Topic starter
21/12/2008 8:59 pm
With all the great stories and pictures of days gone by on the MQ, permit me to share a picture of a group of us who fought the good fight in the closing days of the Magnificent One.
This is the next to last Entertainment Department on the MQ, minus our Riverlorian and Sax player. Also missing from the picture, because he was behind the camera, is our stage manager, the wonderful Don Hopkins.
From left to right, Nate Shafer - pianist and leader of the Synchs; the banjo player; Synchs drummer, Keith Necessary; Josh Dickman from the cast; Mel Drybread, Synchs bassist; Crystall Kellogg, cast member who is presently starring in the national tour company of "Pajama Game"; The Princess of the Keyboard, Jackie Bankston, my piano partner in the Paddlewheel. Jackie is presently in the Carribbean aboard the Windspirit; Cruise Diector, and my pal, Phil Westbrook; cast member, Laura Sable; cast member, Glenn Springs; and Bill Weimuth, personal assistant to Laura Sable. Actually, Bill may have been the Riverlorian then - excuse me - Discovery Guide.
21/12/2008 10:39 pm
Absolutely perfect timing, my friend...I just found these half an hour ago on YouTube, it's amazing what you can find on YouTube if you are creative with the search words...And I wasn't sure how to introduce these videos to the forum, thanks for the "excuse"...Is it sick that I sit here in winter's wonderland, in wonderful rural upstate New York surfing YouTube for Steamboatin' stuff? I think not...
Anyways, I hope everybody enjoys...and I gotta ask what port is Ted playing the calliope in? Shiny calliope whistles push my buttons, dontcha think? Great tune you two are playing, by the way, in the first video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0puDrWK65A&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euEPh8d1gv4&feature=related
By edit: This old Pittsburgh boy was just informed that that video is of Pittsburgh...*face red*....
21/12/2008 11:10 pm
You know, I like that term...The Magnificent One.
Anyways, some pics of probably one of the last MQ cruises, this would have been late November 2006, Vicksburg. Interesting day watching the Coast Guard climb all over the MQ after repairs...
First pic, the morning at Vicksburg. Second pic, the Ladies, I've heard they have names, what are they? Third pic, the Ladies at another angle...You notice how close I am to the calliope?
21/12/2008 11:15 pm
Two more pictures of that day in Vicksburg, late November 2006. Pic one, how many dot.orgers can you recognize?...how many non-dot.orgers can you recognize? Pic two another dot.orger playing Phantom of the Opera...
Love the deck stars...
22/12/2008 12:56 am
This is just all too weird - I just got through watching a DVD from the trip that you are talking about, Bruno - that was Thanksgiving 2006. I just pulled out a DVD at random, then went to check out steamboats.org, where you guys were on the same subject!
That was the trip where all the DQSC stuff was put in dumpsters, wherever we stopped. We were no longer steamboaters - we were 'river cruisin'. The big purge was on! Travis invited us over to the MQ for a calliope concert, and he was very excited about the proposed renovations that were supposed to be done. I imagine that is the last time I was ever on the MQ - how sad, we had no idea what was going to happen to her.
22/12/2008 1:46 am
Yeah, that was the trip that Deb and I booked at the last minute 'cause our kids weren't gonna make it home for Thanksgiving and I decided it would be a good thing to substitute our time with our second family and our great friends. I had had discussions with Paul Penta on this board about meeting him for the first time in Vicksburg on this very day, and I saw him from a distance inside the MQ but it wasn't to be. Same with the Bear and the Redhead...
And how many of us dove into those dumpsters to claim a little DQSC Inc. and DQSC Co. for our selves that trip?
And I remember how incredibly scared we all were that trip but wouldn't admit to it verbally to ourselves. You know thinking back, we were right, so right...
Topic starter
22/12/2008 3:57 am
Bruno Krause;14888 wrote:
Anyways, I hope everybody enjoys...and I gotta ask what port is Ted playing the calliope in? Shiny calliope whistles push my buttons, dontcha think? Great tune you two are playing, by the way, in the first video...
...
Actually, his name is Drew Nugent. You have him mixed up with the rocker, Ted Nugent. Clearly not a mistake folks make when they see the boy wonder.
Drew graduated from college last year and is getting his career together. Here's his web page.
Topic starter
22/12/2008 3:59 am
Bruno Krause;14889 wrote: You know, I like that term...The Magnificent One.
Third pic, the Ladies at another angle...You notice how close I am to the calliope?
Well, until otherwise advised, she is the Magnificent Mississippi Queen.
And you didn't use a telephoto lens? Brave soul, Bruno.
Paul
Topic starter
22/12/2008 4:03 am
Pat Traynor;14892 wrote: That was the trip where all the DQSC stuff was put in dumpsters, wherever we stopped.
Well, Pat, to tell the truth, not ALL the stuff got dumped. Knowing, or more correctly "thinking", that I was coming back the next season as Cruise Director, I made sure the Sing-a-Long books were salvaged.
Paul
22/12/2008 4:40 pm
Pat,
History is strange, isn't it...that was to be my last cruise as a steamboatin' Riverlorian as well. I had almost signed the deal to go into my own business as an Excursion Boat Operator. Then all those dreams came crashing down! My boat deal fell through and the rumors started the MQ was not going to sail in 2007.
I remember sitting at home in my living room in January 2007 talking to the Director of the "Discovery Guide" programme and planning the 2007 season. There were plans to go out west for a formal training which fell through with in days of the flghts to Seattle. That was the moment I first became skeptical of the new owners. Then our training cruise on the AQ where we all had our hearts set on making 2007 the best year yet for our new employer. With in days of that first cruise, we knew who we were dealing with. The word came out officially about the MQ and those of us on the DQ lost half our scheduled hours to accomodate the needs of the homeless MQ DG's. (read: Riverlorians).
As an employee, I must say, we only kept up appearances out of respect for our paying passengers. We knew, we saw the writing on the wall...but, why ruin your vacation and the great memories we all shared those last days on the river. Those are the memories we former employees will always cherish, the rest of our lives. Living the last days of steamboatin' and the last days of Majestic America Line, they were special almost magical times.
When someone brings some boats back out (hopefully, the DELTA QUEEN and her SISTERS), we all hope the traditions we all worked so hard to keep alive well return for the generations to come on the river. It was our pleasure to keep them alive while we could.
1, August 2007 was the scariest moment I have ever felt on the river. I was sitting at my desk in the Foward Cabin Lounge when I was approached by the Tour Manager with news which she had recieved via email...she called the Cruise Director and myself into the Pursers Office and we read the fate of the DELTA QUEEN for the first time. We were tied in at Columbus, MS and the passengers were off on a shore tour when a tornado had them all in the basement of a local church (true story, the Pastor passed the collection plate as the storm raged overhead...never miss a chance to make a buck, huh?). The boat was sidelined due to a bent rudder stock...then this news. It was apparant the company had given up on the DQ and the MQ was to be perminantly idled. The same night we brought the song "Delta Queen Waltz" back into the evening show for the first time since the new owners took over. Certain performers who will remain nameless could barely choke back tears when performing that number that night. 1 August 2007 will never be forgotten by this steamboater...never!
So that day in late November of 2007 on the MQ....I really thought good things were about to happen. I regret misleading anyone on with the information I had when we met on the MQ. for I truly believed what I had heard was nothing but good news. I believed we were headed into the future in the best way we could...I believed Ambassadors was going to back up their words with their money. I did not know what was about to happen....no more than any crew member did at that time. But, we were soon to learn the truth...and we were scared to death, for in the end none of us have the careers we so loved anymore.
Sidebar note, the day in October 2007 when it was announced that Mr Giersdorf was leaving the company, the DELTA QUEEN calliope rang out onto the Tennessee River shoreline with "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead"! Call it my morose sence of humor, I was giggling so hard, it was almost impossible to perform the number!
Even the hardest of times were greeted with humor and enjoyment...so every last day we all had together on the river could be the best we could possibly make it. It didn't matter who owned the boat, we did it the way it worked best and would like to think our passengers enjoyed the time as much as we did. Because, we truly did...speaking for all my felow steamboaters, we truly did. Thank you to all our former passengers who made the glory days and the last great days special for us all!
~Travis~
22/12/2008 4:54 pm
Paul,
Thanks for this great picture of a special time on the MQ. It was a pleasure to have worked with you on the Magnificant Mississippi Queen while I did.
I still feel bad about almost leaving you on the MQ alone....but, having 'trained" with the Riverlorians....urrr um....Discovery Guides you were to have on the MQ, I think you would have been in good hands over there.
The MQ was a special boat...for those of you who are not familliar with her, like the DELTA QUEEN, she had a specific charm all to her own. She was different in many ways...but, her charm was her crew, her unique spaces (I never heard one complaint about the Paddlewheel Bar from anyone lucky enough to have spent an evening in there listening to great music and sharing the commraderie of steamboatin' friends at the end of a exciting day on the river), and the ability to use her as a platform to learn the history and lore or our beautiful inland river system!
She might not have the architecture of the J.M. WHITE, the allure of the DELTA QUEEN, or the sheer and camber of the NATCHEZ...but, she was Mark Twain's dream as the "Queen of the Mississippi", the fanciest, most opulent, and Largest Steamboat Ever To Float. Say what you will about the AQ...the MQ was real. There were never any electro-diesel "auxilliary" propulsion units on her...she was an unadulterated and pure steamboat.
I look forward to the day we shall both ride the river again, Paul....for somewhere in time, I am sure we will! Listen for the calliope...for eventually we will come around the bebd again!
~Travis~
22/12/2008 4:56 pm
Paul,
Thanks for this great picture of a special time on the MQ. It was a pleasure to have worked with you on the Magnificant Mississippi Queen while I did.
I still feel bad about almost leaving you on the MQ alone....but, having 'trained" with the Riverlorians....urrr um....Discovery Guides you were to have on the MQ, I think you would have been in good hands over there.
The MQ was a special boat...for those of you who are not familliar with her, like the DELTA QUEEN, she had a specific charm all to her own. She was different in many ways...but, her charm was her crew, her unique spaces (I never heard one complaint about the Paddlewheel Bar from anyone lucky enough to have spent an evening in there listening to great music and sharing the commraderie of steamboatin' friends at the end of a exciting day on the river), and the ability to use her as a platform to learn the history and lore or our beautiful inland river system!
She might not have the architecture of the J.M. WHITE, the allure of the DELTA QUEEN, or the sheer and camber of the NATCHEZ...but, she was Mark Twain's dream as the "Queen of the Mississippi", the fanciest, most opulent, and Largest Steamboat Ever To Float. Say what you will about the AQ...the MQ was real. There were never any electro-diesel "auxilliary" propulsion units on her...she was an unadulterated and pure steamboat.
I look forward to the day we shall both ride the river again, Paul....for somewhere in time, I am sure we will! Listen for the calliope...for eventually we will come around the bend again!
~Travis~
Topic starter
22/12/2008 7:06 pm
Travis Vasconcelos;14906 wrote: Paul,
Thanks for this great picture of a special time on the MQ. It was a pleasure to have worked with you on the Magnificant Mississippi Queen while I did.
I look forward to the day we shall both ride the river again, Paul....for somewhere in time, I am sure we will! Listen for the calliope...for eventually we will come around the bend again!
~Travis~
Back atcha' buddy.
Paul