BBQ BY THE RIVER

September 22, 2011  Dateline: Grand Rivers, KY USA

In the morning Rich began my cleaning process.  After 3 months on the water and having traversed more than 80 locks without a good cleaning, I had gotten pretty dirty.  Carol had been complaining that she had never seen me so dirty. 

Midway through the day everyone left me and went to Paducah. This was not a good day for pigs and hogs. Paducah, KY has an annual event which involves the full commitment of pigs and hogs.  The event is a barbeque cook-off that lasts for three days.  There must be more than 50 vendors selling smoked  barbeque pork ribs, chicken, turkey legs and other great food.  They sell about 60 tons of barbeque at the event each year. Some of the stands are simple, with nothing more than a table whiles others are full dining rooms.  The entire event is for charity.  People attending get to vote for the best barbeque then large trophies are awarded.  The vendors display their trophies and awards with great pride.  Of course those places with the largest number of awards and banners get the most business with the longest lines.  There are all kinds of fried foods there as well.  There is fried ice cream, fried oreos, fried bananas, and fried pies. 

Paducah was founded around 1815 at the point where the Tennessee, Cumberland and Ohio Rivers merge together.  It was named after an Indian Chief Paduca who had lived in the area.  The town’s grid was laid out by William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  When Clark officially opened the city he invited the Chief to the ribbon cutting, but the Chief died on the way of a European disease.   The city remains a key to river travel today.  It is not only the headquarters to one of the large tow companies but also has the training school where tow captains learn how to drive tows in a simulator.  Rich and Carol had dinner at the Paducah fest with a gentleman and his wife who relocated to Paducah from New Jersey. He said he had operated the simulator once and said it was very easy to get in trouble in St. Louis because of all the river traffic and congestion there.

Paducah has a flood wall to protect the city when the Ohio River rises above its banks.  The town has painted murals on the wall to make it look attractive. There are huge gates that, while allowing the public access to the river side of the wall, can be closed to keep the water out of the city.

The old buildings downtown show what and who was once there.  There is a building inscribed with “ American German National Bank”, the bank has long ago closed but the structure still stands.

 Paducah is also home to the National Quilt Museum. Paducah is known as “Quilt City, USA”. The museum hosts many events including changing exhibits, workshops, appraisals, traveling exhibits. It also accepts donations of old quilts.