![\"\"](\"https:\/\/widbnetwork.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/gary-pic-011.jpg\" "\\"gary")
<\/a>At the scenic overlook, Bob points the way down route 149.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Down by the river.<\/p><\/div>\n
We went to the park on the river.\u00a0 We saw the ferry.\u00a0 It was on the Grand Tower side.\u00a0 It was empty, waiting.\u00a0 Jimbo said \u201cLet\u2019s take a ride on the ferry!\u201d\u00a0 Jimbo and Chuck went to \u201cnegotiate\u201d with the ferry guys.\u00a0 Jimbo and Chuck reported that we could all ride round trip for ten bucks total.\u00a0 Dollars and quarters came out, and we moved to the ferry.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Jimbo and Chuck make the arrangments.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Midriver (note gas pipe at top)<\/p><\/div>\n
The river level was moderate, it was a calm and clear day.\u00a0 None of us had ever been on a boat in the Mississippi before.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was great, and it took about 15 minutes to get across.\u00a0 We disembarked on the Missouri side, and went exploring on foot.\u00a0 Valerie was wearing a very long dress, but she gamely walked with us.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Lori, Valerie, and Susan.<\/p><\/div>\n
There wasn\u2019t much to see on the Mo. side, so about 30 minutes later, we were back on the ferry headed towards Ma Hales.\u00a0 Meanwhile, I\u2019m still thinkin\u2019.\u00a0 I look at the boat, the water, there\u2019s NOTHING on both shores, no semblance of authority anywhere.\u00a0 We schmooze the ferry guys and they need money.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The gang on the prowl in Missouri.<\/p><\/div>\n
I look at the ferry deck, empty except for the 9 of us and the crew.\u00a0 I visualize nighttime, six kegs, a generator, stereo, party tapes (reel-to-reel, of course) and TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE partying on the river \u2018till dawn.<\/p>\n
I talked to the ferry crew and told them we might like to bring a \u201cwhole bunch\u201d of people for an \u201couting.\u201d\u00a0 They gave me a person and phone number to call.<\/p>\n
At dinner, everyone said I was crazy and they would never let me do it.\u00a0 But Ed said we could get the generator and make the stereo work and \u201cyou would hear it up and down the river and from one side to the other.\u201d\u00a0 Susan said people would be trashed, fall off the boat and drown.\u00a0 I said we would make them sign a release before boarding.\u00a0 Valerie said we could get party lights for the boat, if we had a generator.\u00a0 Bob wondered how the fully krausened partiers would get back to C\u2019dale, and I said \u201cwe\u2019ll get a bus!\u201d<\/p>\n
We already had had several parties where it was \u201call you can imbibe for a dollar.\u201d\u00a0 This would be the same, but a little more $, for the boat and maybe the bus.<\/p>\n
We found out that the station could pay for the bus.\u00a0 I called the ferry people.\u00a0 How many persons could the boat hold if there were no cars?\u00a0 About 200.\u00a0 Would they let us have an outing at night?\u00a0 Sure.\u00a0 Saturday night?\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 Six hours or so on the river\u2014great!\u00a0 Would you mind if we played music?\u00a0 That\u2019s OK.\u00a0 We might need a generator.\u00a0 If you bring your own, sure.\u00a0 Oh, and one more thing\u2014can we bring some beer?\u00a0 Yes, but we worry about bottles and cans all over the place.\u00a0 No problem, we\u2019ll bring kegs.\u00a0 Great.<\/p>\n
Then, cringing, I asked for the price.\u00a0 $200 total.\u00a0 A buck a person.\u00a0 We could charge $2 a person, have beer & youknow, and the bus would be free.<\/p>\n
This was the wildest party concept I had ever conjured up, and it seemed too good to be true.\u00a0 This would be my crowning party achievement before I graduated.<\/p>\n
We set the date for mid-May (SIU was on quarters then, so everyone stayed until mid-June).\u00a0 I kept having visions of a pulsing mass of partiers on the lighted ferry with my party tapes blasting and reverberating for miles.<\/p>\n
In Mid-April just before cranking up the party marketing juggernaut (including narrowcasted promos to the women\u2019s dorms only), I checked in with ferry central to be sure everything was on track.<\/p>\n
They told me the boat had been damaged was in drydock for repairs.\u00a0 I said \u201cWell, we\u2019re not having our event for a month yet.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She said \u201cIt\u2019s gonna take at least two months to fix, maybe three.\u201d<\/p>\n
I was crestfallen, my dream shattered.\u00a0 I would be departing before the boat would be working.\u00a0 Summer would make it hard to get 200 people.\u00a0 The next year it would be semesters, so everyone would leave before mid-May.\u00a0 We had lost the window of opportunity.<\/p>\n
The ferry at Grand Tower did run for a few more years, but now is just a distant memory.\u00a0 I\u2019ve continued to host parties for forty years, but the biggest, best and most unique party was the one I didn\u2019t have, the one that got away on the Grand Tower ferry.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Ma Hales<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Grand Tower, Illinois, was and is a Mississippi River town.\u00a0 Ma Hale\u2019s was there for many years and finally demised after the flood of 1993.\u00a0 Tower Rock (island in the river) is still there, as is Devil\u2019s Backbone Park (electric … Continue reading