contributed to higher water in the river. A crane had to be brought in and move the ramp off the stage barge. City crews and the Marietta Fire Department had been down at the riverfront helping clean up debris.

By Friday the river was rising again and there was debris that had to be removed from the side of some of the sternwheel boats along the shore.

"The boat captains are used to this and they know how to handle it," Seevers said.

The rain was the main concern, but things worked out, festival Director General Dennis Blauser said.

"It went wonderful," he said.

The Harry J. Robinson Fireworks Show was dazzling and included drones for a breathtaking view. The show is organized and presented by Pyrotecnico, an industry leader.

"We have a wonderful relationship with Pyrotecnico," Blauser said.

Blauser has served three years as director general of the festival. He credited the success of the festival to the commitment and enthusiasm of the festival committee, the numerous sponsors in Ohio and West Virginia and the community for its support.

Without them, the festival would not be possible, Blauser said.

"We couldn't put on the quality festival that we do," he said.

Being the 50th Anniversary, Seevers believed the festival would reach the 100,000 crowd estimate due to being the anniversary and the caliber of their Saturday night fireworks show.

Seevers said the festival has always relied on the community to help put the event on.

"Our corporate, local businesses and individuals really stepped up to help," Seevers said. "That is how we are able to keep it a free festival for everyone."

A number of businesses and organizations provided in-kind services, like Mustang Aerial Services with crane use, Amherst Madison with the use of barges, transportation companies who help get the barges to Marietta for the festival and others who help provide a variety of services to make sure the festival is able to go on every year.

"We rely a lot on corporate sponsorships and private donations," Seevers said. "We have some very generous people in our community.

"We couldn't do it without them. We are thankful that we have a good crew of volunteers as well."

The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival has a roster of around 80 volunteers across 36 subcommittees. Seevers has been on the committee for 36 years.

"There are people who have been on the committee that long or longer," Seevers said. "They know what to do and how everything works."

Since it is the 50th festival, organizers are expecting the festival to have a bigger economic impact for the area.

They pinged cellphones in the area, Seevers said. They compared data from a regular weekend in May last year with the Sternwheel Festival last year. On the average weekend the area brought in $275,000 and during the festival weekend brought in around $1.3 million with hotel stays and other spending visitors did, Seevers said.

For many people coming to the festival over the weekend, it was a chance to get out and enjoy themselves and spend time with family and have fun.

Loni Collins of Washington, W.Va. was at the kid's play area at the Marietta Armory with young family members who wanted to see the live animals they could pet and feed and play in the bounce houses set up there.

"It is a good family day," she said. "We came out to enjoy the day out on the river."

Collins said it was great the festival has been around for 50 years. She works at Marietta Memorial Hospital, one of the event sponsors, and wanted to come out and have a fun day out.

"That is amazing, it has been here for 50 years for all of us to enjoy," she said. "We always come for the fireworks."

Courtney Miller, who was walking through the Art Stroll area Saturday on Second Street, grew up in Williamstown, moved to Morgantown for a while and then moved back to the area recently. The festival was a regular part of her life over the years as they made it a point to return every year during the festival weekend.

"We enjoy seeing all of the sternwheel boats and spending time with family," she said. "We are looking forward to the fireworks this year with it being the 50th anniversary."

Miller said it is a testament to this area being able to put on the Sternwheel Festival for so many years.

"I think it is a big deal that an area this size has been able to put on such a wonderful festival for so long," Miller said.

Karen Sutton, who was originally from the Marietta area and now lives around the Killeen area of Texas near Fort Hood, came in with her family to attend the festival.

"I haven't been back home in 17 years and we came up from Texas," she said. "All of this has been good. I really like it.

"It is different and the city has really grown. I was shocked when we pulled into town."

Her daughters said they now want to move to the area, she and her husband said with a laugh.

She remembers the first Sternwheel Festival happening when she was 13-years-old and was amazed with all of the changes.

"It has really grown, she said. "It is bigger and really nice."

Seevers hoped the people who came enjoyed the festival, the fireworks and all they had to offer.

"I hope when they go back home, whether that is locally or out-of-town, with really good memories they will have for a very long time," she said.

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