Belle of Louisville gearing up for 110th birthday celebration with special events

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Belle of Louisville is gearing up for a monumental birthday with a list of special events.

The steamboat is celebrating their 110th birthday on Oct. 18. Heather Funk Gotlib, the Belle of Louisville's communications and content manager, visited WDRB Mornings on Thursday to talk about what makes the boat so special.

"Being on the river is something special," Funk Gotlib said. "You're out on the water, and, suddenly, you're taken away from the technology of everyday life. It really creates a special experience."

People are invited to step back in time Oct. 12 when the belle will host an immersive event called "Riverboat Gamblers, Rogues and Ne'er-Do-Wells."

There is a "Sunday Funday" birthday cruise Oct. 13 followed by "Poe - A Dream Within a Dream" cruises, celebrating Edgar Allen Poe, on Oct. 16, 17 and 20.

Tickets can be purchased on their website.

After launching in 1914, the belle has been everything from a cargo hauler to a USO ship in World War II.

Belle officials said the boat is the world’s last remaining Mississippi River-style steamboat.

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