News
Historic Boats at the Pomeroy Sternwheel Regatta This Weekend
By: Connor Kurek
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If you have never seen a sternwheel boat you have a chance this weekend: 12 sternwheels are docked in Pomeroy to provide the backdrop for the town’s own sternwheel festival.
The event kicked off Friday with the Jim Sission Memorial Fire Truck Parade led by Meigs Marching Band and first responders.
“It’s the loudest parade in Ohio,” said John Lehew, the main organizer.
Lehew is a member of the Pomeroy Eagles Aerie 2171, which hosts the event with support from the Pomeroy Fire Department and the Pomeroy Merchant’s Association.
Admission is free and visitors can enjoy food, games, live music and other events like a kayak race, chili cookoff, inflatable games and dance contests – the regatta concludes with fireworks Saturday at 10 p.m.
Boat captains share meals together and live in their boats for the weekend. Among the captains is Lou Wendell, 76, who owns the oldest boat of the lot, built in 1926. Wendell says one of the boat’s former owners was an attorney of Al Capone who went by the name “Lambauck.”
“Come down, look at the boats,” said Wendell, “this is part of history that’s slowly vanishing and people need to start looking at this.”
Several items like a stained glass Sternwheel picture made by Debbie McKinney are being raffled off this weekend – tickets are $5. The boats leave at dawn Sunday morning.
Below is a schedule for the remainder of the festival:
Friday, Sept. 20
All day — Downtown Merchant Sidewalk Sales
10 a.m.-1 p.m. — Historic Walks through Pomeroy (Sponsored by the Meigs Historical Society and hosted by Gary Coleman)
10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. — Food and Craft Vendors open
2-10 p.m. — Road Angels Cruise In (lower parking lot)
5-9 p.m. — Horse Carriage Rides
6-8 p.m. — Music by Double Shot
8-11 p.m. — Music by Southern Five Band
Saturday, Sept. 21
8-8:45 a.m. — Registration for the River Rat 5K
9 a.m. — River Rat 5K run/walk
9-11 a.m. — Breakfast at the Pomeroy Eagles
Registration for the Poker Walk
9 a.m.-1 p.m. — Chili Cook-off on the parking lot
10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Downtown Pomeroy Poker Walk
Noon-4 p.m. — Cornhole Tournament on the parking lot
1 p.m. — Kayak races
1-5 p.m. — Children’s Inflatables
2-8 p.m. — Music with DJ Kip Grueser
3 p.m. — Children’s Hula Hoop Contest
3:30 p.m. — Adult Hula Hoop Contest
4 p.m. — Children Dance Contest
5-6 p.m. — Duck Derby
5-6 p.m. — Riverside Cloggers at the parking lot gazebo
5-9 p.m. — Horse Carriage Rides
6:30-7:30 p.m. — Captain and First Mate Cookout
7 p.m. — Adult Dance Contest
9 p.m. — Raffles winners announced
8-11 p.m. — Carl Acuff Jr. Show
10 p.m. — Fireworks