Photo by Alan Olson Workers with M and M Party Center set up Friday morning for the Ohio Valley Chicken and Rib Cook-Off in Wheeling.

WHEELING — An untimely deluge this week raised the Ohio River beyond safe levels for the Gateway Clipper Riverboat Cruise, which was to be held today, leading to the event being canceled.

As part of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge 170th Birthday Celebration and Fireworks event, the riverboat tours aboard The Queen were to be held between 12:30 and 10 p.m., culminating with fireworks. However, the week of heavy rain thwarted plans at the last minute, as the river is expected to crest just above 27 feet in Wheeling this afternoon. Jay Frey, chairman of the Wheeling 250 Committee, said the 53-ton boat cannot be safely piloted under these river conditions.

“It’s the height of the river and the swiftness of the water — it’s something like a 53-ton boat,” he said. “Give or take a foot, we’re still disappointed. We worked our tails off on this thing. … I raised $19,000 in sponsorships to pay for it.”

While the river tours will miss the celebration of the bridge’s birthday, Frey hopes that Wheeling 250 can get the craft to come to the city at a later date to let contemporary residents see the bridge from a new perspective, on a boat from the same period as the bridge.

“We’re working with another day for the Gateway Clipper to come down,” Frey said. “We want to bring it back, people were excited to see the skyline, the island and the bridge from the water, which we just don’t get to do very often.

“It was a big boat, it accommodates 180 people. You really get that feel of being on a vessel of the vintage of the bridge, but this’ll happen another day.”

In the meantime, those who purchased tickets for the tours will receive a refund; credit card charges will be reversed, and those who purchased tickets in-person may receive a refund at the WesBanco Arena box office.

“It cost us $24,000 to bring the boat down, and with the ticket sales, we raised over $25,000, between sponsorships and tickets. We were good. … I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Other events planned for today will continue as planned. Throughout the day, presentations will be held on the history of the bridge and its status as a feat of engineering. The Ohio Valley Chicken and Rib Cook-Off, accompanied by live music, will continue to be held throughout the day and night, continuing from Friday.

“It’s a beautiful day, and we’ve all been holed up because of all this rain, and I hope people turn out,” Frey said of the weekend event.