TOGETHER ON THE RIVER
America’s River Roots is a signature event to kick off America’s 250th celebration, scheduled for October 08-12, 2025 on the Cincinnati, Covington and Newport riverfronts.
Join us in a celebration of the vibrant culture of America’s river cities, where we honor the incredible impact they've made on our nation over the last 250 years. The unique fusion of Music, Cuisine and Culture found at America's River Roots creates a "can't miss" event that will fill the riverfront with the sights, sounds and flavors of our nation. We can't wait to see you there!
AMERICA'S RIVER ROOTS
Celebrate America's Vibrant River City Communities
An exceptional cast of community leaders and sponsors have assembled to host a signature event that celebrates Ohio River Valley’s pivotal role in shaping our nation in advance of its upcoming 250th birthday in 2026. The event has been designated by the America 250-Ohio Commission with a request to the national commission for America’s River Roots to be the official kick off signature event in October 2025. Our goal is to showcase the uniquely diverse cultures, cuisine and music of America’s inland waterways that distinctly shaped our nation through this wondrous ecological region. We will celebrate the origins of roots music with national, emerging and local artists across multiple stages, enjoy river cuisine presented by celebrated chefs, and highlight our unrivaled river culture.
Themed Riverboats from seven cities will share the food and music of their region. A Travel Showcase will promote their cultural tourism assets. Regional cultural tours including Freedom Journey App, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, World Heritage Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks and Ohio River Recreational Trail will be featured. The event gives area residents an opportunity to explore their heritage and history while connecting with our common river roots. The eclectic mix of music, culture, and culinary experiences along the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky world-class riverfront will attract regional/national visitors and international media attention to the region. The cities of Cincinnati and Newport, Cincinnati Museum Center, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati Parks, and Cincinnati Parks Foundation are partnering with America's River Roots Experience, a nonprofit corporation, formed to develop and promote the culture, cuisine and music of America’s inland rivers in the Ports of Cincinnati, OH, Newport and Covington, KY.
Get Involved
DONATE TODAY
America's River Roots has deep civic pride and aims to improve our city, region and nation through education, fellowship and community focused entertainment. If you would like to contribute to that mission, please contact us and we can discuss a partnership customized to your team.
Title Sponsor
Event Presenter
Official Product
Official Supplier
Cincy's Famous Flavors
Event Partner
Artswave Bob and Jeanne Coughlin Foundation Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Parks Foundation Cincinnati Reds City Identify Fund DAV Fifth Third Bank GCF Strader Foundation Great Parks H.B. E. W. & P.R. Luther Charitable Foundation Haile Foundation Harold C. Schott Foundation Horizon Community Funds/Riverfront Commons Jeff Wyler Family Merus Ohio Lottery Oliver Foundation ORSANCO R.C. Durr Foundation Sheakley HR Sims-Lohman
OneNKY Alliance:
- Corporex
- Fischer Homes
- Perfetti Van Melle
- Verst Logistics
- St. Elizabeth Healthcare
- CVG
- Paul Hemmer Company
- Central Bank
- KLH Engineers
- Northern Kentucky University
- Thomas More University
Event Host
Akers Packaging Service Group Artswave Austin E. Knowlton Foundation Bank of America BHDP Braxton Brewing Company Chuck and Julie Scheper Cincinnati Beverage Company Cincinnati Mine Machinery Company Cintifuse Edelweiss Foundation FC Cincinnati Fenton Rigging and Construction Fidelity Charitable - Health Carousel Fifty West Brewing HBH Horan Wealth Management Huntington Bank Johnson Investments Joseph Family Katz Teller Madtree Brewing Messer Neil Bortz P&G International PNC Republic Bank Rhinegeist Brewery Robert H. and Susan F. Castellini Foundation Sea Ray Shephard Color Company Shephard Science Material Towne Properties University Of Cincinnati YPO Gold
In Collaboration With:
Thank You To Our Team
Honorary Advisory Board Co-Chairs
Mike DeWine
State of Ohio
Govenor
Andy Beshear
State of Kentucky
Govenor
Aftab Pureval
City of Cincinnati
Mayor
Rob Portman
The Portman Center for Policy Solutions
Founder
America’s River Roots Executive Committee
Rick Greiwe
Greiwe Development
Co-Chair
Tim Fogarty
WCM Holdings
Co-Chair
Kelly Kolar
Kolar Design
Co-Chair
George Molinsky
Taft Law
Secretary
Justin Vanderglas
Clark Schaefer Hackett
Treasurer
Steve Dessner
MusicNOW
Member
Tysonn Betts
Ministry of Design
Member
Bill Sarran
Member
.
Kyla Woods
HCSO/Crowd or Camera Communications
Advisory Board
Jeff Berding
FC Cincinnati
Douglas Berlon
First Financial
Captain Alan Bernstein
BB Riverboats
Julie Calvert
VisitCincy
Brent Cooper
NKY Chamber
Bob Coughlin
Founder, Flying Pig
Brendon Cull
Cincinnati Chamber
Keith Dailey
Kroger
Andrew DeWitt
Dewey's Pizza
Karen Finan
OneNKY Alliance
Leigh Fox
altafiber
Nancy Grayson
Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky
Doug Hart
Doug Hart Consulting
Steve Hightower
Hightower Petroleum
Laurence Jones
RiskVersity
Woody Keown
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
Julie Kirkpatrick
Meet NKY
Kick Lee
Cincinnati Music Accelerator
Anastasia Mileham
Cincinnati Experience
Ty Moore
VeraVis
Elizabeth Pierce
Cincinnati Museum Center
Holly Brians Ragusa
Pres. OPA, Author/Speaker
Morgan Riguad
Skate Downtown Cincy
Scott Robertson
RCF Group
Tim Schroeder
CTI
Brandon Simmons
KMK Consulting
Mu Sinclaire
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Centennial & Talent Magnet Institute
Jennifer Hafner Spieser
Cincinnati Parks Foundation
Chad Summe
eGateway Capital
Dudley Taft
Dudley Taft Band
Nick Vehr
Vehr Communications
Kathy Wade
Learning Through Art
John J. Williams
First Student
Tom Williams
North American Properties
The America's River Roots Staff
Susan Fisher
Executive Director
Chris Horn
Marketing Director
Theresa Bannon
River Operations Director
Erin Heekin
Director of Sales
Greg Dorr
Sponsor Activations
Laura Gentry
Music Curation
Kim Fantaci
Education Program Manager
Bridget Schmitt
Marketing Manager
Sandy Sand
Office Manager
Planning Team
Bourbon Experience
Amy Tobin
Brand Development
Tysonn Betts
Brewmaster Experience
Lisa French
Brewery District CURC
Community Outreach
Olivia and Josh Smitherman
Jostin Construction
Cuisine Curation
Paul Sturkey
Kroger Innovation
Cultural Tourism
Julie Kirkpatrick
MeetNKY
Festival Operations
Lori Salzarulo
11 Events Group
Foundation Grants
Carolyn Swabek, Isabella Frush
Freedom Speakers Series
Andrew Lewis
Portman Center for Policy Solutions
"Good & Local" Bazaar
Rachel DesRochers
Incubator Kitchen Collective
Green Team
Brewster Rhoads, Rhiannon Hoeweler
Festival Director
Jay Downie
Kings of the River
Yemi Oyediran, JP Leong
AfroChine
National Media Relations
Anastasia Mileham
Cincinnati Experience
Public Relations
Jackie Reau
GameDay
Purple People Bridge Bazaar
Southbank Partners
Riverboat Cruises
Terri Bernstein, Tamara Callabro, Rick Menninger, Nancy Willhoite
River Operations
Bill Kinzler
River Roots Digital Platforms
Kelly Kolar, Kolar Design
Holly Brians Ragusa
Sales Consultant
Tom Kempton
Sounds From The River
Kathy Wade
Learning Through Art
Marketing Partners
Anchor
DMI Live
Fusion Media Group
Game Day Communications
Hyperquake
The Katalyst Group
Q1 Media
US Digital Partners
The MCS Agency
The Voice of Your Customer