We locked through our final lock, McAlpine, and finally landed at the beautiful facilities at Louisville a little after 9am.
I had been following information about our trip at a website www.steamboats.org Everyone would post information about the trip as we found out about it. When our cruise company called us to tell us that a lock was closed going to Nashville and that our boat would be leaving from Clarksville instead, I posted the information on the website so others would know to expect the same phone call.
Greeting the DQ as we landed were the website owners, Franz, Carmen, and their daughter and a half dozen other “steamboaters”. Quite a few other posters were ON the cruise and we all got off together and they introduced Karen and me to the others. We talked for a bit and then they headed off to the Howard Steamboat Museum (which we would be visiting later in the week via car.)
Our reason for not tagging along with them was because this was our day to play the calliope on the boat. I had been practicing the Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater for a few months so that I could actually play something.
Doug has a keyboard at home and can actually play with both hands.
He wrote down notes for his wife, Betty, and she practiced as well to play the Haunted Mansion organ scene.
A calliope has a keyboard that is linked electrically to open valves when each of the piano keys is pressed. This valve allows steam to pass through to a brass whistle. Each key has its own whistle. The steam acts like the breath from your mouth if you played an instrument like a flute. Push one of the 32 piano keys and the steam blows the whistle.
This is always a special time for us onboard the DQ. The “noise” we create carries for miles and everyone claps at each other’s attempts. During the dinner that evening our names were announced and a funny certificate read that we were now official “Vox Calliopists” and could play anywhere in the world.
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