Thursday... Aug 31, 2006......   

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Gayle wrote in her e-mail:

 Hi, Bill

Royce and Gayle LaMarr here from the boat "Sound Waves" out of the Alton Marina. Here are pictures of our riverdog "Isaac"  and Royce, these were taken in July at the Blessing of the Fleet. Isaac has been a boating dog for 10 years. We are  fairly new to the Alton pool (2005) but have boated for about 25 years. We both love your web sight and check it every day. Keep up the GREAT WORK!!!

Thanks!

Gayle

Last Year's River Pictures of the Day ------  What the heck was the picture on RiverBills.com last year on this day ? 

Missouri Water Patrol Mississippi River Sobreity Enforcement ------   Click here  to read Missouri Water Patrol News Release ID: N07060156 dated  20060829. It's information about:

•  The sobreity check set up on Dardenne Slough on Aug. 19

•  The  St. Charles County D.W.I. Detection Team  checking drivers of motor vehicles on Aug 19.

Mississippi Water Levels ------   Found two articles about the low water levels of the Mississippi River.

Click here to read the article in the on-line edition of the Quincy Herald-Whig.

Click here to read for the report on KSKD NEWS CHANNEL 5 (St. Louis).

Update - Labor Day Weekend plans for the Two Rivers Boat Club. ------  Cindy Blaylock, Secretary of TRBC, sent us the final draft of the Labor Day Weekend plans for the Two Rivers Boat Club..... Sounds like fun........ Click here.

Boat at the Riverbend ------   Alton, IL

Click here to read the story and watch the video about the Boat at the Riverbend, in Alton,IL, on KSKD NEWS CHANNEL 5 (St. Louis).

River Rescue Training ------   There was an article in the Alton Telegraph about the Alton Fire Department's River Rescue Training.  

Click here to read the story in the on-line Alton Telegraph. 

 Wednesday... Aug 30, 2006......   

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Our River Pictures And E-mail of the Day  ------ are from Capt'n Greg Sadowski, who hails out of Woodland Marina.   He and his brother, Glenn, are both out delivering boats at the the present time.

Greg wrote in his e-mail:

Bill,

Here's 2 pictures combined, both were taken yesterday (28 Aug 2006).

Glenn is on his way to New Orleans.

Greg is going to Miami in a couple days, (waiting on better weather).

We hope to be home for the Holiday weekend?

Greg

  Greg called me yesterday evening to chat a bit, give me some more info about the pictures and tell me more about their trips.  He is piloting a 90' SkipperLiner that he picked in Annapolis, Md. for delivery to Miami, Florida.  Yesterday evening, he was waiting in Delray, Florida to see what the approaching storm was going to do.  Oh yeah...Greg said that Julia Roberts got married aboard this particular boat !

  Glenn is delivering  a 66' Choey Lee to New Orleans...where it will be loaded on to a ship and transported through the Panama Canal to San Diego, Ca.  You might have noticed this boat setting at Port Charles earlier this year.  

    OK ....I had to ask Greg what the heck is Bobby's Fish Camp ?  

    Greg told me that it's a place on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway that is known to boat travelers as a place to stop for fuel and dinner....And... Yes...it has an all you can eat buffet !  Campgrounds, boat ramps , etc.  

RiverBill says...Good luck to both Greg and Glenn...Hope you get back home for the holiday ....And most of all ...Be safe !!

Last Year's River Pictures of the Day ------  What the heck was the picture on RiverBills.com last year on this day ? 

Update - Labor Day Weekend plans for the Two Rivers Boat Club. ------  Cindy Blaylock, Secretary of TRBC, sent us the final draft of the Labor Day Weekend plans for the Two Rivers Boat Club..... Sounds like fun........ Click here.

Found ------  Large Taylor made fender and a Coleman cooler

   Have found some items from Jamaica Daze. Large Taylor made fender and a Coleman cooler. Can reach me at 314-368-3509 or jdifatta2@yahoo.com

Map....Phase 1 & 2 .....Winneberg Marina ------  Chuck Lanczlowski, the owner and Harbor Master of the, soon to be constructed, Winneberg Marina sent us a map showing of phase 1 and phase 2 of  marina construction.

  The new marina will be located at UMR 229.5 on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River.  It will be located below the Winneberg subdivision and above Kinder's Restaurant....... in front of the old quarry.

 Tuesday... Aug 29, 2006......    updated @10AM

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Our River Pictures And E-mail of the Day  ------ are from Capt'n Darryll Weil, who hails out of Woodland Marina in the cruiser "After You" 

Darryll wrote:

Doug, from the boat "Gin Bucket II" sent me some pictures of Tip's latest return to the river.  Some of you may remember Tipper from Woodland Marina and the boat "Tip One".  Well, last year when he was in town, we did sort of an impromptu "Get Your Picture Taken With Tip" at Sharky's Cove.  Because some people questioned all the hoopla surrounding Tip's visits from Florida, Doug and some friends had T-Shirts made saying "It's All About Tip" and surprised Tipper with them while anchored in Two Branch.  Here's a couple of pictures of the occasion from Captain Gin Bucket, I mean Doug.

Enjoy, Darryll

Last Year's River Pictures of the Day ------  What the heck was the picture on RiverBills.com last year on this day ? 

Update - Labor Day Weekend plans for the Two Rivers Boat Club. ------  Cindy Blaylock, Secretary of TRBC, sent us the final draft of the Labor Day Weekend plans for the Two Rivers Boat Club..... Sounds like fun........ Click here.

2nd Set of Last Year's River Pictures of the Day ------  were from Capt'n Jack's bar and Grill.  They were of some of the spaghetti wrestler's  and of the band Rail belting out the tunes .

Found ------  Large Taylor made fender and a Coleman cooler

   Have found some items from Jamaica Daze. Large Taylor made fender and a Coleman cooler. Can reach me at 314-368-3509 or jdifatta2@yahoo.com

Cedar Hill's Harbor  ------  has been dredged....includes the entrance and the north 2/3's of the harbor.  There is plenty of water according to Dave Ash.

  Kevin Dempsey, Event Organizer for Paddlefest 2006, along with Susan Spalding, kayak enthusiast; both are from Louisiana , Missouri .

  Kevin Dempsey, Event Organizer for Paddlefest 2006 with his dog, Shiloh

Paddlefest 2006 and “Battle of the Paddle”.......  We received the following press release from Spalding, Susan

ATTENTION EDITORS, WRITERS, REPORTERS:  CALENDAR LISTING OR RECREATION SECTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                       

PRESS CONTACT: 

Susan Spalding

Cell:  312-545-7491

Email:  sspalding@mmart.com

WHAT:                        Paddlefest 2006 and “Battle of the Paddle”

WHEN:                        September 2, 3, and 4, 2006

WHERE:                      Louisiana, Missouri riverfront along the Mississippi

 A paddle and oar festival is being planned for the 2006 Labor Day weekend on September 2, 3, and 4.  Paddlefest 2006 will be an event that will bring paddle sport lovers of all kinds together over an extended weekend.  The festival will be based at the Louisiana, Missouri riverfront but festival related activities will take visitors throughout the Clarkesville and Louisiana, Missouri areas.

The event will be promoted to regional paddling clubs along with area canoeists, rowers and kayakers but should be of appeal to spectators as well.  Area Bed and Breakfasts will be offering open-house tours for visitors.  Riverfront plans call for boat displays, on-water clinics and workshops, as well as guided paddle trips designed to introduce visitors to the paddling opportunities in the area.  Races and competitions are scheduled for Sunday followed by an awards dinner at the Village of the Blue Rose, Clarkesville, MO.

A highlight of the festival will be the announcement by the Corps of Engineers of a Mississippi Water Trail running through the area and a paddle-in-only campground, located on Calumet Creek near Clarkesville, Missouri.

 One of the featured events will be the “Battle of the Paddle”.  Participating organizations include the American Canoe Association, the St. Louis Canoe and Kayak Club, Missouri Whitewater Association, St. Louis Rowing Club, Operation Clean Stream, and many more.

Contact:            Kevin Dempsey, Event Organizer

                        Center of the Earth Paddle Ship and River Outfitters

Phone:              314-518-0950 or 573-242-3563

Email:               villagebluerose@aol.com

Fax:                  573-242-3539 

 Monday... Aug 28, 2006......    

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Our River Pictures And E-mail of the Day  ------ are from Carl Fisher of the Alton Lake Sailing Association.  He sent us some really neat pictures that his wife Dot took this past weekend. 

Carl wrote:

Bill,

Here are some pictures my wife, Dot Fischer, took 8.26.06 on the grounds of Alton Lake Sailing Association (http://alsasailing.org/).  That's on the Missouri side (of the Mississippi River) between Portage and the Power Plant.

Hope you can use them!

Regards,

Carl Fischer

Hazelwood

RiverBill says.... Great pictures....I really like the one of the red sky and the bluffs as well as the fire and the bluffs !    Added a link to the Alton Lake Sailing Association in the left hand column of this web page.

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Our 2nd River Picture of the Day  ------ is from Scott Lauderback.  It's a shot of the Carl and Ernie and the guys cooking up the Jerk Chicken on Pete Tully's harbor barge at the Jamaica Daze Party on Aug 19.......Look at that smoke !

More Jamaica Daze pictures  ------ sent in by Sharon Gwillim ...click here. 

Last Year's River Picture of the Day ------  What the heck was the picture on RiverBills.com last year on this day ? 

The Winneberg Marina  ------ We received an e-mail from Chuck Lanczlowski, the owner and Harbor Master of the, soon to be constructed, Winneberg Marina that will be located just upriver from the Golden Eagle Ferry at UMR 229.5.

Chuck wrote in his e-mail:

Bill,

            The Winneberg Marina will be located at mile 229.5 on the Mississippi .  It will contain 174 slips, constructed in two phases of 84 and 90 slips, respectively.  Phase 1 should commence in October 2006, with occupation available starting in early spring of ’07, and the Grand Opening scheduled for the 4^th of July ’07.  Phase 2 will start directly after that.  The Marina will be contained in a jetty and breakwater system.  The Jetty will lay from the Illinois shore out into the river 325 feet, curved slightly downstream with a circular terminus 50 feet in diameter.  The floating breakwater will run downstream from that.  Phase 1 will see about 800 feet of breakwater, and Phase 2 will complete another 1,000 feet of floating breakwater.  There will be three launch ramps at the facility, a ship’s store, ample parking, as well as covered and uncovered dry storage. Late Phase 1 or early Phase 2 will see the addition of both gas and diesel fuel.  The waterfront and old quarry areas will be groomed and a Winneberg Boating Club recreational center constructed.

            Your readers will be please to know that hydraulics studies show that we will have no impact on the bottom structures around Two Brach Island, nor will there be any effect down river past the Marina itself.  The recreational areas currently enjoyed will be unaffected by the jetty, and we plan to operate in harmony with the River and all of those who enjoy it.  We hope we can supply some convenience to local boaters and enhance everyone’s enjoyment of river activities.

            We are holding information sessions on Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3, over Labor Day weekend, to anyone who has questions about the Marina .  We will be available near the Marina site at the river bank, and at the Winneberg Community Clubhouse.  There will be displays of dock construction and power distribution equipment as well as engineering diagrams of the Marina, jetty and breakwater systems, and the dock and slip layouts.

Due to extremely high interest and expectations, we have agreed to take Pre-Construction deposits and reservations on slips starting on the 2^nd.  Pre-Construction pricing will be available for about 30 days, until we start construction in October.  We’ll have all of the details and pricing information available at the Marina site and the Clubhouse.  Please see the attached informational flier for times.

Any questions can be directed to me at clanczkowski@winnebegrmarina.com

Regards,

Chuck Lanczkowski

Click here  for Corps Of Engineers map showing UMR 229.5

No Trespassing....Beware ------ We received the following e-mail from Charles  about the No-Trespassing signs that have started to show up on some sandbars in the upper part of Pool 26...........Beware !

Charles wrote in his e-mail:

River Bill,

Had our weekend ruined last Saturday ( Aug 19th ) while boating up on the North end of the Alton Pool.  We were anchored 30 yds off shore on an un-named island just south of Cedar Hill on the Illinois side (probably upper Hat).  We had swam there with many other boaters all summer long as it was a popular island. Our children have enjoyed the beach as well as hundreds of other people. Un-known to us, this was a private island and the owner decided to file a trespassing complaint the Tuesday before.  So there we were like all the weekends before just minding our own business enjoying the day.  At 5pm, my wife waded up to the shore to get a picture of our kids playing at the waters edge.  Her reward was a trespassing arrest with a mandatory court appearance from the Illinois water conservation.  There was a small sign posted 4O yds inland which had never been there before.  We were not drunk and causing trouble.  My wife was merely standing at the waters edge taking a picture.  It ruined the spirit of boating.  All boaters of the Alton Pool be careful where you beach.  It just might land you in court. 

Charles

RiverBill says.....Hat Island is between UMR 235 - UMR 236.  Click here for Corps of Engineers map of the area.

Antique and Classic Boat Society Fall Classic  ------  We received an e-mail from Alice Lockhart about the upcoming "Fall Classic".

Alice wrote in her e-mail:

Bill,

   Wanted to fill you in on a project that the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS), Mississippi Valley Chapter is working on

   We are working on our first annual..FALL CLASSIC. This will be held on the first or second week in October.  Boats will meet in the vicinity of Grafton Harbor and we will begin a parade going down the Illinois side of the river to take in the beauty of the fall colors on the bluffs!    What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon!  More info to come. 

   All boats are welcome, however, we would like to keep the “oldies but goodies” together.

Thanks,

Alice

Cedar Hill's Harbor  ------  has been dredged....includes the entrance and the north 2/3's of the harbor.  There is plenty of water according to Dave Ash.

Lost ------  Large black fender with gold line. 

   In the storm-a-palooza extravaganza on last Friday night I lost one of my 4 matching fenders. It is a Large Black Fender with a Gold Line attached. 

If you found it contact Mike Vitale

mvitale@merrlin.com

Lost ------  1/2 of an anchor for a PWC used on sand bars. 

   Was lost behind Two Branch Island at Jamaica Daze.  It is a two part straight rod.  I have the top half but someone must have unscrewed the two parts and the bottom half is missing.  If anyone has it please send e-mail to auntwiese@charter.net.

 The Weekend Edition.......Fri, Sat, Sun... Aug 25, 26, 27  2006......    

CLICK ON PICTURE ABOVE TO OPEN THE 360 DEGREE PICTURE

USE YOUR SCROLL BAR TO SEE THE WHOLE THING !

Our 1st River Picture of the Day  ------ is a 360 degree picture of the Jamaica Daze Party last weekend taken by Cameron Imming of AltonPoolBlogSpot.com. It's great !

Here is part of the e-mail Cameron wrote:

 Bill,
        Here's my compiled 360 degree view from where I parked the other day.

Wonderful party and I can't even say thanks enough for the hard work I'm sure you and all the others put in.

Cameron T Imming

RiverBill says....Great picture Cameron !  It was a team of about 40 people that made Jamaica Daze happen.   They did a great job !

Grafton's Landing Restaurant at the new Grafton Harbor

Dining on the deck 

overlooking the harbor and Illinois River

Our 2nd River Pictures and e-mail of the Day  ------ are from Betty Bannister

Betty wrote in her email:

Bill,

Grafton Landing at Grafton Harbor had their private party for slip owners tonight (Thursday). They will be open Labor Day weekend with full services (per Pete Tulley). Here are a few pictures of party tonight. Click here

Betty Bannister

RiverBill says...More picture from their party later in the weekend !

Last Year's River Picture of the Day ------  What the heck was the picture on RiverBills.com last year on this day ? 

Fishing Report  ------ The Missouri Department of Conservation has issued this week's Fishing Report.  

Mississippi River (above St. Louis):

81 degrees, normal, dingy; flathead catfish and channel catfish fair on nightcrawlers; drum good on nightcrawlers; all other species slow. (Report made on 8/24/2006)

Missouri River 

82 degrees, low, dingy; catfish good on natural bait; all other species fair. (Report made on 8/24/2006)

Check out the report for the entire state of Missouri

.................go to  http://www.mdc.mo.gov/fish/fishrt/

For Sale  

Cedar Hill Resort

Turn key Operation

Restaurant, 2 houses, 1 mobile home lot

Approximately 17 Acres 

$ 750,000

Call Dave Ash 314-280-8997

Antique and Classic Boat Society Fall Classic  ------  We received an e-mail from Alice Lockhart about the upcoming "Fall Classic".

Alice wrote in her e-mail:

Bill,

   Wanted to fill you in on a project that the Antique and Classic Boat Society (ACBS), Mississippi Valley Chapter is working on

   We are working on our first annual..FALL CLASSIC. This will be held on the first or second week in October.  Boats will meet in the vicinity of Grafton Harbor and we will begin a parade going down the Illinois side of the river to take in the beauty of the fall colors on the bluffs!    What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon!  More info to come. 

   All boats are welcome, however, we would like to keep the “oldies but goodies” together.

Thanks,

Alice

Cardboard Boat Races At Capt'n Jacks  ------  scheduled for Aug 26 are postponed !  Check back later for more info.

Cedar Hill's Harbor  ------  has been dredged....includes the entrance and the north 2/3's of the harbor.  There is plenty of water according to Dave Ash.

Lost ------  Large black fender with gold line. 

   In the storm-a-palooza extravaganza on last Friday night I lost one of my 4 matching fenders. It is a Large Black Fender with a Gold Line attached. 

If you found it contact Mike Vitale

mvitale@merrlin.com

Lost ------  Large black fender with gold line. 

   In the storm-a-palooza extravaganza on last Friday night I lost one of my 4 matching fenders. It is a Large Black Fender with a Gold Line attached. 

If you found it contact Mike Vitale

mvitale@merrlin.com

Lost ------  1/2 of an anchor for a PWC used on sand bars. 

   Was lost behind Two Branch Island at Jamaica Daze.  It is a two part straight rod.  I have the top half but someone must have unscrewed the two parts and the bottom half is missing.  If anyone has it please send e-mail to auntwiese@charter.net.

 Thursday... Aug 24,  2006......

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Congratulations To "Chuck and Sue Beach"

Pictures by Mary Beth Tiemann & Mike Halley

Last Year's River Picture of the Day  ------  What the heck was the picture on RiverBills.com last year on this day ? 

River Dawgs.....Libby and Cash....  Added Libby and Cash to the River Dawg page...take a look ! 

Missouri Conservationist Magazine ------ The September 2006 issue is out !

Some articles in the "News and Almanac" section that you might be interested in as boaters, fisherman and hunters include:  

       Waterfowl Hunting Changes

       Shortnose gar fishing record falls

       Teal hunters get 16-day season

       Missouri eagle population booming

Click here ...And.... Check out the September issue !

Added A New Section - "Marine Security"......in the left hand column.  It contains links to : 

• U.S. Coast Guard website for "Reporting Suspicious Marine Activity"

• U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security (MARSEC) Levels website.

• As of Wednesday evening we were at a "MARSEC Level 1"  security level.

  What does the acronym MARSEC  mean ?....Click here for more information.

 Wednesday...  Aug 23,  2006  .....