MITCH CASEY The Marietta Times Amid a line of sternwheelers and a packed Ohio River levee, the annual Sternwheel Festival kicks into high gear Friday night with a evening of musical entertainment.

By Connie Cartmell The Marietta Times ccartmell@mariettatimes.com The annual kickoff of the Ohio River Sternwheel Festival was an experience Minerva resident Rick Metzger loved and hopes to repeat. “I like the way this is all set up, with the paddleboats and all,” said the 54-year-old Metzger, who has been riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle through southern Ohio over the past week and made his first visit to Marietta Friday. “I was most impressed with the museum here (Campus Martius) and all the history. We are definitely staying for the fireworks tomorrow.” Like a colorful and bold patchwork quilt, the sights and smells of the Ohio Sternwheel Festival quickly settled over the levee end of downtown Marietta Friday — an inescapable and heady brew.