The third offering in the River Ramblings program series arranged by Steamboat Collections Curator Keith Norrington will take place on Saturday, August 25th, when Miss Pat Carr will present Footlights Afloat!!, where she will talk about her experiences of living and working aboard the showboat MAJESTIC , the last traveling showboat on the river.

A middle school band director for 32 years, Pat was a student in 1958 at Hiram College, which leased the boat from Capt. T.J. Reynolds for several seasons. She played the trumpet in the boat's band and, at age 19, had the foresight to take many pictures and even home movies during the showboat's travels along the Ohio River. She will relate many interesting and humorous stories about life on a floating theatre.

The showboat and towboat were both constructed in 1923 by Capt. Thomas Jefferson Reynolds of Point Pleasant, WV. He sold them as a "package" to Indiana University in 1959, which continued to operate them as a traveling theatre until 1965, when the Coast Guard decreed that the wooden hull of the showboat was no longer safe for traveling. IU was permitted to operate the MAJESTIC as a permanently moored showboat at Jeffersonville for the 1965 and 1966 seasons. Many local residents will undoubtedly recall the boat being moored along Riverside Drive and of hearing the steam calliope concerts which preceded shows.

They considered building a new showboat to again travel, but the costs were decided to be prohibitive and the idea was dropped. Since the maintenance on the MAJESTIC was becoming more and more of a problem, they decided to sell both of the boats. The sale was made to Cincinnati in 1967 and the boats were towed up there in September. Since that time the MAJESTIC was fitted with a new steel hull. The ATTABOY was nearly destroyed in a fire in 1972, but the hull was salvaged and a new superstructure placed on it. She currently serves as a headquarters boat at a marina upriver from Cincinnati. The steam calliope that was placed on the ATTABOY in 1923 (a boiler on the stern of the MAJESTIC provided the steam) was retained by IU.

The curtain goes up on Footlights Afloat!! at 3PM EDT. Seating is limited and a suggested donation of $5.00 per person is requested to benefit the Museum. A special exhibit on sbowboats will also be displayed, featuring photographs, tickets, models and other memorabilia. For further information, call the museum (812) 283-3728 or visit our website at www.steamboatmusuem.org

Many attendees will want to join in the Belle of Louisville cruise that day, scheduled for Saturday, August 25th at 12 Noon. Tickets are Adults $15.00; Seniors $14.00; Ages 3-12 $6.00. Lunch at $25.00 per person may be ordered 24 hours in advance. For ticket and/or lunch reservations call: (502) 374-BELL

A drawing of the towboat and showboat, by Pete Striegel

The Howard Steamboat Museum is a non profit 501(c)3 organization. Our Mission is to preserve the Howard family story, their mansion and the history of their shipyards; and to communicate an appreciation of the history of the development of western River steamboats, and commerce along the Inland Rivers.