The Beat

Waterford, NY - The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, in partnership with the National Park Foundation and WCNY-TV, are pleased to announce the premier showing of Floating Ideas: How the Erie Canal Helped Shape America on WCNY-TV on June 29 at 9 pm ET. The half-hour documentary airs again on WCNY-TV on July 4 at 1 pm ET and premieres on YouTube on July 6.

Floating Ideas: How the Erie Canal Helped Shape America examines the spread of ideas along the Erie Canal, with an emphasis on women’s rights, suffrage, and the quest for social justice.

Deadline for Submission: August 27, 2021

Waterford, N.Y. – Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is calling for entries for its 16^th annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Images should convey the unique character of New York’s canals and canal communities. Entries must be postmarked by August 27, 2021. Winning photos will be featured in the 2022 Erie Canalway calendar.

Images will be judged in four contest categories: On the Water, Along the Trail, Canal Communities, and Classic Canal. Judges will select first, second, and third place winning images in each category, as well as 12 honorable mentions.

2021 New Attractions Include: Historic Carousel, Air Show, New and Expanded Beer Gardens, Interactive Art Installation, the Return of Shark Girl and Additional Food Options

 Full event and programming details available at www.buffalowaterfront.com

Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) and Be Our Guest (BRG) today announced an exciting 2021 season at the Buffalo Waterfront, with activities from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.  Summer on the waterfront will see some exciting new attractions, including the Buffalo Heritage Carousel, new and expanded beer gardens, international touring light exhibit and a wide variety of food options.

Festivals and events celebrate the Erie Canalway’s heritage, recreational assets, and unique communities

Waterford, NY - The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corporation have teamed up to sponsor 26 festivals and events in 2021 to showcase the Canalway Corridor’s nationally significant heritage and the tremendous recreational appeal of the waterway and Canalway Trail. Events include recreational activities, tours, concerts, and heritage celebrations.

Walk, run, cycle, roll, or paddle to achieve your mileage goal

Waterford, N.Y. – Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor invites New Yorkers to take part in the Canalway Challenge in 2021 and enjoy the great outdoors along New York’s canals and Canalway Trails. Participants choose a mileage goal of 15, 90, 180, or 360 miles. They then walk, run or cycle on the Canalway Trail or paddle on the NYS Canal System to achieve it. People with disabilities are welcome to participate in a 1^st Mile Challenge by completing one mile.

Individuals and groups invited to adopt a section 

Waterford, N.Y. – The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, along with the New York State Canal Corporation, has launched the NYS Canalway Water Trail Stewardship Program to help ensure the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Champlain, and Oswego canals are welcoming and safe for paddlers. Individuals, families, groups, and organizations are invited to adopt a section of the 450-mile NYS Canalway Water Trail from May through October.

More than 100 Canal Clean Sweep Events Scheduled across New York State

Volunteer groups across New York State are making final preparations for the annual Canal Clean Sweep, the spring cleaning of the NYS Canal System and Canalway Trail, with most events scheduled for the upcoming weekend, April 23-25, 2021. More than 100 Clean Sweep events have been scheduled across the 524-mile-long Canal System, providing opportunities for residents to give back to their local communities and to show pride in a unique cultural and recreational resource.

Albany, NY – Use along the Erie Canalway Trail and Champlain Canalway Trail increased in 2020, according to the 2020 Who’s on the Trail report from Parks & Trails New York (PTNY) and the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC). The Canalway Trail system as a whole saw an estimated 4.2 million visits in 2020, including just under four million visits to the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo and approximately 288,000 visits to the 90-mile Champlain Canalway Trail between Waterford and Whitehall.

Waterford, NY -- The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is pleased to announce that 13 non-profit organizations and municipalities will receive Erie Canalway IMPACT! Grants in 2021 totaling $108,787. The grants advance vital work to preserve and showcase canal heritage, educate youth, and welcome people to explore the canal in their local communities.

The grants range from $1,500 to $12,000 and will leverage an additional $146,630 in private and public project support.

Oswego, NY. – Did you know there is an island dedicated to a spy in Mexico, New York or that there is a World War II tug that shot down a Nazi plane now docked in Oswego’s inner harbor? The new Sailor Sam Canal to Shore Challenge program from the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego will help you answer all of these questions and many more. This program, sponsored in part by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and the NYS Canal Corporation seeks to take participants of all ages, in groups or as individuals, on a quest to see and learn more about the hidden history along our local waterways.

The Museum’s Sailor Sam mascot identifies 23 historic points of interest along the Oswego Canal, Oswego Harbor and Lake Ontario in a Logbook available through the Museum. Individuals, family groups, youth groups, school groups and others can purchase this special Logbook and then visit all 23 sites, learning more about the fascinating and unique stories that unfold at each site.