HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

[HostDave]

What are you doing today to celebrate America’s Independence Day? We all have our traditions, whether that involves picnics with family, baseball games with friends, or festivals, parades, pie-eating contests and fireworks. Americans have been celebrating the Fourth of July for almost 240 years and not only does each person have his or her traditions, so does each place. And when a city or town can share those traditions with a new group of people, it can be truly magical.

Today, a group of American Queen Steamboat Company guests are participating in a grand St. Louis tradition. For the past three decades, St. Louis has done far more than just have a parade through downtown and some civic fireworks. The Fourth of July in the Gateway City is a very big deal, make no mistake about it. Prior to departing on our 10-day Good Old Summertime voyage from St. Louis to Cincinnati, guests are spending a complimentary night in a deluxe St. Louis hotel. All our journeys include a free hotel stay, but this one is particularly notable because it puts our guests in downtown St. Louis on one of the biggest days of the year.

Celebrating Independence Day in St. Louis is unforgettable because it takes place along the banks of the Mississippi River beneath the shadow of the Gateway Arch. There are parades, concerts, food and fireworks. Early this morning, the Veiled Prophet Parade featured floats, huge balloons and an American tradition: marching bands. After the parade, the crowd begins to build on the grounds of the Arch. Many of our guests will head to the top of the stainless steel arch for a bird’s eye view of St. Louis, the river and the American Queen. Buried beneath the arch supports is an impressive museum, the Museum of Westward Expansion, which chronicles not just the role that St. Louis played in the settlement of the Western United States, but also the spectacular and sweeping story of American exploration and growth. Lewis and Clark set out from the area in the early 1800s to chart the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Next year, not only can our guests experience the Westward expansion from the Heartland aboard the American Queen, but our newest addition, the American Empress, will follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as guests explore the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

But we’re getting a bit ahead in the story. Today is about America’s birthday and in St. Louis, our guests are enjoying an authentic carnival atmosphere beneath the arch, complete with corn dogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, ice cream cones and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Fair St. Louis features local musicians, dancers and other performers that keep the fairgrounds lively all day long. One of the highlights, literally, is an air show with aerobatic acts, military jets, vintage aircraft from World War II and precision flying. The entire airshow takes place over the Mississippi River at the base of a sloping grass park in front of the Arch and right in the heart of downtown St. Louis. There’s nothing else quite like it.

The same can be said for the massive fireworks display that sets the sky on fire with colored lights just after sunset. Shells burst above the Gateway Arch, their colors reflected in the polished stainless steel curves of the majestic monument. The exploding fireworks echo off the skyscrapers and the entire event is a photographer’s dream. Each display of fireworks is set to music and an unforgettable memory. For our guests, the best part of all is that the St. Louis Independence Day celebration is just the beginning of their vacation. A voyage on the American Queen follows during which the spirit of America comes alive in the towns and historic sites along the river.

As you enjoy your Fourth of July holiday and think about the American Queen guests and their experiences in St. Louis, it’s not too late to make plans for a fall voyage! Call your travel agent or 888-749-5280 for details. It’s also not too early to make plans for next year. In 2014, we’re moving our Heartland party to the Ohio River on a 7-day journey from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati from July 3 to 9, 2014. Ports of call include Marietta, Point Pleasant and Portsmouth. Onboard, red, white and blue will be all