2023 Ohio River Sternwheel Festival: Wide range of activities available for those attending event
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MARIETTA -- Several events and activities will be featured during the 2023 Ohio River Sternwheel Festival at the Ohio River Levee in downtown Marietta.
* The 2023 Little Miss and Mr. Sternwheel Pageant will be held Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lafayette Hotel Ballroom. Admission is $3 and the entry fee for contestants is $25.
Contestants must be between the ages of 5 and 8. Girls will model party dresses and boys will model Sunday best or suits. Each contestant will be required to state their name on stage and answer some basic questions during a personal interview with the judges.
All contestants will receive appreciation awards. The winners will receive banners, trophies, and a gift card sponsored by WesBanco. One of the duties of the winners of the Little Mr. and Miss Sternwheel Pageant will be to attend the Queen Genevieve Coronation as the train bearer and crown bearer.
* The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival will hold its 2023 Queen Genevieve pageant at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Lafayette Hotel Ballroom.
The winner of the Queen Genevieve competition will be chosen by a panel of judges. The coronation announcement will be Saturday evening.
Interviews will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the on-stage competition following at 11 a.m. The scores will be tabulated by a local accounting firm. The selection of Queen Genevieve will be announced at the Coronation Ceremony on the barge stage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
The entry fee is $85. The winner and runners-up will win scholarship money. The Queen candidates must be enrolled in an accredited educational institution.
* The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival will feature its annual photography contest for photos taken during this year's festival which will be recognized for the 2024 event, as well as being incorporated into the festival's 2024 program.
All entries must be taken at the 2023 festival. The deadline for entries is Oct. 15.
All entries will be made digitally. Please email images as a .jpg to Bruce Wunderlich at bruce@mariettaohio.org. Image transfer may also be made with websites such as wetransfer.com or wesendit.com. A confirmation email will be sent to confirm officials have received entries.
Digital files must be at least 3500 pixels on the longest side. Entries are limited to six images. The photographer's name must be included in the file name of all images. All entries must include: name, address, city, state, zip and phone. Failure to include all information above may disqualify the entry.
The prizes will be $100 for first place, $75 for second and $50 for third. Honorable mentions will also be picked.
Winners will have their photographs, with full photo credits, printed in the following year's Sternwheel Festival program. Vertical pictures will have a better chance of being printed on front and inside front cover of the program. Winning photographs may also be used in brochures and promotions of the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival with full photo credit to the photographer.
Judging will be done at the Lafayette Hotel, at 6 p.m. Nov. 3.
* The Ohio River Sternwheel Festival Car Show in Memory of Garold Greenlees will be held Sunday, Sept. 10, on Second Street in downtown Marietta.
The event is presented by the Rollin' Oldies Car Club. Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the show running from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The entry fee is $20.
Dash plaques and t-shirts will be given to the first 200 registered participants. Queen Genevieve XL will be selecting a "Queen's Choice" vehicle. The car show will be open to all vehicles. No judging will take place.
Wayne Towner can be reached at wtowner@newsandsentinel.com
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Sternwheel Festival Schedule of Events
FRIDAY
* 6-7 p.m., Opening Ceremonies
* 7-8 p.m., Steve and Beverly Pottmeyer.
* 7:30 p.m., Little Miss and Mr. Contest, Lafayette Hotel Ballroom.
* 8-9:30 p.m., THW.
* 9:30-11 p.m., Tina – Tribute to The Queen of Rock & Roll Staring Cookie Watkins
SATURDAY
* 9 a.m., Queen Genevieve Pageant, Lafayette Hotel Ballroom.
* Noon-1 p.m., Marietta High School Wall of Sound
* 1-2 p.m., Marietta High School Choir, Vocal Point
* 2-3 p.m., Bruce Haas Trio
* 3-4 p.m., Generation Gap Blues Band
* 5-6, Jake Binegar Band
* 6-7 p.m., Division Street
* 7-7:30 p.m., Queen coronation
* 7:30-8 p.m., Jake Binegar Band
* 8-9 p.m., Division Street
* 9-9:30 p.m., Highway 96
* 9:30-10 p.m., the annual Harry J. Robinson Fireworks Show, Ohio River Barge. Robinson was a co-founder of the festival. The show is produced by Pyrotecnico.
* 10-11 p.m., Highway 96
SUNDAY
* 8-9 a.m., sunrise service
* 11-noon, Charlie Brewer
* Noon-1 p.m., Gypsey River Band
* 1-2 p.m. Capt. James E. Sands Memorial Races
* 1 p.m., 23rd annual Ohio River Car Show in Memory of Garold Greenlees, 1 p.m., Second Street. Presented by the Rollin' Oldies Car Club. Registration is $15 from 9-1 p.m. The show is 1-4 p.m. Dash plaques and T-shirts will be given to the first 200 registered participants. Queen Genevieve will be selecting a Queen's Choice.
* 2-2:30 p.m., Gypsey River Band
* 2:30-4 p.m., Crush – Bon Jovi Experience.
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Childrens' Activities, Armory Square, 241 Front St.
SATURDAY
* Noon-1 p.m., Columbus Zoo traveling education program
* 1-3 p.m., coloring contest, one entry per person. Categories: easy, kids only; advanced, kids and adults. Two winners per category and winners will receive a prize.
* Temporary tattoos and balloon twisters.
SUNDAY
* Noon-3 p.m., Dino Roar
* Temporary tattoos and balloon twisters.