The Great Rivers Towboat Festival scheduled for Saturday & Sunday, June 19 & 20, in Grafton, Ill., has been canceled. 

Boats for this year’s festival, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s Dredge Potter and Pathfinder, will be unable to dock along the sea wall in Grafton. Due to the large size of the vessels, a minimum of two feet of sea wall must be exposed to provide ample space to anchor and secure the boats. Unfortunately, recent rains have brought water levels up along the sea wall, leaving only a few inches of wall visible. While festival organizers are disappointed, public safety is of the upmost concern. The festival will not be rescheduled in 2010.

For visitors wishing to tour the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers towboat the Dredge Potter, it will be on display at the National Great Rivers Museum for an open house on Saturday & Sunday, June 26 & 27, 2010.  Tours will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., weather permitting. Admission is free. The National Great Rivers Museum is located at #2 Lock & Dam Way in Alton, Ill. For more information, please call 618-462-6979.

Please note: While water levels are up along the sea wall, there is no flooding in Grafton at this time.

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