[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 141 (Monday, October 18, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING CINCINNATI'S 1999 TALL STACKS CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB PORTMAN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 18, 1999

  Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Cincinnati's 1999 
Tall Stacks celebration and the special national recognition it is 
receiving from the Library of Congress. This year, the Library of 
Congress is celebrating its bicentennial with an exciting new Local 
Legacies Project, which will document America's heritage by preserving 
unique cultural events and activities across the country.
  From the earliest days of recorded history in Southwest Ohio, our 
traditions and culture have been shaped by the Ohio River. That's why I 
was delighted to nominate the recent Tall Stacks celebration as our 
region's contribution to this project.
  The Tall Stacks event, which took place last week in Cincinnati, was 
a great celebration of our region's riverboat heritage. Nineteen 
riverboats from across the nation--including several classic steam-
powered vessels--came to Greater Cincinnati to recreate a bygone era. 
And many thousands of visitors came to our region to take a step back 
in time and to share in this celebration.
  Through its inclusion in the Local Legacies project, Tall Stacks will 
receive additional national recognition for its role in commemorating 
an important chapter in our regional and national history. And, through 
the National Digital Library Program, people from across the country 
and throughout the world will be able to share the excitement of Tall 
Stacks through the Library of Congress website (http://www.loc.gov).
  We have a rich and distinguished history in Southwest Ohio. From our 
region's active involvement with the Underground Railroad to the 
Suspension Bridge, Fountain Square and our many well-preserved historic 
areas, we have a tremendous heritage of which we can all be proud. The 
riverboat era is an important part of that heritage, as Tall Stacks 
reminds us now and into the future.

                          ____________________