Ohio River Sternwheel Festival

Friday - Sunday, September 5 - 7, 2008

Come to Marietta, Ohio for the 32th celebration of the Sternwheel festival. The weekend after Labor Day, sternwheelers arrive in Marietta, home of the American Sternwheel Association and home to two sternwheelers on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Ohio River Levee

Warm memories are made in Marietta, Ohio, home of the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival. One by one, from up river and down, the sternwheelers arrive in Marietta, Ohio, home of the American Sternwheel Association. They come to The Riverboat Town, to have some good ol' fashioned fun at the event of the year - the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival!

No admission fee for the festival, and the atmosphere is fun and friendly. Marietta invites you to "come early and stay late." Enjoy the continuous weekend entertainment, choose refreshments from the especially vendors and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of the Annual Ohio River Sternwheel Festival! It's always the weekend after Labor Day.

For applications and information regarding the festival, Queen Genieve Pageant, Little Miss & Little Mr. Pageant, and interest in concessions, please address your inquiries to:

Ohio River Sternwheel Festival
P.O.Box 2109
Marietta, OH 45750

Tourist Information

FREE Hotel Shuttle Service provided to and from the festival and between hotels from the following Marietta area hotels: Best Western, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Lafayette Hotel, Super 8. Hotel guests can pick up a shuttle pass and schedule at your hotel's front desk.

FREE parking at the Washington County Fairgrounds. Shuttle busses will leave every half hour from the corner of Front and Monroe Streets to the Washington County Fairgrounds. Busses will also stop at the Valley Gem Parking Lot. FREE shuttle busses will run as follows:

6pm - 11:30pm Friday
Noon - 11:30pm Saturday
10am - 4:30pm Sunday

Parking available on 2nd Street between Greene and Butler Streets for a cost of $5.

FREE Handicapped parking available at JD Byrider lot on Greene Street. First come first serve. No reservations.

No parking signs will be displayed on Front Street, from Butler Street to Greene Street, Thursday September 4th at 5pm. This is to allow 24 hour notice that this area will be a "no parking" zone from 6pm Friday Sept. 5th through Sunday Sept. 7th at 6pm unless a permit has been issued and is displayed. Violators will be towed at their own expense.

Schedule of Events

Sternwheel Rockin' Rib Fest
Thursday, September 4, 2008
6:00 - 10:00 pm, Lafayette Hotel Parking Lot
$15.00 admission; children 5 and under free - Includes one rib sampler per restaurant and one ticket redeemable for sides including coleslaw, baked beans and a dinner roll.  Soft drinks, water and Budweiser products will be sold separately.

Kick off the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival with the Marietta, Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau on Thursday night, September 4th with a concert and delicious food!  Get your fill of ribs and fixin's from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Vote for your favorite restaurant to receive the People's Choice Award. 

Ohio River Sternwheel Festival

Friday - Sept. 5
Opening Ceremony 6:00 -6:30pm
Music entertainment 6:30 - 11:30pm

Saturday - Sept. 6
Introduction of Queen Candidates 11:30 - 12:30pm
Music Entertainment 12:30pm - 11:00pm
Fireworks on Ohio River Levee  9:30- 10:00pm

Children's Activities
1:00 - 3:00pm at Gazebo on Ohio Street

Sunday - Sept. 7
Sunrise Service  8:00 - 9:00am
Music Entertainment 9:00am - 1:00pm
"Captain James E. Sands" Memorial Sternwheel Races 1:00 - 2:00pm
Music Entertainment 2:00 - 4:00pm

Camping

Riverview Camp Sites Available
Third & Ohio Streets, Friday at noon until Sunday at 6:00 pm. Third Street will be blocked off for exclusive use of campsite residences.

We are looking for self-contained travel groups
Exclusive use of the camp site. Space available to two or three Travel Groups, depending on Membership participating. First Come First Served on camp site reservation availability.

FEES - $60.00 Total for the Weekend

For Camping Reservations
Joe Fratantaro
Phone: 740-376-9595
e-mail: jfratantaro@charter.net

For More Information
Contact the Marietta/ Washington County CVB