For a couple of hours on Christmas Day, Dubuque will offer an alternative to football games, holiday concerts, and movie marathons. Its government access station, CityChannel, will show, "The River in Real Time," a virtual cruise of the Mississippi River.
Craig Nowack, Dubuque's Cable TV Coordinator, came up with the idea a couple of years ago when he saw DVDs of fireplaces. Last year, he and another employee produced "Feeders Along the Flyway," four hours of video and sound of birds in the city.
For Christmas Day this year, they took a cruise on the Spirit of Dubuque paddlewheeler.
It features natural sounds, relaxing music, and beautiful fall colors.
Nowack says the two-hour video-recording will also have historical value.
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"The River in Real Time" will be shown on Christmas Day at 1 p.m. on CityChannel Dubuque, and streamed "live" online at the same time. Later, Nowack will make sure it's available on the web for people to watch at their convenience.