A St. Louis entrepreneur known for nostalgic enterprises has taken on another project — reopening the 101-year-old Goldenrod Showboat, which shut down in 2001 in St. Charles.

However, Steve DeBellis, who publishes a monthly Globe-Democrat throwback newspaper and has revived defunct local beer brands, must first deal with another challenge.

The nonprofit group he heads, the Historic Riverboat Preservation Association, is facing a lawsuit seeking payment of mooring fees to the Illinois River dock in Calhoun County, where the boat has been stored since 2008.

Pool 24 Tug Service says it is owed more than $30,000 plus interest and has asked a judge to order the boat sold at auction to pay off the debt. Also listed as a defendant is John Schwarz of St. Charles, who donated the Goldenrod to DeBellis' group in late 2008 after trying unsuccessfully for several years to find a use for it himself.

DeBellis said his group will try to raise the money by Oct. 22, when the next court hearing is scheduled.

"The first priority is to save it," DeBellis said. "Once it's saved, we'll find out what it needs, what it's going to cost and roll up our sleeves."

Schwarz faced a similar lawsuit in 2007 filed by owners of a different Calhoun County dock in Kampsville, where the boat was stored previously.

DeBellis said returning the Goldenrod to the downtown St. Louis riverfront — where it was a fixture for decades before its 13 years in St. Charles — or putting it in Carondelet are two possibilities.

DeBellis said he hopes there will be enough interest among river buffs, civic leaders and others to come up with the money needed for rehabbing and moving the boat via donations, although he doesn't yet know the price tag or have a new berth or use lined up. He said fundraising has yet to begin.

One idea already rejected would have moved the Goldenrod to a body of water at Forest Park and run in conjunction with the Muny.

City Parks Director Gary Bess, who met with the group earlier this year, said the idea wasn't seriously considered — partly because it would have involved modifying Forest Park's master plan. He also said the city had no money available.

St. Louis Alderman Matt Villa, who is among various government officials DeBellis has talked with, supports the Goldenrod revival effort but said he regards it as a long shot. He said it's extremely difficult to make a floating venue financially viable.

"I hope they will be able to pull it off because it's a landmark," Villa said, referring to the national historic landmark status given the boat in 1968.

Stuart Schelp, a Goldenrod supporter who works for the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, said he believed that the public would rally to revive the Goldenrod because "it really could be lost and, once it's gone, it's gone." The RCGA is not involved in the effort.

The Goldenrod was built in 1909 and for years moved around the Midwest before mooring at St. Louis in 1937. In 1990, the boat was bought by the city of St. Charles and operated there as a dinner theater.

After it closed, city officials intended to reopen the boat after finishing structural repairs required by the Coast Guard. When repair estimates turned out to be almost $300,000, the City Council tried to sell it but found no takers. So the city in 2003 gave it to Schwarz, a local businessman.

DeBellis said his nonprofit group may seek a federal grant.

Among other members of the nonprofit group are Paul Pointer, an owner of the Lemp Mansion restaurant in south St. Louis, and Rory Riddler, a political consultant and a former St. Charles councilman.

DeBellis, 55, said he's always been fascinated by St. Louis history.

"Whenever my parents would drive me through portions of the city that are older, I always thought that was neat," DeBellis said.

In addition to his Globe-Democrat nostalgia publication and reviving Lemp Beer, DeBellis has written a book on the history of the Wehrenberg movie theater chain and produced T-shirts honoring defunct local pro sports teams like the 1934 football Gunners and the basketball Spirits of the 1970s.

DeBellis has only a vague memory of being on the Goldenrod as a child. However, he said, "I recognize the importance of it."