S&D To Meet In Marietta, Get DQ Update

The Sons & Daughters of Pioneer Rivermen (S&D) will hold its 80th annual meeting September 13–14 at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta, Ohio.

The event will kick off on Friday evening, September 13, when S&D members will take a two-hour moonlight excursion on the Valley Gem.

On Saturday morning, the S&D annual business meeting will kick off the activities at 9:30 a.m. in the Lafayette Hotel’s Sternwheel Room.  The agenda includes financial and membership reports, grants awarded by the J. Mack Gamble Fund, and updates from the Ohio River Museum, along with reports from affiliated chapters, river museums and libraries. Elections of officers and three new board members will also be held.

Lunch will be served on the Valley Gem’s party barge. (Advance reservations are required for both the Valley Gem cruise Friday night and the Saturday luncheon.) After lunch, a tour of The Anchorage, a 22-room Italianate villa and mansion, will be available. The home was built in 1859, and was later the home of Harry Knox of the Knox Boatyard.

The Saturday night banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lafayette Hotel’s ballroom. The guest speaker will be Phillip Johnson, director of marine operations for the Delta Queen; he will discuss plans for the steamboat’s long-awaited return to passenger service.

For more information or to register for the S&D annual meeting, visit www.riverhistory.org.