2025 Spring Study Tour: Amsterdam to Rocy Rift

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 2025 Spring Study Tour: Amsterdam to Rocky Rift

April 4 – 6, 2025 

 

The Canal Society of New York State invites you to an exclusive weekend exploring the Erie Canal from Amsterdam to Rocky Rift, a region rich in canal history and unique structures. This section features an incredible collection of historic sites, many of which are on private property, and we have been granted special access for this weekend tour! 

 

Tour Highlights:

  • Headquarters at Amsterdam Castle โ€“ Stay in a remarkable adaptive reuse of the 1895 NYS Armory
  • Private Access to Historic Canal Sites โ€“ Exclusive tours of locations rarely open to the public
  • Walking Tours & Bus Tour โ€“ Guided explorations of key Erie Canal structures
    Saturday Night Dinner & Presentation โ€“ Catered by the legendary Lanzi family from Lorenzoโ€™s, with a special program on the restoration of Guy Park Manor
  • On-Your-Own Exploration Options โ€“ Extend your stay to discover even more!

| CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER |

Deadline to Register: March 28, 2025

Bus Tour Limited to 48 Participants โ€“ Register Early!

Hotel Reservations: Call 518-212-2607 and mention the Canal Society of New York State.

For more information, 
contact Craig Williams at 518-755-4516 or [email protected].

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New Kayak Launch Baldwinsville NY

 

The Village is pleased to announce completion of a new kayak launch in  Community Park.  This launch provides easy access for kayaking in the Seneca River.  This portion of the river provides great flat water kayaking with the opportunity to view many species of wildlife including heron, water fowl, bald eagles, muskrats and more.  Parking is readily available and there are restrooms directly adjacent to the launch site.  This launch will be open until mid-November (depending on weather conditions).  We encourage all local kayakers to come and try it out

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Cayuga/Seneca Canals

The Cayuga Seneca Canal connects the largest of the two finger lakes to the Erie Canal, first opened in 1832 it received its final update and in 1915 was opened in its current configuration.

Connecting with the Erie at mile marker 200, the C/S Canal travels 4 miles south to Lock C/S 1 where it allows you to either continue 42 miles south on Cayuga Lake passing communities such as Cayuga, Union Springs, Aurora and onto Ithaca or travel west on the Seneca River through the historic communities of Seneca Falls and Waterloo before the canal gives way to the open waters of Seneca Lake.  At 38 miles, long and with a maximum depth of 618โ€™ deep, Seneca Lake is the deepest lake completely within NYS.  Itโ€™s also the self-proclaimed Lake Trout Capital of the world and the micro-climate that surrounds both lakes makes it the perfect home for the more than 50 wineries that line their banks.

The Lake is so deep that the US Navy has a permanent facility anchored on the lake that is used for deep water research.

A trip to the south end of the lake brings you to Watkins Glen, and then into Catherine Creek one of the two inlets of the lake.  Montour Falls lies 3 miles to the south of Watkins Glen with a nice marina and campground available to explore the region from.

Communities of the Canals

Check out the Directories page!

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First Ever “Taste of Wayne County” to be held in Newark

First Ever โ€œTaste of Wayne Countyโ€ to Be Held in Newark

The Village of Newark, the Greater Newark Chamber of Commerce, and the Wayne County Farm Bureau have joined forces to host the first ever Taste of Wayne County. This exciting outdoor event will be held on Tuesday, July 18th, 2017 from 4:30 to 8:30 PM along VanBuren Street from Main Street to East Avenue, and in the T. Spencer Knight Canal Park.

The Taste of Wayne County was created to showcase vendors, restaurants, and other food and drink related businesses solely from Wayne County through samples of their โ€œsignatureโ€ dishes, food products, or beverages. This community event will coincide with VoteTilla, a week long navigational celebration that will take place along the Erie Canal from July 17-22, 2017, starting from Seneca Falls and ending in Rochester with a parade and celebration at the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. Their stop in Newark will celebrate the 100th anniversary of womenโ€™s suffrage in New York State with a historical reenactment. Additional entertainment will include music from Frankie and Jewels from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.

 

Pre-sale tickets are $10 for 15 samples, or $1 per sample at the door. The first 300 event goers will receive a free โ€œswag bagโ€. For more information regarding how to participate or attend this event, please contact the Greater Newark Chamber of Commerce office at 315-331-2705 or via email: [email protected].

 

 

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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

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โ€œThis 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.โ€

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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 itโ€™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, itโ€™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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Champlain Canal Centennial Roundtables

Four roundtables celebrating the Champlain Canal Centennial have been scheduled for May. Each will feature a presentation, an informational sharing session, networking opportunities and a discussion period.

The roundtables are designed to bring together museum professionals, historical societies, archivists, local historians and community members to foster collaboration and to create unique thematic experiences for visitors

May 4th. 2018 from noon to 3pm. at the Waterford Harbor Visitor Center located at 1 Tugboat Alley, Brad Utter will present Community Building: The Growth of Canal Communities. Brad Utter is Senior Historian / Curator for Science and Technological History at the New York State Museum. His research focuses on the New York State Canal System and its impact on the community. He was curator for the exhibit marking the 200th. anniversary of the canal, Enterprising Waters New Yorkโ€™s Erie Canal

May 8th, 2018 from noon to 3pm, at the Silos, Maple Street, Hudson Falls, Jeanne Williams and Kim Harvish will present Immigration, Industrialization, and Innovation. Jeanne Williams is Executive Director of the Feeder Canal Alliance and Kim Harvish is educator at the Chapman Historical Museum. Williams focuses on the past, present, and future of the Feeder Canal that was once the economic engine of the area. Harvish uses the resources of the Chapman Historical Museum to integrate local history into programs that incorporate visual literacy components and primary documents

May 17th. 2018 from noon to 3pm. at the Schuyler Room of the Saratoga Town Hall 12 Spring Street Schuylerville. Craig Williams will present Building the Champlain Barge Canal: Treasurers in the NYS Archives. Craig Williams is a retired senior historian at the New York State Museum and a trustee of the Canal Society of New York State. He has spent over 50 years researching and documenting New Yorkโ€™s canal heritage. Using the unique resources of the New York State Archives along with oral histories. Williams will present stories about the engineering achievements and the people involved in the construction of the Champlain Canal.

May 19th. 2018 from 1pm. to 4pm. at the Crandall Public Library, 251 Glen St. Glens Falls. Erica Wolfe Burke will present Researching the People of the Feeder Canal. Erica Wolfe Burke is an archivist and special collections librarian at the Folklife Center at the Crandall Public Library. She assists families and genealogists researching upstate New York ancestry and has offered a series of family history workshops. Her presentation will culminate in a community archiving event with the Folklife Center as the repository for the images shared.

Preregistration is required for all events. $15 includes material and lunch. โ€œResearching the People of the Feeder Canalโ€ is free and does not include lunch.

Preregister by emailing [email protected]. For questions call (518) 597-9660

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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 1830โ€™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


โ€œCycling the Erie Canalโ€

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.

โ€œPaddle Pilgrimโ€ 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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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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