PARKERSBURG - More than 100 people of all ages helped launch the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park for the 2011 season on Tuesday.
The island was expected to open for the summer season on May 1, but was pushed back to May 10. Park officials chose to reschedule the opening because of the recent rainfall and resulting high water on the Ohio River.
"Not opening on May 1 caused a few little glitches, but now that we're open, we will be able to get things rolling," said Miles Evenson, assistant superintendent of the island.
Article Video
A group of children and chaperones piles into a horse-drawn wagon on Blennerhassett Island on Tuesda
Don and Joyce Saunders of Burlington, Ohio, brought their friend Helen Proctor to the Mid-Ohio Valley on Tuesday with their first stop at the island.
"We lived in Vienna in the mid-1960s and wanted to come back and see the area," said Don Saunders. "We last visited the island more than 40 years ago, so it is exciting to see how it's changed."
Proctor said this is her first trip to the Mid-Ohio Valley and, having heard the Saunderses' stories of the area for several years, decided a visit was in the cards.
Article Photos
Helena Teltscher, 4, and her brother Paul Teltscher, 6, of Jackson County pet Bob the horse on Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park on Tuesday. The siblings were part of one of three tour groups on the opening day of the park’s 2011 season.
"I'm really excited to see the island," she said. "It just fascinates me that there's an island here and that people lived on it so long ago."
The Saunders and Proctor group shared their time on the island with three groups of school children from around the area as well as several individuals.
"(Tuesday) is a little slow, but it is going to pick up," said island volunteer coordinator Vicky Huffman.
Fact Box
Open for Business
More than 100 people attended the opening day of the Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park's 2011 season on Tuesday.
Most of the visitors were in three school tours while a few individuals and small groups loaded onto The Island Belle and took the short sternwheeler ride from Belpre's Civitan Park to the island.
The Island Belle will operate between Civitan Park and the island from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday through the month of May.
There are more than 120 people scheduled in groups today and nearly 160 in five groups on Thursday.
The Island Belle sternwheeler Capt. Harry Batten said his boat estimates 70 percent capacity during the season, which is dramatically more than the 40 percent cruise boats along the river have.
"We have a pretty busy season scheduled and it will probably get busier as more groups call and schedule tours," he said.
Tickets for the sternwheel ride to the island can either be purchased at the Blennerhassett Museum, at 137 Juliana St., Parkersburg, before going to the park, or on the island before the return trip on The Island Bell, the sternwheeler purchased by the park in 2009.
Ticket prices are sternwheeler ride, $8 for adults and $7 for children ages 3 to 12; mansion tour, $4 for adults and $2 for children; wagon rides, $5 for adults and children; and bicycle rentals, $4 per hour for adults and $2 per hour for children.
The Island Belle will operate between Civitan Park and the island from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5:30 p.m. Sunday through the month of May.
The first special event of the 2011 season on Blennerhassett Island will be the 23rd annual Rendezvous on the River today through Saturday, when muzzleloaders and mountain men gather on Blennerhassett Island to recreate frontier life with authentic camps, demonstrations and period dress.
During the Rendezvous, there are individuals and families on the island in period camps doing fire building with flint and steel, outdoor cooking, playing kids games and making crafts. There will be gun builders and tomahawk- and knife-throwing demonstrations, said organizers.
For more information on the season and activities, contact the park office at 304-420-4800.
