October 4th, 2006
   Who makes the best chili on the river?    We will find out!
      This Saturday, Oct 7th we are having our 2nd annual What's Up On The River.com "River rat wrap up chili cook off" It will be located on island 521 on the river side. Click here for a picture of the location. This year we will have prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Winner will be determined by 3 judges. Two judges are local restaurant owner's. John from Sharky's Cove and Shirley, from Shirley's Bar & Grill. The third judge, Tom, is a good friend and knows his chili.
Judging will begin at 3:00 PM. You must be registered by 2:30 PM. Click here for complete rules.
   I hope to see everyone out there and Good Luck!!!!

   Also, this weekend, Oct 7th & 8th.  Wahoo Marine is having a fall boat sale. Everyone is invited to come and check out all the Gibson House Boats they have in stock. The sale is being held at Pole Star Marina Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 AM till 5:00 PM both days. Click here for a map to Pole Star.

           July 22nd, 2006  
            Here is some interesting news. According to an article in Heartland Boating Magazine, there is a new marina planned on pool 26. A 140 slip marina is on the drawing board near the Golden Eagle Ferry at the southern tip of Two Branch Island at Mile 230 UMR. The marina is going to include Fuel, electric and a launch ramp as well as slip owners having access to a country club. It is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2007. Pick up a copy of Heartland Boating Magazine at your favorite boat dealer now! Also, July's issue has a spread on the Blessing Of the Fleet.

            July 21st, 2006
           Tomorrow, Saturday July 22nd is Aquapalooza. Deemed to be the largest on-water-party in history! It will be held on the island across from Polestar Marina on the slough side. Click the banner below for more info or to register for the event.
  
            July 3rd, 2006
         Tonight, Grafton and Alton are both having there fireworks. After the show head on over to Palisades, they will be having Karaoke from 8pm till ???

 
            June 27th, 2006

  
      As many of you already know, last Wednesday we lost 2 fellow River Rats to a tragic car accident. I received an e-mail and the picture above from Janella Williams of Williams Marine Clean. She wrote,
    

           June 26th, 2006
     We have a winner for the puzzle contest!!!!!   Clinton Tull of the boat "Clinton's Carver" guessed correctly. The picture is of Dennis (Prop P on the chat board) Cooking up the food at the What's Up party. Thanks for cooking the bar-b-que Dennis we all loved it. And, Congratulations on winning the puzzle Clinton.... Come get your shirt.

          June 19th, 2006
     If you missed Saturdays party you missed a doozie. They had boats, babes, monster trucks, mud, beer, bar-b-que, great music, and a ton of great party goers. What a blast. I would like to thank everyone involved for such a great time! I hope they have it again next year. Or sooner if possible. It was one of those parties where you look around and say "Man, I love it when a plan comes together!" The food was great and kept coming and coming. They had a ton of it. The beer kept flowing and the tunes played late into the night. I posted some pictures of the party.... Click here  Again, Thank you to everyone involved I had a great time and I think it was the party of the year!

         June 12th, 2006
    The What's Up Party Saturday was a blast. Thank you to everyone who came by. I know I
 had a lot of fun. Good friends, good food and great weather till late in the afternoon. Yes, we got rained on a little.
    For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about. A bunch of us from River Chat got together and had a party. The party was held on island 521 or as some call it "M & M" island.
 The picture on the left is Robert Cope aka Stl_boater_man on River Chat, proudly displaying his What's Up Koozie. To see the more pictures click here.  You can also log into River Chat  and check out picture links from some of the party goers. After the party a few of us hit The Loading Dock until the storm moved in. What a great time. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did! Keep watching River Chat, as I am sure this will happen again real soon!

    Finally a new puzzle is up. Good luck on this one, it is kinda unfair. But, whoever guesses it won't think so. Guess this one and get a have-to-have one of a kind River Rat Shirt! All the really cool river rats are wearing them. As for the xxl shirts and the new it's a river thing shirts, I have been told I should have them in about a week. Thanks for you patience.

  June 5th, 2006  
   Again, another beautiful weekend! I hope everyone was able to make it out. I was at the
 Polestar in water boat show all weekend and saw quite a few familiar faces. It was a good show and a steady crowd of people  both days. Click the pictures below.
             
     There was a lot to see, good food and good music. Live demonstrations were going on all day long on both days. I got to try the Wego Kite Tube. The thing is huge and yes it does fly, and it will wear you out. I am still sore. It does take a little practice, but a few rides and you start to get the hang of it.  A calm day with no wind would be ideal.
     Women on water held 4 classes over the 2 days. I listened in on part of one and they are very informative. J. D. Schmid of Marine Max, Port Arrow head does a great job teaching the class. My girl friend took the class on Sunday in a 24 foot Searay. She said "It was fun" and she learned a lot. They spent about 2 hours on the boat learning everything from knots to driving the boat. J.D. Doesn't just show them, they do it. For more information call 636-946-5586

       The River Barge, River Explorer was at Grafton, yesterday June 4th giving tours of the barge. The River Explorer is basically a cruise ship for the river. Offering cruises from 4 to 10 days up and down the Mississippi and everywhere in between. I went by Grafton and shot some pictures of the barge.
Click the pictures for a larger view. Click here for more information about the River Explorer.
                            

      June 1st, 2006
     WOW!   What a great weekend and a great week. (Till today's rain of course)  It has been a very busy one for me. The article that came out in Sunday's paper has brought a slough of e-mails. People wanting more info, more shirts, directions and general knowledge. It looks like they have all found it on River Chat. The board is going crazy! nearly 20 new members in a couple day's. Thank you to everyone who visits the board and answers all the questions. Of course, thanks to the moderators as well. You guys do a great job. I was hoping that River Chat would start to get used this way.
      Channel 5 news was also out on the water with the water patrol over the holiday weekend. The focus was water safely and the boat that sunk by Sherwood marina. Click here to view the report.  Robert Cope of the boat "Slow Ride" aka stl_boater_man posted a picture of the boat after it was dragged on shore in River Chat. I thought I would repost it here. Click the picture for a larger view.
 

       This weekend Polestar Marina is hosting an in water boat sale! Several dealers will be present. The admission and parking is free. There will be Music, food and live demonstrations and classes hosted by Women on the water. Hope to see you there!
                               

       May 5th, 2006 Happy Cinco De Mayo
     If your not going to make it to the river this weekend there are a couple of other boating related activities going on this weekend. Dry Dock Marine & Rv are having their grand opening and 1st annual Greater Missouri Sell your Boat, Bike and RV Show & Swap Meet. This weekend May 6th & 7th,  10 AM - 5 PM  There will be lots for sale as well as Venders... Dry Dock is located at 3250 North Hwy 94, 1 mile North of hwy 370.  Also, St. Charles Boat & Motor is having there annual open house. Come enjoy boat show deals on all inventory! Free soda and hot dogs. register to win one of their many door prizes.

Also, Big Dicks Halfway Inn Motor Sports will have their drag boats and PWC on display. Come check out these monsters up close! Some of the race crew will be on hand to answer your questions.

        April 21st, 2006
    We have a winner for the Puzzle Contest! Brian Schaffer guessed correctly, it is the boy hood home of Charles Lindbergh in Little Falls, Minnesota. The home is located on the banks of the Mississippi. Read more about Lindbergh and his boy hood home by clicking here. Brian received a River Rat T-shirt and a $10 dollar gift certificate to St. Charles Boat & Motor. Congratulations Brian!

     Don't forget that the Duck Club Marina is holding it's annual boat show and flea market this weekend!

         April 18th, 2006   
      

Goat island has a new addition! Yes, there is another goat on the island, just a few weeks old. The little guy seems to be taking to his new surroundings quite well. He even has a name. The little guy was running and jumping all around the island one day and my buddy's little boy said look at that goat "dash" around. So, the name kinda stuck. Dash our newest river rat...errr goat.

       I guess I made the puzzle a little to difficult, so here is a hint. The house is the boyhood home of someone famous that has ties to this area. The home sits on the banks of the Mississippi Ruver. Think sky!

       I wanted to let you know of a couple events coming up in the next few weeks.
   St. Charles River Cleanup on Saturday April 22nd.
 The St. Charles/ Bridgeton Great Rivers Greenway Clean-Up will take place on Saturday, April 22nd from 9 am to 3 pm.
If your interested in volunteering, meet at Frontier Park in downtown St. Charles, adjacent to the Lewis and Clark Boathouse.
 Businesses are welcome to register groups via www.riverrelief.org . A prize will be given to the group that is able to clean the most trash from the banks of the Missouri River. Free Missouri Stream Team T-shirts will be given out, and every volunteer will receive a beautiful boat ride to their cleanup location! Get ready, get dirty... hope to see you there!

      
        Also, on May 5th & 6th 10:00am - 5:00 pm.  Dry Dock Marine & Rv Storage & sales will be having The 1st annual Greater Missouri Sell your Boat, Bike & Rv show and swap meet. Dry Dock Marine & RV is located at 3250 N. Hwy 94, just one mile north of Hwy 370. For reservations & information call 636-949-6696

       Do you have a boat for sale or maybe a pwc? Have you posted it on our classifieds? It is free to use. The classifieds are starting to fill up, so if you are in the market for a new toy check it out.

        Have you registered on River Chat yet? With the boating season coming on strong, the forum is starting to get very busy! The people posting are the river rats... The ones on the river all the time... If you have a question about the river I am sure they have the answer. Share your stories & your pictures. It is an off the river, river community!

       March 27th, 2006
       More from Grafton, Il. There is an article on stltoday about Grafton Harbor and The Alton Pool, where recreational boating is booming despite increased prices for boats and the fuel that powers them.

        I would also like to thank Curt Allen from KSHE 95. If you were listening Saturday night you would have heard a plug for What's Up On The River.com Thanks again Curt!

       March 26th, 2006

Robert Cope from the boat "Slow Ride" was our last puzzle winner and won a cooler from Custom Crafter Coolers.  Pictured left is Robert picking up his prize. A cooler with the name of his boat "Slow Ride" proudly displayed. Congratulations again Robert!

       This latest snowfall created some beautiful views of the river. Which created a great photo opportunity.  I wanted to share some pictures a good friend of mine took. These were taken in Portage and are some truly beautiful pictures. Click them to enlarge.



      The 2006 Quimby's Crusing guide will be available in April and on the cover is a local landmark right here in our backyard. It is Tara Point Inn & Cottages in Grafton, IL. Most of us have seen Tara Point Inn while cruising the river, but there is more to it then the Main House. Check out Tara Point's web site to learn about all the amenities they have to offer. Tara Point has some of the most scenic views in the area. Congratulations to Tara Point for making the cover of Quimby's.
      
         March 13th, 2006
       A new puzzle is up. Again, it has 100 pieces. The winner will receive a River Rat shirt and a
 $10 gift certificate to St. Charles Boat & Motor. Good Luck!
 
       What a weekend! From the people I talked to it sounds like quite a few made it out on the water. We went to Sharky's Cove for breakfast Sunday morning and then headed out for a short boat ride. There was quite a few boats out Sunday. We went by and checked out the "River Goats" on "Goat Island" A couple of these goat's are huge. Doesn't look like they have missed many meals. I didn't know goats got that big. Of course, what do I know, I'm not a goat herder. When you get close they get right on the bank. They think you are going to feed them. So, we gave them some bread and backed away. Just a little warning. Goats like to jump and they like to jump into boats. Check out some of the pictures below.

 

 
     

 
 March 6th, 2006
       We have a winner!  Robert Cope from the boat "Slow Ride" Guessed the puzzle correctly.
It is St. Anthony Falls near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. St. Anthony falls is the first lock on the Mississippi River even though lock #1 is 2 locks down river. Click here top see a listing of the first 13 locks.  If you would like to learn more about St. Anthony falls including the history, click here. 
       There was quite a bit of river news the last few days so I thought I would post all the links here.

Confluence may be honored as landmark New entertainment boat arrives in Alton Amphitheater will be cultural icon, promoter says For the fishermen of Horseshoe lake Discover Boating rolls out marketing campaign    Discover Boating has launched the redesigned website! Video of jumping Asian carp

       March 1st, 2006
       Just so everyone knows River Chat is working properly now. I had some permissions set wrong not allowing members to post pictures. All is well now!
       So far not many people have posted their boat on the classifieds. Just a reminder it is free to post your boat, wave runner, or about anything else. It just takes a few mins to get signed up.
Dealers are welcome to post boats for sale as well.
        I added 4 more pieces to the puzzle. I am getting some interesting guesses, but no one has guessed it yet. I added one piece in particular that someone told me would give it away. Let's see if it does! You know who you are...

       February 24th, 2006
       River chat has been upgraded! You are now able to insert pictures into your post's. So dig out your river pictures, party pictures or just some funny picture you would like to share! We all want to see em. 

       February 22nd, 2006
    
  Custom Crafted Coolers has been gracious enough to offer one of their coolers for the puzzle contest prize. The cooler shown on the left is what you will win if you are the first to correctly guess the puzzle. You will be able to customize it with any text you like. Click the cooler and check out their website for all the different font styles and colors. Then you just have to win the contest. It's That Easy!
The new puzzle has been posted. Again it has 100 pieces. Good Luck!


  

      February 20th, 2006
     Man, I miss summer! I was going thru some pictures of summer out on the river and really started missing it bad! The fun and sun. Good friends... And it's WARM! So, to let you all share in my pain. Here are some pictures from Jamaica Daze last year:   
        

    If you have not noticed the new banner at the top of the page, let me introduce a new sponsor to What's Up On The River.com. Custom Crafted Coolers. They sell coolers customized with  any text you like. Check out the website by clicking the banner at the top of the page.

    Search Resumes For Man Who Fell Into River. There still is no sign of Jimmy Belfield.
    River was closed 2-21-06 2 miles in either direction of the JB Bridge noon till 3. (doubt anyone would want to go out anyway)  Click here for more.

    2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the outboard motor. Of, course some will argue that it was invented before that, but I'm going with 1906. Click here to read about Ole Evinrude and the events that took place that led to the invention of the outboard.

     February 11th, 2006
    The boat show is still going on thru Sunday. The hours are: 02-11-06 Sat 10am-10pm
02-12-06 Sun 11am-5pm  Click here to purchase tickets online. I will post a few pictures next week.

    A new classifieds section has been added. This is just one of the improvements for this year.  You will be able to post your own ad and picture. Just register and place your ad, it is that simple. There are several categories, so the classifieds will be more organized. As of right now you can only post one picture, if you would like to post more than one you will either have to link it to your pictures on the web or contact me and I can put your pictures on a page and link them to your ad. We will be adding the ability to post more then one picture at a later date.  When you do post a picture, the size will be limited to 250kb. On the left side of the page there is a link to an online image resizer, just incase your picture is a little big, you can resize it very easily. If you have any problem's resizing your picture just contact me and I will resize it for you. Just like before, there is no charge to post your boat or whatever you are selling in our classified section. Just click the classified link in the menu to check it out. If your boat was in the old classifieds you will have to register and repost it.

     Just a little note: I moved the boating funny and ouch to the main menu.
   
    February 4th, 2006
    We have a winner!!!  Mike Hefferon sent in the correct answer, which is The hooter's girls at the St. Charles Boat & Motor booth last year. Congratulations Mike. Mike will receive 2 tickets to the St. Louis Boat Show compliments of What's Up On The River.com & St. Charles Boat & Motor.
    Super Bowl this weekend! Sharky's Cove is having a Super Bowl party with a free buffet during halftime. Click here for info.

    January 30th, 2006     
    Thanks to everyone that came out Saturday to our little River Rat Warm Up Party. It was a blast.  Click here to see the pictures.  John at Sharky's took great care of us and our waitress Shelly was the best! I would like to say a big Thank you to them and the whole staff at Sharky's. We had cold drinks, great food and gave out some great door prizes, including a gift certificate to Sharky's, a wake board and more! Congrats to all those who won. I hope to see even more familiar faces at the next one!
 
    January 28th, 2006
    What's Up On The River.com River Chat members are having a winter warm up party at Sharky's tonight. Starting about 7ish, we will enjoy special drink pricing for River Chat members. There will be a few door prizes and River Rat shirts will be available for purchase. Everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the night on the river. I know we are all missing it. I hope to see you all there!

   St. Louis Boat Show Gearing Up For The Preview Party!
  The plans are being finalized for the first ever “Preview Party” at the 52nd St. Louis Boat & Sportshow.  Opening night, Tuesday, February 7th the Sportshow will be one big party.  In addition to serving tables scattered throughout the aisles that will feature free appetizers, beer and soda, attendees will also be treated to multiple bands playing live music.  This party will get your customers buzzing about coming to the Sportshow!  “Outdoor lovers and boaters are very special people and they love to party.  We want boaters to get excited about going to the Boat & Sportshow” said Vice President NMMA Sportshows, Mark Adams.
  The exhibitors have done a great job sending their supplies of “Preview Party” discount coupons to their customers.  “Our phones have been very busy with people calling to find out more about the Preview Party” said Adams.  Limited supplies remain, so if you need more, please contact us.
   Opening night “Preview Party” tickets will be $20.00; however the coupons will allow your customers to purchase these tickets for just $10.00.  Please note:  Exhibitor Guest Tickets, VIP passes or any badge passing will not be honored for the “Preview Party.”  “Preview Party” tickets may be purchased by visiting www.stlouisboatshow.com.

    January 24th, 2006
    The submit form is working now.

    January 23rd, 2006
    A new puzzle is up. This one has 100 pieces, so I will be adding more then one a day. The prize? Well, Boat Show tickets of course. The winner will receive 2 adult admission tickets to the The St. Louis Boat Show, good for any day but Tuesday, February 7th. Courtesy of What's Up On The River.com & St Charles Boat & Motor. Good Luck!

    January 21st, 2006
    The St. Charles Boat Show is in full swing. Quite a few people showed up and the place was very busy last night. If you don't have anything planned this weekend. Come on by and check it out. Here are a few pictures. 

    January 20th, 2006
    Just a reminder... The St. Charles Boat Show starts today. Hours are:
Friday, Noon to 10 PM
Saturday 10 AM to 7 PM
Sunday 10 AM to 5 PM.
$4 Regular Admission, $2 Ages 10-15, $2 Ages 60+ on Friday Only
Click here for more info.

   January 11th, 2006
   Update on the preview party at the St. Louis Boat Show on Feb 7th. Tickets can be purchased online for the $10.00 discounted price. Of course, you can also purchase tickets for any night of the show. Just click here to purchase tickets.

   January 7th, 2006
   Great news for first night show goers'! The St. Louis Boat & Sports Show will be having a preview party Tuesday, February 7 from 5pm - 10pm. What's Different? For $10.00 admission (with coupon) you will get all what the show has to offer plus you can enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages (while quantities last) If you do not have a coupon admission is $20.00. Coupons are available at any participating boat dealer or exhibitor. If you can't get a hold of a coupon come by St. Charles Boat and I will give you one.
 
   December 31st, 2005
  As we end 2005 I would like to thank everyone who has visited, sponsored or helped What's Up On The River.com, So that is everyone that is reading this! Thank you and Happy New Year to you and your friends and family! It has been a great year for What's Up On The River.com and it couldn't have happened without you. I look forward to another great year in 2006. The site will only get bigger and better. Thanks again and see you next year!!!

   December 24th, 2005
  We have a winner. Susan sent in the correct answer, which was Grafton, IL Congratulations!
   I hope everyone has a safe and very Merry Christmas!

   December 23rd, 2005
  Here's some fun stuff for today.
  A trout was caught in Nebraska, no big deal huh? Well this fish was bound to get caught, it had two mouth's! Check out the report and the picture of this fish. Pretty weird. I like the guy's comment at the end about what he is going to do with the fish. Click here

   A few weeks ago Virgin Records put out a poster with 74 bands on it. You just had to guess which 74 bands. Such as the Rolling Stones (The big rocks in the back)  Here is a copy of the poster. See how many you can guess. You will understand when you see the poster. Unfortunately, the picture has been cropped and you can not see part of it. If you go to heavy.com there is a complete picture, with a magnifying glass. It takes a little bit to load and you may have to watch an ad.

  The boat show's are coming! I have added links to both show's on the left hand side of the page.
Also, for those of you planning on buying a boat at the show your gonna have to name it right? Well here is a page that will help you with names and let you see the name of your boat in different fonts.
Both of these came from the site Firstboat.com

   December 21st, 2005
   Two area boat dealers have teamed up to give you a boat show before the boat show.  Stateamind Watersports & St. Charles Boat & Motor Have both set up display's in the St. Louis Mills Mall. New 2006 boats and pwc's, as well as accessories and gear are on display for purchase. Just enter the mall at entry #6 and turn left you can't miss them.
  River Rat T-Shirts are also available at the Mills location.

   Last Minute Gift's...
  I have been asking customers coming into the store what would be a good last minute gift. I thought I would post some of the most popular answers:

  #1. River Rat T-Shirts Of course... Ok so this was not the most popular answer, but it had to be #1.
  #2. Gas Cards. This by far was the #1 answer. With the price of gas you can understand why.
  #3. Gift Cards/certificates, from local boat dealers.
  #4. Quimby's cruising Guide
  #5. Spot Light
  #6. Gift Subscription to a boating magazine
  #7. Orange Ski Flag (you know the one you lose every year)
  #8. New dock lines
  #9. Dry-pak for cell phones etc.
  #10. Boat Cleaning kit/wax etc.

   I hope this gives you some ideas if you are trying to figure out a last minute gift for the boater in your family.  
  
   The new puzzle is up. This puzzle has 100 pieces and I will be adding a random number of pieces at random times today, tomorrow and Friday. Yes it's a 3 day puzzle. I am hoping to have a winner before 3pm Friday. So keep checking back often....   The winner of this puzzle will receive a River Rat T-Shirt of their choice. Good Luck!

   December 20th, 2005
   Hello again, it's been awhile since I updated. Seems I have got in the habit of taking a break for a couple weeks after Thanksgiving (I took a month break last year) but, I'm back. Of course I am planning on spending Christmas with family, so I will be away a few more days during the Christmas  holiday. The Chat board has been busy though. I am glad to see most are enjoying the new format, and using it.
  
    New Years Eve. Sharky's is having their bash with dinner, open bar, a champagne toast at midnight, and Rail is playing. I know last year was a blast and I am sure this year will be even better. Click here for complete details, cost, reservations, menu, etc.
  
   November 24th, 2005
  Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday.
 
  Check out the "In the news" article. I know you have ran into at least a couple of these guys!

  
 


The New  River Rat Shirts are here! Click here to check them out. 





  

   November 23rd, 2005
  Oh by the way, The winner of the last puzzle was P.J Asher. He received 2 River Rat t-shirts and a couple koozie cups.  
  
  The new River Rat t-shirts are here. Just in time for Christmas! Right now they are available at St. Charles Boat & Motor. More locations to come. I am going to post pictures of the shirts and information on how to order your River Rat Shirt this evening.

   Sharky's Cove is having turkey bowling, yes, turkey bowling tonight. Come out and join the party. The Shark's will be playing and you can have a chance to heave a frozen turkey at some pins... Get a strike and win a turkey. Drink specials and attendance prizes including a $50.00 gift certificate to Sharky's Cove!

    Virus warning!!! The Alton Telegraph is reporting about these emails saying "We have logged your IP address on more than 30 illegal Web sites. Important: Please answer our questions! The list of questions are attached. Yours faithfully, Steven Allison, Federal Bureau of Investigation -- FBI." I got this e-mail twice already. Except mine was from the CIA. So beware!  I knew it was a scam I have only been on 5 or 10 illegal websites not 30! :) 


    November 11th, 2005
  We have a winner! Someone has sent in the correct answer for the puzzle. It is a picture of the "Old" Clark Bridge being blown up in Alton. Want to learn more about the Clark bridge and where the picture came from? Click here.
  The winner will be contacted next week when I return from vacation. Have a great weekend!!!
 
   November 8th, 2005
  The tow boat "Virginia Ingram" came thru our area last week pushing a barge of Habitat for Humanity homes. It left St. Paul, Minn a few weeks ago heading for St. Louis, where on Nov. 5th, 6th and 7th a 40 hour home building blitz took place in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Gateway Arch. They built 10 house frames in 40 hours. Everything was loaded into a container and loaded onto the barge, headed for Louisiana for hurricane relief. Click here for more info

   November 7th, 2005
  Do you need covered Storage For your boat, jet-ski, camper or trailer? Then give Jeff a call, his storage lot located off of hwy B has over 30 covered spaces left. Keep your investment out of the weather! Call Today... 314-348-0641

  Click here for a report on Adolphus Busch, IV, The Great Rivers Habitat Alliance, and the St. Peters levee.

   October 31st, 2005
       HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
        Click here!
   October 28th, 2005
  Spring Forward, Fall back.
 This weekend daylight savings time ends. When you go to bed Saturday (or when you get home from one of the Halloween parties) you need to set your clock back one hour. Don't forget to test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

 Today, The Gateway Arch celebrates it's 40th birthday. It was on this day in 1965 the last piece was raised into place. Channel 4 kmov did a complete report on the celebration, including pictures, history and events schedule for this weekend. They also have links to view the 1990 arch special. It is a very good and informative program if you like the history "stuff". The part 4 link is broken. If you click on it go up to your address bar and at the end replace the 1 with a 4 and it will work. Click here to see the page.
 
   October 25th, 2005
  If you missed the Meat Shoot at The Sandbar Restaurant, your in luck they will continue to have meat shoots every Saturday starting 10-29 at 1:00 PM. $2.00 beer.
It's a good time. See you there. Here are a couple pics from last Saturday. 

  The new puzzle is up. It is a thing in a place (if that makes any sense) So make your answers exact. Good luck.

   October 18th, 2005
  Looking for something different to do on Halloween?  Grafton Harbor is requesting your Ghostly presents aboard the Grandpa Woo!
 This excursion is Saturday, October 29th. Departure at 2:00pm returning.... UNKNOWN!  Port: The Loading Dock in Grafton, IL.
Prizes will be awarded for best costumes. The menu: fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, tortellini, corn, salad, cauliflower and broccoli in cheese sauce. Cash bar available. (no coolers please)  It is $20.00 per person and is limited to the first 80 guests that dare to respond...
R.S.V.P 618-786-7678  (I called and they were about one fourth booked)

   Gas prices? Think they are high? Click here to see what some other countries are paying (or not paying)
 
   October 15th, 2005
  The Sandbar Restaurant will be open for all Cardinals playoff games! $1.50 Longneck special. Watch the game on the big screen!

   Also, on October 22nd The Sandbar will be having their end of the season bash. They will be having a meat shoot starting at 1:00, free hotdogs and chili, face painting for the kids and lots of give aways!. The Mark Arbogast Band will be starting at 6:00. Should be a blast see you there!

   The puzzle has been solved.... The exact answer I was looking for was, The calliope on The Mississippi Queen and Kelly Nesslage sent in that exact answer. He will be receiving all the supplies to winterize his boat. Congrats Kelly.
   I found this picture on a neat site called steamboats.org It has everything the steamboat buff could want, history, pictures, videos and audio. Want to hear what the Mississippi Queen Calliope sounds like? It's there! Check it out.

  New product!!! Ever gone tubing and felt like you were flying? Well now you really can fly. Sportsstuff has introduced a flying tube. Called the Kite Tube. I am not talking about a few feet these guys on the video were getting some serious air! 10 - 20 feet! Looks like a blast! I am going to have to try this one next season.... Click here for more info and the video. (the video takes a very long time to load, but is well worth it)

   October 10th, 2005
  The new puzzle is up. Good Luck on this one! It's a tough one. I have not figured out a prize, so if anyone has any suggestions or Donations let me know. Just click the "contact us" page in the menu and email me.

   There was an article in the STLToday about Karen Weidinger, a river boater and a dear close friend to many on the river. Click here to view the article. Also visit Karen's foundation website at: www.karensfoundation.org
   
   There was an article in the Alton Telegraph about the Piasa Bird this weekend. Click here to check it out!

    This article in the STLToday ties in with this weeks boat funny...... Beware!
Click here to read "Beware of thieves with hoses".
 
   October 3rd, 2005
  The "River Rat Wrap Up" was a success. It was great putting some faces to the names we have been talking to on river chat. The day was beautiful and the food was amazing. You guys can make some chili! (I still think the best chili was when we mixed it all) Great day, great food and great friends. I know I had a blast... As far as the toga's, we were just to lazy I guess. We still had fun. I would like to thank Robert aka stl_boater_man from the boat slow ride for bringing the steam tables out. They worked perfectly! I have a feeling we may have to have more tables next year...

The new chat is up... Click here to check it out. It just takes a few minutes to register. This forum is easy to use and will be more interactive. I have plans to add to it as we go on. It should turn into a great "off the water" river community.

   September 29th, 2005
  If you have been following River Chat then you know what is going on Saturday Oct. 1st. If not, Everyone is invited to the first annual "RiverRat Wrap Up" An end of the season party on Iowa island. It is a chili cook off, so bring your favorite chili! Also, "Wrap up" means end of the season, but also means, yep you guessed it TOGA!!!!!!! Wear your toga to the beach, eat some chili and have a blast! If you have any questions, please post them on "River Chat". This was a group effort, so I am sure someone can answer any and all questions. See you there!!!!

   September 28th, 2005
    Riverchat will be no longer available starting Monday Oct 3rd.  The new Riverchat will be live! I believe everyone will enjoy this new forum more. As I add options you will be able to do more and interact more. You can get a sneak peak by sending me an email to jim@whatsupontheriver.com I will email you a link and you can get started early. There are 11 people registered right now that were helping me test it. Are you #12?
    I added boating ouch under boating funny on the left hand column. I have accumulated quite a few "Ouch" photos and figured I would share them with everyone. If you have an "ouch" picture please send it to me so I can post it.  Email pictures to funnies@whatsupontheriver.com
  
   September 24th, 2005
  The Sandbar Restaurant at Lake Center Marina is having a benefit for the victims of Hurricane Katrina this weekend 9-24 & 9-25.

Silent Auction on Sat and Sun (Baseball memorabilia, gift certificates )

  - 2ND NATURE - on stage Sat night

  - Please donate some of the following items:

  -  Food items......( canned and boxed items )

  -  Toiletries..........( soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. )

  -  Clothes............( men's clothes are in high demand )

  -  Children's toys 

  -  Food for Animals

  -  Cash Donations  
  The bartender's and waitresses will be donating their tips as well

  The puzzle has been solved! Did you guess correctly? It is Starved Rock  If you would like to read the history on how Starved Rock got it's name click here. Congratulations got out to Brad (aka bradman on riverchat) He has won a $25.00 gift certificate to The Sandbar Restaurant.

  September 21st, 2005
  Well my network got struck by lighting Sunday Night... Fun stuff, no internet till today. But, I am back. I will do the full update tomorrow, but for now here is a hint for the puzzle, it is on the Illinois river and it is up north. It is part of a state park.
 
  September 18th, 2005
  Unfortunately yesterday afternoon around 4 pm a fire broke out on a yacht outside of Woodland Marina. All the reports I received said that everyone made it off safely. They didn't leave a name but someone   Brad posted a story on River Chat late yesterday. Thank you  Brad Hefferon!

  At about 4:25 on Saturday we heard the call on the radio for South by Southwest on fire. After the call went out they abandoned ship and were picked up by another boat.... The water patrol was there was well as the Coast Guard. When the St. Charles fire dept showed up the water patrol took 4 fireman to the boat. They checked it out and things looked ok when we arrived, it was smoking slightly but looked under control. they were inside all over the boat and seemed fine! they then started to open up all hatches and windows and about that time more fireman showed up w/ the fire boat and boarded the vessel. after they got there and someone went in w/ Oxygen and opened the engine room is when all the flames broke out and the entire boat was fully involved. we heard the fire dept yelling abandon ship and they all jumped back on the water patrol boat and their fire boat as we watched the boat burn. the fire dept kept pumping water on it but as soon as the flames would die down they would break out again. we left around 5:45 and they were still battling. the boat was anchored straight out from Sharky's till the flames finally burnt through the anchor line when it sta