Historic Palmyra’s Pirate Weekend is all set for Friday & Saturday August 11th & 12th. The Pirates of the Erie Canal invade the Port of Palmyra Marina and other venues throughout the Village of Palmyra, bearing a boatload of fun for all ages. A full weekend of adventure and action is planned including: FREE Movie in the park on Friday night at Dusk. (Princess Bride…new for this year!!!) On Saturday, a Pirate Regatta Bed Race, Pirate & Kazoo Band Parade, Painted windows along Main St., BIG Vehicles to climb, Chicken BBQ, Canal Boat Rides, Dunking booth, Old time photos, (We’ll let you borrow pirate gear if you don’t have any!) Vendors and Artisans. Puppy Parade, Historic Palmyra Museums and Walking tours, pirate tales, live music, food, and artisan vendors, children’s games, Healthy Living Treasure Hunt’ Jolly Roger 5K race (to benefit Pal-Mac Select Choir!) and much more. Dress Like A Pirate and join the parade!! Don’t forget to bring home some swag from the Pirates Bazaar, a sidewalk sales extravaganza from Palmyra’s Main Street merchants. Pre-Built pirate beds available to borrow for the bed-race-teams of 5, age 16 years and older please. Visit www.eriecanalpirates.com for details and complete schedule of call William Unterborn at (585)368-8081
Western Erie Canal
Palmyra NY Harbor Hosts
Welcome to Palmyra! That is the message of the Palmyra Harbor Hosts to visitors who tie up at the Port of Palmyra on the Erie Canal. Now in their fifth year , the Harbor Hosts (HH), volunteers from Palmyra and Macedon, have worked with hundreds of visitors from all over the state, the country and the world, answering questions and, frequently, going above and beyond providing needed transportation.
HH have given visitors rides to Walmart for a variety of needs; gone in search of a specific kind of worm to catch a specific kind of fish; to Rite Aid for an Rx refill or to an animal hospital. They have provided directions to the library, a children’s playground, grocery store, Chill ‘n’ Grill ice cream shop and the laundromat. HH know which restaurants deliver to the marina; the hours of the museums – Palmyra has six. They know what time the adjacent rest rooms open and close and much more. Palmyra HH know just about all there is to know about our small but beautiful and historic village (200+ properties on the National Register) and they love to share that information with our visitors. The New York State Canal Corporation named the Palmyra Harbor Hosts New York State Canal Ambassadors in recognition of their service to the Village of Palmyra and New York State. We are proud of that.
Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing
200 years ago, the State of New York began construction of the Erie Canal and on August 4th, 2017 under the moonlight Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing will row all night, 363 miles – equivalent to the length of the Erie Canal to fund an inclusive rowing center to serve veterans and people with disabilities.
Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing is a charitable 501c3 committed to collaborating across the entire community to stimulate rowing for all and to remove barriers to the water for Veterans and other people with challenges or disabilities.
Take a look at this Video that RCIR has put together in support of their boat house capital campaign
Beginning with the generosity and collaboration of Pittsford Crew and the Pittsford Indoor Rowing Center, RCIR was able to introduce over 15 veterans from Rochester as well as the greater Utica area to sculling from January through April 2016. In July, the visitors from the Mohawk Valley then invited RCIR to an immersion day of sculling with veterans at Camp Sitrin in New Hartford NY. This activity had spawned a $21,000 grant application to expand the number of sculling shells in 2017 thereby enabling RCIR to offer adaptive sculling week days in the Mohawk Valley region. All of this triggered by the largesse of Pittsford Crew and the PIRC.
RCIR began pursing deeper insights as to why sculling is positively impacting Veterans with PTSD and TBI from a neuro/psychological perspective with rehabilitation specialists at Sitrin in New Hartford, NY and Utica College
In addition to serving Veterans with disabilities in 2016 RCIR expanded the populations of rowers to include youth with various autistic challenges as well as our initial youth the with the challenges of cerebral palsy.
to learn more about the row-a-thon and Rochester Community Inclusive Rowing Click Here
Historic Palmyra Announces Events Throughout June
As you make your way across the Erie Canal Corridor this June don’t miss a stop at Historic Palmyra. Through the month of June the museum has a series of events 
Bizarre Foods host in Lyons as part of a Travel Channel show focusing on Canal History
Andrew Zimmern co-creator and host of the Travel Channel’s show “Bizarre Foods” stopped by Lyons NY recently as part of a two-week trip around Wayne County as they film segments for an episode of Bizarre Foods around the Erie Canal. When Bill Sweitzer from the NYS Canal Corporation was asked by the producers of the show where to visit, the first name and town that came to mind was Bob Stopper and Lyons NY.
Stopper said, “show producers were in the county for parts of two weeks taping and photographing Wayne County canal scenes for the show which is expected to air in September”. They were also spotted at several other Canal locations during their time in upstate NY.
On a sunny but chilly day in May, Zimmern himself was in Lyons, taking a canal packet boat ride from the dry docks off Route 31 and up to Newark and back. High waters fed by endless rains spiked plans to have Zimmern take a canal boat from the Old Richmond Aqueduct at Montezuma in Cayuga County west to Lyons. Instead he arrived by mini-van at the dry docks, where he boarded a canal boat provided by Mid-Lakes Navigation piloted by Peter Wiles Jr. and his sister Sara Wiles.
Later after another ride on a Canal Corp vessel, going east to Lock 27 in downtown Lyons, Zimmern stopped for a hot dog at the nearby Caboose Hot Dog Stand. Later he enjoyed a chicken barbeque hosted by the Lyons Fire Dept.
“He was one of the most personable people you’d ever want to meet” said Stopper. “It was just so interesting to talk with him”
At the Caboose, Zimmern homed in on a white hot dog, after his host explained the differences between whites and reds (whites have more pork). Zimmern ate his hot sauce, mustard and some sauerkraut. Stopper reported that he loved it.
After dining with guests and fire department members, Zimmern was presented with a vial of peppermint oil, courtesy of Dobbins Drugs. Lyons, as many know, was at one time the peppermint capital of the world. Zimmern told folks on hand that it still holds the title and should celebrate its history. Stopper said, “he was excited to see the episode”. He and other members of the local Erie Canal Greeters group will get a sneak peek prior to its Travel Channel premier.
He thinks the show will be a great boost to Lyons and the county tourism effort.
“The whole thing was wonderful,” said Stopper, who noted that the show’s production team was very friendly and willing to take suggestions. “It was an experience of a lifetime.”
Andrew Zimmern is a writer, TV personality, chef, and teacher. A New York City native, he began his formal culinary training at the age of 14, apprenticing with some of the greatest chefs in the world. As the co-creator, host and contributing producer of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, Andrew travels the world, tasting the most unique, traditional fare he can find. From restaurants to jungle markets, it’s all about discovering the authentic, immersive experience.
Lyons NY reports in on the first boat to dock in the community this year
Captain William B. Everitt stands aboard On Purpose at the dock in Lyons on Thursday evening, May 18th. William was moving On Purpose from South Florida to the Cosmos Yacht Charters Enterprises located in Georgian Bay.
The Underground Railroad, Wayne County NY and the Erie Canal
New Underground Railroad History Book Now Available
There is a direct connection between the Underground Railroad and the Canals of New York. Many African Americans used the Canals as routes for escaping from Slavery. The canals gave some the pathway to Freedom, many others settled in canal towns throughout the Canal Corridor. Safe houses existed in many communities and a new book has just been released about the Underground Railroad and the importance that Wayne County played at that time in history.
Canal Clean Sweep Lyons NY
Each year prior to the opening of the Erie Canal for the Navigation Season communities around the Canal Corridor celebrate the canal by planning a weekend of events that focus on the cleaning up or improving the areas around the Canal.
2017 begins the celebration of the 200th year of the canal and with the Navigation Season here Lyon’s is ready to welcome visitors to their community.
Corning Glass Museum Glass Barge
The Corning Glass Museum Glass Barge is coming to the Erie Canal. The museum has taken their mobile hot shops across the globe. This all-new world class performance venue brings floating Hot Glass Demos to the Museum’s New York State neighbors along the Erie Canal and its connected waterways.
In 2017, the Glass Barge will be featured at three public waterfront events on the Erie Canal to help celebrate the kickoff of the canal’s bicentennial. The Corning Glass Museums, Hot Glass Demo Team will be providing free public hot glass programming including daily glassmaking demonstrations with invited guest artists.
Historic Palmyra
Located in the village of Palmyra located at mile marker 253 on the Erie Canal, Historic Palmyra is a must see on any trip within the Erie Canal Corridor. With 5 museums within easy walking distance from Palmyra’s Marina, Palmyra has been a vital community throughout the history of the Erie Canal, and is as important today as it was 200 years ago.
