Logo- Erie Canalway




November 20, 2017
Lock 33 by Tiffany Morley
With Gratitude...
As we enter this holiday season, we at the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor - our commissioners, board members, and staff - would like to extend our sincere thanks to you for your steadfast support. 

Bob Radliff
2017 has been a momentous year. The bicentennial year launched with designation of the NYS Canal System as a National Historic Landmark and peaked with the convening of the World Canals Conference in Syracuse in September. With the bicentennial shining the spotlight on New York's iconic canals, communities and organizations throughout the corridor stepped into the limelight and delivered their best. Thank you for being part of it!
Bob Radliff, Executive Director
2018 Erie Canalway Calendars Available December 1

It's a hot ticket item at this time of year and for good reason: the free Erie Canalway calendar is a gorgeous compilation of images taken by the talented winners of our annual photo contest. On the cover this year is 1st Place winner Stefanie Obkirchner's photo Milky Way Over the Mohawk River, taken at Tribes Hill.
 
Calendars are available on a first come, first served basis at libraries and visitor centers throughout the Erie Canalway. But please wait until December 1 to pick one up-- we've asked all sites to hold on distribution until then. Many thanks to the NYS Canal Corporation for its generous sponsorship of calendar production and to all of our distribution sites for helping us with this project! 

Distribution Sites List >
New on Social Media

Proud to be a Canaller
We've begun   a new weekly post on Facebook, Proud to be a Canaller. It features images   from folks throughout the canalway corridor   that showcase the places and things they love in the  Erie Canalway . Here's our first post: Lock 6 View by Dave Pucci. Send us an image and we'll add it to the mix!

New! NYS Canalway Water Trail Facebook Group
Paddlers unite! We've created a Facebook group for anyone interested in paddling the NYS Canalway Water Trail. The open group is a place to ask questions, share information, and meet those who share a passion for paddling the canals. Sign up:
www.facebook.com/groups/NYSCanalwayWaterTrail

Erie Canalway on Instagram
Great photos are at the heart of Instagram and we've got plenty to share. Find us on Instagram at @ErieCanalway. Tag your canal photos so we can find you!
 
World Canals Conference @WorldCanals
WCC2017 is over, but planning for WCC2018 (September 10-12) in the heart of Ireland is in full swing. If you've already signed on to @worldcanals on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, you'll continue to get updates on the conference as our friends at Waterways Ireland and Inland Waterways Association of Ireland take over those accounts. You can also sign up to receive information via e-mail and find details on the conference on the WCC2018 website,  wccireland2018.com.

Not on social media? We'll continue to share timely news and events in this newsletter so you won't miss out.  
Matton Shipyard Update

Master Plan- The planning phase for the Matton Shipyard Preservation & Adaptive Reuse Initiative is quickly wrapping up. Thanks to robust public input and the steady work of our planning team, the master plan is in its final draft form and architectural drawings are being finalized.
 
Shipyard Stories- Thanks to funding support from the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, we conducted interviews with 10 former Matton employees or family members. Tales of working outside in all kinds of weather, of daily routines, mishaps, and exciting launch days provide a treasure trove of information about life at the barge canal era shipyard. Read excerpts here:
 
Building Stabilization- In the next several months we will be turning our attention to ensuring that the buildings are stabilized with funding support from the New York State Canal Corporation and The McCarthy Charities. In addition, critical support from the Albany County Convention & Visitor's Bureau is enabling us to finalize a brochure about Matton Shipyard that will help us to better inform the public and financial supporters about the incredible value and potential of this public resource.  

Matton Shipyard >
Get On Board for Ticket to Ride and Every Kid in a Park in 2018

Our popular Ticket to Ride Program - which gives students a chance to experience places where history was made along the canal-- has reached 3,200 students already this school year. Twelve museums and historic sites partner with us to provide educational programs, which have touched the lives of more than 37,000 children since the program began.
 
We also provide free busing for fourth grade classes for educational tours to national parks through a program called Every Kid in a Park. Students visit Fort Stanwix National Monument (Rome), Saratoga National Historical Park (Stillwater), and Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historical Site (Buffalo). Tours are free and students receive a pass for entry at no cost to any national or New York State park for one year. 
 
To participate: Ticket to Ride is close to full for the year so educators should make reservations soon. There are openings for Every Kid in a Park for fall and spring tours. Teachers must first make a tour reservation at a participating site. After the tour, we'll reimburse the district for transportation costs and cover the tour fees at the site. Find details and registration forms on our website or call or e-mail Andy Kitzmann at (518)-237-7000, ext. 201; andy_kitzmann@partner.nps.gov.
Engaging Ticket to Ride Educators 

We recently wrapped up a yearlong evaluation of Ticket to Ride school programs at three sites: Camillus Erie Canal Park, Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum and Erie Canal Museum. Staff and volunteers at these sites worked closely with the R/E/D Group, an evaluation team based in the Syracuse University School of Education. We capped off the evaluation with a two-day interpretive training workshop led by staff from the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. More than 25 staff and volunteers who teach about the Erie Canal learned new techniques for leading dynamic, interactive tours. Many thanks to participating staff and volunteers for their dedication and enthusiasm and to the Central New York Community Foundation for providing critical funding support. 
Upcoming Events
 
NOVEMBER 20 - JANUARY 7 > Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse
Open daily 10-5; Grand Opening on Friday 11/24 from 5-9. Enjoy creative gingerbread architecture and build one of your own during several workshops offered for children and adults. 

DECEMBER 8, 9, 10 > Seneca Falls
The village is transformed into Bedford Falls, the fictional village from the movie, every year for an annual weekend festival honoring the 1946 film classic. Parade, 5K run, and lots of holiday cheer. 
Give a Gift to the
Erie Canalway Heritage Fund 


Giving Tuesday- Make an impact with the gift of heritage this year by donating to our non-profit Erie Canalway Heritage Fund

SEFA -The New York State Employees Federated Appeal ( SEFA) enables New York State employees to give to their favorite charitable causes by making a payroll deduction. If you would like to support the protection and promotion of New York's iconic canal heritage and the distinctive canal communities, engineering marvels, waterways and trails that make the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor an extraordinary place, please select the Erie Canalway Heritage Fund, Inc,  listed as #999-01182. Thank you!  www.sefanys.org
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor | PO Box 219, Waterford, NY 12188 | 518-237-7000 |   erie_canal@nps.gov |   www.eriecanalway.org
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