STEAMBOATS TO DOCK AT CAPE ON WEEKEND

The calliopes will sound, and a local band will belt out river tunes and Mother's Day music this weekend when paddle-wheelers dock along the Mississippi River in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Two of the three Delta Queen Steamboats Co. Inc. riverboats will dock here during the weekend.

The Mississippi Queen will dock along landing from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and the Delta Queen will be here Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Jerry Ford and his band will provide music both days.

The theme for the Sunday docking is "Music Of The River." The band will be play Old Man River tunes, said Mary Stucker of the Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The band will also feature music as a tribute to Mother's Day.

The Delta Queen, which heads up the Mississippi, will return for a docking here Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Mississippi Queen is en route from Cincinnati to Memphis.

The Delta Queen, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1970 and designated a national historic landmark in 1989, is the world's only authentic, fully restored overnight steamboat in the world.

The 285-foot-long Delta Queen was built in 1926 and launched in 1927 at a cost of $875,000.

The Mississippi Queen was commissioned July 25, 1976. The twin-stacked vessel is 382 feet long

The American Queen, one of the largest riverboats on the inland waters, had to cancel two dockings at Cape Girardeau, due to high waters.

The American Queen, a 3,707-ton paddle-wheeler that is more than 400 feet long, is the third riverboat in the Delta Queen company's fleet. It was launched in 1995 at a cost of $60 million.

The American Queen will dock here July 6.

July will be a busy month for riverboats here, with a number of stops.

The Delta Queen and Mississippi Queen will be here July 3, from 2 to 6:30 p.m., en route to St. Louis in the annual New Orleans-to-St. Louis Steamboat Race.

Other July visits include:

-- July 6, American Queen, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

-- July 9, Delta Queen, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

-- July 10, Mississippi Queen, 2 to 6 p.m.

-- July 19, American Queen, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

-- July 31, Mississippi Queen, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Other stops during the year:

-- Sept. 3, American Queen, noon to 5.

-- Nov. 6, Mississippi Queen, 8 to noon.

-- Dec. 25, Mississippi Queen, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.