Tall Stacks facts for kids
Tall Stacks, also known as the Tall Stacks Music, Arts, and Heritage Festival, was a big festival held in Cincinnati, Ohio. It happened every few years and celebrated the city's long history with amazing riverboats. The last festival took place from October 4 to October 8, 2006.
Many old-fashioned steamboats and copies of them came from all over the eastern United States. They would dock along the Ohio River in Cincinnati and nearby towns like Covington, Kentucky and Newport, Kentucky. The festival was planned for 2009, 2010, and 2012, but these events were canceled. This was mainly because of money problems and not enough companies helping to pay for it.
History of the Tall Stacks Festival
The very first Tall Stacks festival happened in October 1988. It was part of Cincinnati's 200th birthday celebration (called a wikt:bicentennial).
Early Festivals and Growth
- 1988: Fourteen riverboats came to this first three-day festival. Visitors could tour the boats and go on cruises. There were even races between famous boats like the Delta Queen and the Belle of Louisville. More than 700,000 people came to this exciting event.
- 1992: The festival grew to four days. Even more people attended, with 800,000 visitors. This was the biggest event Cincinnati had ever seen at that time!
- 1995: The festival was moved up a year to avoid clashing with the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. This time, it lasted five days and featured 19 riverboats. The Kentucky cities added a fun American Civil War re-enactment. A new record was set with 850,000 visitors.
- 1999: While attendance was a bit lower with 660,000 visitors, Tall Stacks '99 was still a huge success. It was even named the top tourism event in the nation by the American Bus Association. Nineteen riverboats once again traveled to the festival.
Later Festivals and Special Attractions
- 2003: This year, the festival got its full name, the "Tall Stacks Music, Arts, and Heritage Festival." It drew a record-breaking 900,000 visitors! New "theme cruises" were added, like wine tasting trips and special cruises with the Cincinnati Zoo. Many famous musicians performed, including Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, and over 150 other bands.
- 2006: Seventeen riverboats took part in this festival. Some of the famous boats included the Delta Queen, Belle of Louisville, General Jackson, Natchez, Mississippi Queen, and Majestic. On the Newport, Kentucky side of the river, there were special displays about the American Civil War. The United States Army Corps of Engineers also had exhibits about the river itself.
- 2009: This event was canceled because there wasn't enough money or companies to sponsor it. The Tall Stacks festival has not been held since then.
