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Show Eliveirb? Launch Set im April 30th Warren G. "Tex" Mc-Clatchy, Mc-Clatchy, owner and operator of Tex's Tours, Inc., Moab, announced Wednesday, his plans for launching, trial runs, christening and the maiden voyage of his "Canyon King" paddlewheel riverboat. The big sternwheeler, which has been under constructon near Moab since last January, Jan-uary, will be launched at about 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30th. The picturesque craft will be pulled down a dirt ramp into the Colorado River, just a few yards from its construction site behind Tex's Tour Center, three miles north of Moab on U.S. 163. Tex announced that he plans to make the launch "in the spirit of an old-fashioned "barn raising," in which nearby neighbors all get together to-gether and do the job, then celebrate afterward with a community picnic and refreshments. re-freshments. Thus, all who are able-bodied and willing to help get the Canyon King into the water, are invited. Tackle blocks and lines will be rigged rig-ged so that hand-over-hand hauling will slide the 93-foot fiat-bottomed boat down a launch ramp that has been "lubricated" with great quantities quan-tities of loose straw. Tex says he will also have a big tractor standing by "just in case we need a little extra push." The public is invited to attend the launching, and. either help or watch. Those who actually help will be given printed certificates stating they participated in the launching. Attached to each certificate wil be a pass permitting one free excursion excurs-ion trip on the paddlewheel-er, paddlewheel-er, once it is in operation. The passes will be good a;l summer, and with the growing grow-ing popularity of paddlewheel riverboats for excursion and recreation use, the "launch certificates" could easily become be-come collectors' items. During and following the launching of the Canyon King, observers will be welcome to watch, picnic, cheer those hauling on the winch lines, and help consume the refreshments re-freshments that Tex plans to have on hand. Tex's wife, Joy, will start the actual launching operation opera-tion in the traditional manner man-ner by breaking a "Texas-sized" "Texas-sized" bottle of champagne on the steel bow of the Canyon Can-yon King. In the next few days following fol-lowing the launching, last minute construction details on the big boat will be completed com-pleted and several trial runs made to check out and adjust ad-just its power and steering systems. Then, on May 13th, Governor Gover-nor and ,Mrs. Calvin Rampton Ramp-ton will be guests of honor at the official christening and maiden voyage of the Canyon King. Further details concerning this occasion will be announced in early May. The day following its maiden maid-en voyage, the Canyon King will begin daily afternoon ex-' cursions down the scenic Colorado Co-lorado River gorge. Mornings and evenings, the roomy, two-decker two-decker craft will be available for charter usage. After the christening ceremony cere-mony and maiden voyage, the Canyon King will dock and operate from a site below picturesque Jughandle rch, eleven miles downriver from U.S. 163 on scenic Utah 279, and fifteen miles from Moab. |