Blount Small Ship Adventures, Erie Canal Cruise

Blount Small Ship Adventures can take you to places that no other cruise line can go. This year in celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the construction of the Erie Canal they will be sailing 8 times through the Canal. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience something very special.   

With ports of call including Oswego, Buffalo, Sylvan Beach, Amsterdam and Troy, the opportunity to travel with less than 100 guest on board could best be described as “Cruising on your friends Yacht”  Taking a cruise with Blount Small Ship Adventures will amaze all your senses, from the fine dining, to the casual atmosphere, that one will experience any one of the itineraries’ available on Blount will not disappoint!

The Great American Waterways Cruise and the Lock’s Legends & Canals of the Northeast are the two cruises that Blount is offering in 2017 that include ports within the Erie Canal Corridor. 

For all the information on experiencing a Blount Small Ship Adventure Cruise visit their web site

Blount Small Ship Adventures is a supporter of the NYS Canal System and an ongoing member of Canal NY. The only private sector organization dedicated to the promotion of the Canal System and the businesses within the Canal Corridor.

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Buy A Brick Program Baldwinsville

 

The development of the southwest trail, as part of the Canal Corridor Initiative, will include a walk of engraved bricks. This is an important project for our community and we need your help!

There is a contribution of $100.00 per brick for a corporation, $50.00 for an individual.

With an engraved brick, you can pay tribute to a family member, leave a message for future generations to see, or simply include your name among those who invested in the development of you community’s waterfront. Please help us preserve your name or message for future generations to see.

To include your name or message, please fill out the following form. Each brick is 4″ x 8″ and has space for 14 characters (including spacing and punctuation) per line, and 2 lines per brick.

Please make checks payable to the Village of Baldwinsville and mail them to:

Village of Baldwinsville 16 West Genesee Street Baldwinsville, NY 13027

All proceeds will go toward the development cost of completing the southwest trail.

*Please Note: Bricks are ordered annually and put in ground each spring.*

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Cycle/Hike the Erie Canal

The Erie Canal is often referred to as the most underutilized recreational resource in NYS.  While that may be a true statement, the fact of the matter is it’s not for lack of opportunity.  While boating might be the activity most think of regarding the canal,  Biking might be the fastest growing!

The ability to bike the canal corridor is growing in popularity as well as in quality.  Each year the NYS Canal Corporation as well as NYS continue to not only improve the quality of the trail, but also have been continuing to lengthen and fill in the missing areas along the way.

As you explore the site you will continue to come across resources for the biker planning a trip through the Canal Corridor.

Our directory will contain listings that are beneficial for the Bicyclist such as where to locate bike shops, in addition the directories will contain information on where to stay.  There will be numerous articles throughout the site on the bicycling experience as you travel through different areas of the Canal Corridor.  There will be trip planning tips, from those experienced in biking the Erie Canal.   As always please take the time to sign up to become a member of the site, it’s FREE and it will allow you to create your own trip itinerary, allow for you to save to your favorites page as you locate venues that you want to include on your trip.  It also allows you to leave reviews for travelers who follow you.

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Spencerport Heritage Days

Spencerport Heritage Day August 19th – 10am-3pm

Take a step back in time! Spencerport Heritage Day is in its third year.  This event is the official August event on the Ogden Bicentennial/Spencerport Sesquicentennial celebrations calendar.   It is a day of celebrating history and looking back at how we used to live and what items looked like in the past.   We have spinning and yarning demonstrations, a variety of displays, historic games and activities to suit people young and old. We will have bands playing all day.  The Golden Eagles String Band will be entertaining us with their Folk songs and Erie Canal songs from 10am-12pm.  From 1pm-3pm, The Crawdiddies, an Americana Band will be performing for us.

All Day Events include:

Displays and Demos

Before and After Photos Spinning and Weaving

Old Tools Ogden Historical Display

Spencerport Fire Pumper

Entertainment 10am-12pm Golden Eagles String Band 1pm-3pm The Crawdiddies

Activities

Historic Games Yarn Doll Making

Toy and Musical Instrument Making

Writing with a Quill Pen

Historic Spencerport Village Walks

Fishing on the Canal FREE ENTRY Snacks and Refreshments on Sale For more info, please call Simon on (585) 352-0942

Vertical Divider

 

“This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts at the Livingston Arts Center, a member supported organization.”

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The Bicentennial Canal Theatre Project

The Bicentennial Canal Theatre Project is proud to present on August 18th, at 8pm an outdoor theatre production on the historic Derrick Boat 8 located at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum

The Oswego Canal Play, a one act play written by Oswego native Rick Sivers is based on historical characters that lived in Oswego in the 1830’s, a time when the Erie and Oswego Canals played an important role in the development of American as people migrated west.

One night only, admission is FREE to the public. Bring your own seating, alternative rain-date will be Saturday the 19th.  

The event is supported in part by the City of Oswego, The H. Lee White Maritime Museum and Pathfinder Bank. This event is appropriate for the entire family

 

 

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Book Club


“Cycling the Erie Canal”

An indispensable resource for dedicated cyclists planning to bike across the state or the casual rider looking to take the family out for a couple of hours. Great for walkers, boaters, and auto travelers, too.

“Paddle Pilgrim” Kayaking the Erie Canal & Hudson River

This book chronicles a three-week kayak adventure down the Erie Canal and the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty. An epic tale is told with daily travel POSTS, reflective PONDERINGS, and stunning PICTURES. History, ecology, architecture, nutrition, justice and spirituality are woven together in a tapestry of travel and discovery down iconic waterways to Lady Liberty.

Canal Boatman: My Life on Upstate Waterways

The author’s own sixty-five years of experience on the Erie Canal and Barge Canal System and interviews with other former boatmen make up a history of the old canal days of upper New York State.

Cruising the New York Canal System

Cruising the Erie Canal. Depth and height restrictions. Lock locations and characteristics. Where to stop. What to expect. Places to stay at no charge with water and electric. Free pump outs! Includes the Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain and Erie Canals. All the information necessary to enjoy cruising the New York Canal System.

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Enterprising Waters

The New York State Museum will open the second and final phase of its exhibition Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal on Saturday, September 22.
The first phase of the exhibition opened in September 2017 and focused on the circumstances leading up to building the canal and the canal’s construction. The second phase of the exhibition focuses on the Erie Canal’s growth, politics, industries and legacy.
On display through October 20, 2019, the exhibition honors the bicentennial anniversary of the Erie Canal’s construction and features artifacts, images, posters and documents from the collections of the State Museum, State Archives, State Library and cultural institutions from across the state.
The second phase of the exhibition explores life on the canal, the growth and legacy of the canal, and the barge canal still in use today. A key artifact on view through November 2018 is the original “Wedding of the Waters” keg, on loan from the New-York Historical Society. The keg was used by Governor DeWitt Clinton to pour the water of Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean on November 4, 1825 as part of the celebratory ceremonies marking the completion of the Erie Canal and commemorating the canal’s connection of New York’s inland waterways to the ports of New York City.
When the canal opened in 1825, it unlocked the Western interior for trade and settlement, and made New York City the nation’s most powerful commercial center. As one of the largest public works projects in American history, the Erie Canal also inspired a nationwide transportation revolution. Thousands of people poured into New York to work on or along the canal, or just to pass through. Though the canal would eventually be superseded by the railroad, a heady mixture of innovation and determination, and the industrious seeking and creation of wealth, was cemented in the American character.
The purpose of the Erie Canal was always commercial, but since the 1980s New York State has focused on the quality of life for canal communities and promoting heritage tourism. Today, recreational boaters from around the world use the New York State Canal System. New visitor centers and bike paths line the canals and invite tourists to learn about the past.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 am to 5 pm. It is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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Palmyra Canal Town Days

Don’t miss one of the best of events as summer comes to an end. The 50th annual Palmyra Canal Town Days is once again being held on Sept. 16th from 10am – 6 pm. and on Sunday Sept. 17th. from 10am – 4pm. With vendors of all types, Bands, Pony Rides, Car Show, 5k Run / walk, Civil War Reenactors, Antiques, Grand Parade, Barn Dance sponsored by the Wayne County Fair Association. CanalPoster2017

 

Car show-Saturday at 11am. (rain date Sunday) Grand Parade on Main Street, Saturday at 4pm.

Barn Dance at the Fairgrounds-Saturday at 7pm.

Visit www.palmyracanaltowndays.org

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Canal Clean Sweep 2018

Each year to correspond with Earth Day, communities and organizations up and down the Canal organize to clean the banks of the Canal  This year 38 separate events are scheduled.   This event now in it’s 8th. year continues to grow in size.

To learn more about all the events along the Canal visit the https://www.ptny.org/events/canal-clean-sweep

Canal Clean Sweep Lyons NY 2017
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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.

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