By Cliff Radel
Enquirer staff writer

EAST END - Riverfest has a new patriotic wrinkle, the USO Riverfest Gala and Fireworks ... a Legacy of Hope.

For $200 and starting at 5 p.m. on Sept. 5, a person can:

• Dine at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse during the annual summer wrap-up.

• See a show with songs and speeches under a tent at the adjacent skating rink.

• Watch the annual riverfront fireworks display.

• Make a contribution so the United Service Organizations of Metropolitan Washington can keep helping the troops under its USO banner.

Chartered by Congress in 1941, the USO is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to boosting the morale of American troops. The USO operates 121 centers around the globe, including 68 in the continental United States.

Services annually provided to its 5 million visitors include family crisis counseling, housing assistance, reading rooms, nursery facilities, employment assistance for recently discharged troops, welcome centers on bases and in airports, as well as its well-known concert tours.

The "Legacy of Hope" part of the event's name honors the longtime ties between the late Bob Hope, the Montgomery Inn and the USO. For six decades in war and peace, Hope entertained American troops around the world in conjunction with the USO.

For four decades, Hope savored the ribs and the jokes of the inn's founder, the late Ted Gregory. The Boathouse, 925 Eastern Ave., has a Bob Hope Room decorated with the entertainer's memorabilia.

"It's an honor to make this connection with the legacy of Bob Hope, the Boathouse and a fund-raiser for the USO," said Dean Gregory, Ted Gregory's son and the Montgomery Inn's vice president.

The Riverfest Gala and Fireworks sets a precedent for the USO of Metropolitan Washington. For the first time in its history, the 63-year-old organization is venturing beyond the D.C. beltway to raise funds.

Money raised by the Sept. 5 gala goes to USO chapters in Ohio and to comfort the troops in Washington-area military hospitals. Those facilities care for most of the GIs wounded during the war in Iraq.

Want Tickets?

To purchase tickets for the USO Riverfest Gala and Fireworks ... a Legacy of Hope, call (513) 721-7427.

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E-mail cradel@enquirer.com