The quick, collaborative effort of many Hendersonians translated to a successful day for tourists visiting here Tuesday, said Abby Dixon, the Henderson Tourist Commission executive director.
“It was amazing,” Dixon said of the surprise stop the ship, Viking Mississippi, made in Henderson.
The quick call to action came after the captain of the ship Sunday evening called City Manager Buzzy Newman, who reached out to Dixon, who quickly began informing local partners what was about to happen in two days.
Travelers on the Viking Mississippi, which is a part of Viking Cruises company, had been expecting to head upstream on the Mississippi River, but recent flooding on that river in those areas caused the tour to take a detour on the Ohio. For a couple nights before it docked in Henderson, the ship had been moored in Paducah, Dixon said.
To give those passengers a bang for their buck—and to show off Henderson’s slice of small-town America—locals jumped into action. The tourists got a good show, even with the on-again, off-again rain, some of it heavy, throughout the day.
Many passengers boarded tour buses that took them to Ellis Park, where they witnessed morning workouts, pet horses and heard what a trainer had to say.
They went to Audubon State Park and took in the museum and a live raptor show.
They spent half an hour in the Henderson County Library’s historic and newly repainted rotunda.
They took a driving tour through Henderson’s historic district.
For lunch, they chose between a four-course lunch with wine pairing at the Farmer & Frenchman or a bourbon tasting (consisting of three bourbons) paired with barbecue from Hometown Roots.
All the frenzied planning, in the end, led to a seamless day for the travelers, according to Dixon.
“It went off without a hitch,” she said.
Dixon said in a previous interview that the passenger count of the Viking Mississippi was 270, which is more than what previous boats that docked in Henderson, the American Duchess and the American Countess, normally brought to town but a bit less than their counterpart, the American Queen.
Additionally, Zeb and Mark Hargis of the bluegrass band, King’s Highway, stood under a canopy picking and singing to passengers boarded the tour buses at the top of the boat ramp Tuesday morning.
They must have made an impression because Dixon said the pair found passage on the Viking Mississippi Tuesday evening as it headed back downstream to Paducah. Their job: put on a concert.
The day was “such a testament to that Top 20 Friendliest Towns in the South” ranking that Henderson has recently been awarded from Southern Living, said Dixon.