Almost canceled cruise could be best ever
BROWNSVILLE – The cruise that almost wasn’t looks as if it may be one of the most successful ones ever held by the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber earlier this year voted to discontinue the cruise on the Monongahela River when ticket prices had to be bumped from $35 to $50 because of a fuel surcharge tacked onto the other fees charged by the Gateway Clipper Fleet in Pittsburgh. The chamber had lost money on the cruise in 2005 and there were concerns that it would again go in the red on the event of it could not sell enough tickets to cover the cost.
The cruise was revived when the Brownsville Area Revitalization Corp. (BARC) and the local fire departments agreed to work with the chamber to promote the event, turning it into a community-sponsored event this year.
A minimum of 180 tickets needed to be sold by July 1 for the cruise to be held. The quota was not only met, but also was exceeded by such a large number that a larger boat will be used for the event. According to the chamber’s executive secretary Scott Bowman, 275 tickets have been sold, necessitating the switch from the Gateway Clipper Liberty Belle to the Gateway Party Liner. The larger boat can hold a maximum of 400 people, so there is plenty of room for more people to join the cruise, according to BARC board member Norma Ryan.
“We are hoping for at least 300,” Bowman said. “Boarding is at 6 p.m. and cast off is at 6:30 p.m.”
Bowman noted that there has been a change in the time that the boat is leaving the Brownsville Wharf Riverside Park since the tickets were printed. The tickets say the boat is casting off at 7 p.m., but Bowman said the boat will be leaving a half hour earlier to accommodate the cruise schedule.
The four fire departments, Brownsville No. 1, South Brownsville, West Brownsville and Hiller, are being recognized on the cruise for their contributions to the community. The chamber has sponsored the event for the past 18 years, each year honoring an individual who has contributed to the community.
“I thought it was a unique way of selling tickets, by honoring groups instead of individual people,” Bowman said. “Hopefully, next year the gas price will be cut in half.”
Bowman said this is only the second time in the 19-year history of the cruise that a larger boat has been needed. The Party Liner also was used in 2000, the year chamber President Frank Ricco was honored.