Waterford

Waterford Tugboat Roundup Turns 15 This Weekend

September 5, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

It’s been called one of the largest maritime festivals in New York State. For three days, September 5th through the 7th, the Waterford waterfront (just north of Albany) will host the 15th Annual Tugboat Roundup.

A gathering and show place of both working and historic tugs of the Hudson River and New York State Canal system, the Roundup has evolved into a festival of boating at the Gateway to the Canal System. More than 35 boats are expected to be along the wall in Waterford this year, according to Tom Beardsley, Marine Event Coordinator. [Read more…] about Waterford Tugboat Roundup Turns 15 This Weekend

New Exhibit: Archeological Explorations of Waterford

June 3, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center (WHMCC) announces the opening of its 2014 exhibit, History Underfoot: Archeological Explorations of Waterford at the Museum on June 6, 2014 from 6pm to 8pm.

WHMCC’s latest exhibit goes underground to explore Waterford’s recent and not-so-recent past. With the help of experts in the field including exhibit consultant Matthew Kirk from Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc. and exhibit designer Paul G. Schneider, Jr., the Museum has created an exhibit which features objects from WHMCC’s collection as well as the collections of private individuals, the New York State Museum, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. [Read more…] about New Exhibit: Archeological Explorations of Waterford

The Fenian Brotherhood in Troy, Cohoes, and Waterford

March 4, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center will present a program entitled “Irish Revolutionaries: The Fenian Brotherhood in Troy, Cohoes, and Waterford” with local historian Aaron Robinson.

In the mid-19th century, Irish revolutionaries could be found on the streets of Troy, Waterford, and Cohoes. The lecture talk will consider the Fenian Brotherhood in that area.

This event will be held at 7pm, on March 11, 2014, at McGreivey’s restaurant at 91 Broad St, Waterford, NY. Food and drink available are available for purchase; suggested donation is $6 per person ($5 members).

35 Boats Confirmed at the Waterford Tugboat Roundup

September 4, 2013 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

This weekend, nearly three dozen boats are expected along the Waterford wall, in front of the Visitor’s Center, for three days as the town relives its canal heyday for its annual tugboat round-up. Now in its 14th year, the Waterford tugboat Roundup and has become one of the four premier waterfront festivals in New York State and the largest maritime festival north of New York City.

Family-friendly music plays from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, tugs will be open for tours, kid’s games and activities, tour boat rides, line-tossing, tours of the tugs and more. Shuttle busses will run from remote parking. There is no charge for the event (other than a nominal charge for the tour boats). [Read more…] about 35 Boats Confirmed at the Waterford Tugboat Roundup

Waterford Tugboat Roundup This Weekend

September 7, 2012 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

More than two dozen boats are expected to participate in this year’s Tugboat Roundup in Waterford. The Roundup, cancelled last year due to damage caused by the storms Irene and Lee, is organized by the town of Waterford and runs from Friday, September 7 through Sunday, September 9.

Working tug boats from along the Hudson River including Kingston, Albany and Troy, from the Canal System, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River are expected to converge in Waterford in time for Friday afternoon’s parade. The parade starts at the Port of Albany at 2:45 on Friday with boats arriving in Waterford as early as 5pm.

Live music will be performed throughout the event with at least nine different groups booked to play on board one of the tugs, the Grand Erie, docked in front of the Visitor’s Center along the canal at the foot of Tugboat Alley in the village.

Boat tours will be offered on both the Hudson River and the Waterford locks and kids activities will include face-painting, clown performances, puppet theaters, a bouncy-bounce, pony rides. and more throughout the weekend.

On Sunday, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will be dedicating the Waterford flight of locks as a significant engineering achievement in America. This dedication will take place on Sunday.

A full schedule of performances and activities can be found on the Roundup’s website, www.tugboatroundup.com or on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/tugboatroundup.com

Photo: The 2008 Tugboat Round-Up, Courtesy Duncan Hayes, NPS (Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor).

Waterford Tug Boat Round-Up Cancelled

September 5, 2011 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The annual Waterford Tugboat Roundup scheduled for Sept. 9-11, 2011, at the Waterford Harbor on the Erie Canal has been canceled because of the impacts from Tropical Storm Irene.

High waters and flood damage have hampered navigation along the New York State Canal system. The Hudson River also has high waters.

The Erie Canal remains closed to navigation between Lock 2 in Waterford, Saratoga County, and Lock 19 in Frankfort, Montgomery County. The Champlain Canal remains closed for its entire length. No date has been established on when these canal sections might re-open.

For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov.

Champlain Canalway Trail Plan Unveiled

March 29, 2011 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

At the Historic Saratoga-Washington on the Hudson Partnership meeting yesterday, Hudson Crossing Park announced the release of the Champlain Canalway Trail Action Plan for the 62-mile corridor between Waterford and Whitehall in Saratoga and Washington
Counties.

The Action Plan is intended to help focus and coordinate locally-based efforts to complete the Champlain Canalway Trail. It uses narrative, maps and photographs to describe the existing conditions, issues and opportunities along the proposed trail route. Each segment of the Action Plan can be used as a stand-alone by an individual community, to help focus attention and prompt constructive dialog.

The 62-mile Champlain Canalway Trail, together with the 9-mile Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail, comprise one leg of the planned statewide Canalway Trail system. The 348-mile Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo is the longest trail in the system. Now more than three-fourths complete, it is actively used by people in local communities, and is rapidly becoming a world-class recreational trail, attracting visitors from across the country as well as from abroad.

In the Champlain Canal corridor, about 17 miles of trail are complete, and another 14 miles are either in planning stages or expected to be completed within the next few years. Similar to the Erie Canalway Trail, the Champlain Canalway Trail is envisioned as an off-road trail wherever possible, with some on-road linkages. Once completed, the trail will provide connectivity between residential areas, business districts,
schools, parks and communities while reducing emissions and fuel consumption.

The Champlain Canalway Trail will be used by bicyclists, walkers, historical tourists, cross-country skiers and others. Sections will also be used seasonally by snowmobilers.

The completed Action Plan was produced by the LA Group of Saratoga Springs. It was funded by a grant awarded to Schuylerville-based Hudson Crossing Park, Inc, (www.hudsoncrossingpark.org) from the Rails to Trails Conservancy, a national organization that supports trail development.
Planning assistance was provided by the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service.

For further information contact:

Southern Champlain Canalway Trail representative:
Nelson Ronsvalle – nronsvalle@townofhalfmoon.org

Central Champlain Canalway Trail representative:
Marlene Bissell – info@hudsoncrossingpark.org

Northern Champlain Canalway Trail representative:
Jeanne Williams – jpw.fca@gmail.com

The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture.