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Thank you for joining us on this warm and friendly afternoon in Los Angeles. We've gathered at the L.A. River to see the second annual online steamboat race. The view of the river is beautiful. You can see the trains in the background if you look carefully (above, left). Yes, you may laugh when we talk about the L.A. River, because as you can see from the photo (above, right), the L.A. River has banks of cement. It's hard to believe that it once flowed year-round with crystal clear water in a wooded flood plain with swamps, lakes and abundant wildlife. We are holding the race today at Elysian Gateway Park, part of the Los Angeles River located at the corner of Knox and Blake. The street name reminds us of our dear friend, Betty Blake. She did publicity for the Belle of Louisville (when it was called the Avalon, before 1962) and for the Delta Queen, 1962 - 1979. We feel she is here with us in spirit! 
 The ships in today's race are: The Belle of Louisville, piloted by Nori Muster, webdesigner for Steamboats.com The Delta King, piloted by Captain Jerry Canavit, webmaster of Steamboats.net The Delta Queen, piloted by Franz Neumeier and Carmen Winkler of Steamboats.org, and their daughter Leonie We have word that the boats have arrived. Let's go out and greet them. They're kinda small, so let's hope we can find them out in front of the park. |