A new ferry boat by Rising Star Casino was introduced and christened Thursday.
The MS Lucky Lady was introduced and christened Thursday at the Rising Sun Boat Ramp. Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3.
(Rising Sun, Ind.) – A reestablished connection between two Ohio River towns – and a few more dollars for a riverboat casino – are the hopes for the MS Lucky Lady.
Rising Star Casino’s new, privately-owned and operated ferry boat was christened Thursday at the Rising Sun Boat Ramp. Dozens of locals, casino executives, and local leaders turned out for the big occasion complete with a ragtime band and sailor girls.
There has not been a ferry boat for vehicles between Rising Sun since 1945 when a vessel named Mildred sank. Back then school children would ride across from Rabbit Hash to attend school in Indiana.
“It will help our business, but it will also reconnect our communities,” Dan Lee, president and CEO of casino owner Full House Resorts, told the crowd.
The MS Lucky Lady is expected to begin offering rides across the river in early August, but no set date has been announced. One-way rides will cost $5 per vehicle and round-trip tickets will be $8. The boat will offer trips every 15 minutes.
Vehicles and passengers will board on a new road, Ferry Way, at the Rising Star Casino property – it is still being paved. On the Kentucky side, the landing is near the tourist favorite Rabbit Hash General Store.
Lee says it will take the ferry up to four minutes to motor across the 2,000-foot-wide river, which cuts down what is a 50-minute drive to or from Kentucky via Interstate 275 for those willing to fork over the cash.
The name of the riverboat was revealed by Lee. It was selected by the casino after suggestions were received from and voted on by the public.
Lee said there were many approvals necessary from federal, state, and local agencies and governments. The casino even had to take a protected bat species into consideration.
“The project took determination and unrelenting resolve,” Rising Sun Mayor Brent Bascom said, complimenting the work done by Lee and the casino’s team to revive the local ferry.
Bascom has a personal connection to the local ferry business. His grandfather-in-law ran The Hoosier Belle passenger ferry – for people, not vehicles – between the towns up until 1987.
Photo by Mike Perleberg, Eagle Country 99.3
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