April 11-13

The weekend of April 11-13 was a LOT of fun! So much was going on at Hutchin's Park. First, the Lantern Queen had a busy charter weekend with both a birthday party and a wedding. The Chesapeake Heritage Conservancy held their annual Bull Roast in a tent in the parking lot. And they brought the Skipjack Martha Lewis up to Hutchins Park for the festivities. And the Pride of Baltimore II was in Havre de Grace and also shared our pier, tied up right next to the riverboat all weekend. A whole fleet of unique vessels!

Harford Bank Annual Meeting

A bank's annual meeting aboard a riverboat? Absolutely! At the risk of sounding cheesy, let me tell you that Harford Bank is an amazing institution. When we went looking for financing to purchase the Lantern Queen, Harford Bank had the best advice, rates and common sense! So, we also opened our business accounts with Harford Bank and have been awed by the level of service. Hometown banks are quickly becoming extinct, but when we walk into Harford Bank, we're greeted by name by smiling employees. And I think "Sure, we can do that" is the bank's motto, we've heard it so often. But I digress...

After a quick upgrade to the boat's "technology" with a 100" screen, a 2200 lumen projector and all the necessary cabling, the Lantern Queen had a "board room." And suddenly ALL of the Harford Bank personnel were aboard, enjoying a great dinner, speechifying and financial talk with accompanying PowerPoint slides. (The short version is that Harford Bank had a GREAT year!) Finally, awards were presented to the employees for outstanding performance - and there is a LOT of outstanding performance at Harford Bank!

Congratulations to all of the Harford Bank folks! Thank you for letting us be part of your celebration!

Easter Cruise

Easter came early this year! (In fact, the last time it was this early was 1913. And the next time it will be this early is Easter 2228.) But, Easter luncheon was right on time in Havre de Grace, aboard the Lantern Queen. Both the ambrosia salad and the Seven Layer Salad were big hits, but I was partial to the orange glazed ham. Once the food was served it was a pretty quiet boat - everyone was concentrating on the yummy food! After the meal most of us wandered up to the upper deck, and marveled at the beautiful day and the scenery.

This Easter cruise was very special to us. In addition to the passengers on this public cruise, our entire family was able to be together for the Easter meal on the boat. We were especially happy to be able to include Mom and Dad. Dad's recent tussle with a curb left him with a broken kneecap, so mobility was an issue. No matter! Capt. Dave Gainey maneuvered Dad's wheelchair aboard and daughter-in-law Sarah helped him navigate the dining room. We were also happy to have Pastor Dave Wilson and wife Jeannie join us for this cruise too. Good friends, wonderful family, great food, amazing scenery - what a great day!

Congratulations to Eleanor and Steven Seiler!

On March 21, 2008 we hosted Eleanor Holden and Steven Seiler's wedding rehearsal dinner aboard the Lantern Queen. Once again Havre de Grace is the meeting place! Neither the happy couple nor their guests hail from Havre de Grace. But they did find it a great location for a wedding. And this couple sure knows how to pick beautiful spots! A rehearsal dinner cruise aboard the riverboat was followed the next day with a lovely wedding at the Havre de Grace United Methodist Church, truly an amazingly beautiful sanctuary. Then John & Susan Muldoon hosted the reception at the Vandiver Inn, yet another lovely spot. Come to think of it, there's a "lot of lovely" in Havre de Grace!

Congratulations Steven and Eleanor! We truly enjoyed being part of your special weekend!
Carroll & Becky Fitzgerald

St. Patrick's Day Cruise

You know it's a good cruise when the boat docks, the cruise lowers the gangway and opens the doors to the dining room (in March...brrr) and still the musicians continue and the passengers stay put! The Irish Jasper Greens and O'Hara's Cup provided amazing Irish music that captivated all of us, even our favorite little lass, Katherine. Although the food on the Lantern Queen is always wonderful, it was nice to have an authentic Irish meal that didn't feature corned beef! And thanks to bartender Kristin, the Guinness just kept on flowing.

If you enjoy good Irish music, make sure you check out the performance schedule of the Irish Jasper Greens! (Click on "find us" for a schedule and directions)

Tom's Birthday!

Kathy Eikenberg pulled off an amazing surprise party for Tom's 60th birthday! The problem: how do you manage to host a surprise party for the fellow who does the catering? It started out with a nom de plume. Maria Berg (Kathy's alias) booked a surprise birthday charter for her elderly father by phone with Carroll. Poor not-so-real-Maria didn't have Internet access, so all of her dealings were with Carroll, who would relay special menu choices, etc. to Tom. Carroll even threw in a few curves along the way. "We hear that the guest of honor is real persnickity." "Maria's father is supposed to be a real character."

Well, the day of Tom's surprise party came and we found him in a tizzy - straightening napkins and place settings that didn't need straightening, fussing over the buffet, etc. The rest of the crew noticed a "mob" coming down the pier, many wearing chef's hats. We alerted Kathy, who actually had to drag Tom away from his fussing. Even as his guests came onto the gangway, Tom stood on the foredeck with a puzzled look. I think the appropriate phrase is "Gotcha!"

Needless to say, the party was a blast, the food was fabulous, and we all hated for the cruise to end!

Best quote of the day from Tom: "If I'd known the party was for me, I wouldn't have gotten such expensive crab meat!"

Tom, Happy Birthday from all of the Lantern Queen staff and crew. You deserve all the best!

Northeast River Yacht Club Cruise

On Saturday, March 1, 50 members of the Northeast River Yacht Club joined us for a dinner cruise. It's not often we have this many sailors aboard the Lantern Queen! The party began the moment the Yacht Club boarded and continued throughout the cruise! Northeast River Yacht Club - Thanks for being a great group of people! We enjoyed having you aboard. Come back to Havre de Grace soon!