Several hundred people were in attendance for the Grand Opening celebration of the Chilo Lock #34 Visitor Center Saturday, Aug. 27.

Lock #34 is the site of the old lock and dam on the Ohio River that lowered and raised boats to enable them to continue to travel on the Ohio River all year. Previous to the construction of 51 locks and dams on the river, year-round travel was impossible because the water level was often too shallow, many times less the five or six feet deep. The powerhouse that today houses the visitor center and museum powered the wickets (small dam sections) that allowed the lowering and raising of the river here.

Chris Clingman, Clermont County Park Director, said,