Tall Stacks is promising more than riverboats in 2003.

        In the face of declining attendance, Cincinnati's fifth Tall Stacks is being retooled as a major musical and cultural event, the Tristate equivalent of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival or Memphis' Beale Street Music Festival.

        With a new name, the Tall Stacks 2003 Music, Arts & Heritage Festival will feature expanded on-shore attractions, including five nights of live music with national headliners and a larger educational program produced in conjunction with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

        “We're drawing a direct connection from the river to the city,” Mike Smith, executive director of the event, said Tuesday at a press conference aboard the Mississippi Queen, one of the boats that will be part of Tall Stacks 2003, set for Oct. 15-19.

        The 1999 Tall Stacks posted increases in sales of boat tickets, but general attendance over the five-day event was 660,000, 22 percent lower than predicted. “We broke even, which was our overall financial goal, since we are a nonprofit organization,” said Karen Bender, Tall Stacks marketing director. In 1995, the event lost $800,000.

        The expanded music festival is part of a bid to increase general attendance and encourage repeat attendance, said Mr. Smith.

        By depending solely on riverboats to draw crowds, previous Tall Stacks relied too much on the novelty of the event, which resulted in the 1995 loss. “The third time through, what compelling reason is there for me to be on the shoreline other than to look at the boats?” said Mr. Smith.

        But creating a music festival is not easy, said Jim Holt, executive director of the Beale Street Music Festival.

        “They have to have the right talent,” he said from his Memphis office. “We mix it up, but still maintain the blues and rock heritage of the city.”

        This year's BealeFest included Kid Rock, Bonnie Raitt and several generations of Memphis hit makers, going back to R&B master Ike Turner and rockabilly great Billy Lee Riley.

        Mr. Smith said he hopes to do the same, drawing on the rich heritage of blues, jazz, bluegrass and other genres that grew up on the banks of the Ohio and came to national attention through Cincinnati's King Records or radio stations such as WLW and WCKY. “The link is the people who took inspiration from the river,” he said.

        A $12 commemorative lapel pin will gain adult admission to all five days (children under 12 will be admitted free). There will be no

        single-day ticket. “One concert of this caliber is worth far more than $12, so people should take advantage of the entire week,” Mr. Smith said.

        Pins will go on sale next summer, when performers will be announced.

        “No entertainers are even taking offers yet for 2003,” said Mr. Smith, who also manages Riverbend for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and oversees production of Pepsi Jammin' on Main, the downtown rock fest owned by the CSO. He named B.B. King, Harry Connick Jr. and Ms. Raitt as the caliber of headline performers he will seek for Tall Stacks.

        Each of the five days will be themed, focusing on gospel, blues, country/bluegrass, pop and “heartland rock.” One national headliner will close each concert, and regional and local performers will fill out the rest of each show. One event being discussed is a major musical tribute to the late John Hartford, bluegrass musician and lifelong riverboat devotee who performed at the last Tall Stacks.

        In addition, children's activity areas will be expanded. And, along with riverboat lore, the history and culture of the Ohio River and its impact on life in Cincinnati will be emphasized. Many slaves escaped to freedom as stowaways on riverboats, a vital part of the underground railroad network, so the underground railroad link to the Tall Stacks festival is direct.

        For the Freedom Center, it's an opportunity to present a public preview before the museum opens in 2004. “It's great that they've broadened it to include music, culture and heritage,” said Rita Organ, Freedom Center director of exhibits and collections. “That's what allowed us to partner with Tall Stacks. Many people wanted to get it away from just being about steamboats.”

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