Summer celebrations to mark 200 years on Erie Canal

On July 4, 1817, dignitaries including New York Gov. DeWitt Clinton gathered in Rome, Oneida County, and put shovels in the ground to mark the start of an ambitious project to build a waterway that would connect the Hudson River with the Great Lakes.

Naysayers sarcastically called it "Clinton's ditch," accusing the governor of wasting $7 million (about $122 million in today's dollars) in taxpayer money to build a mud pit that would be a spectacular failure and bankrupt the state's treasury.

But that vision — a 363-mile canal mostly built by strong-backed human beings swinging pickaxes and turning shovels — ended up being one of the most significant economic stimulus initiatives ever conceived. It turned New York City into the chief port of entry in the young United States, spurred settlement throughout western New York, and, by providing a direct water route to the nation's Midwest, triggered waves of emigration to the frontiers of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.

Without it, Rochester likely would have remained a barely populated, rattlesnake-infested outpost. There would have been no need for Spencerport, or Brockport or Fairport. The canal and its bustle of commercial traffic drove Rochester to became one of the nation's first boomtowns, known as the "Young Lion of the West," and spurred its expansion as a 19th and 20th-century manufacturing hub.

"The Erie Canal is what made the Empire State the Empire State," said Steve Gossett, spokesman for the state Canal Corp., the agency that now oversees, administers and maintains the New York State Canal System. The system includes the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Seneca-Cayuga canals.

And with this year's grand opening on Friday in Waterford, Saratoga County, the Canal Corp. kicks off an eight-year series of bicentennial celebrations of the history, present and future of the Erie Canal.

One of the significant features of this year's celebration is that the Canal Corp. has waived all recreational fees and tolls for boaters this year.

"This is a great year to come and find out what makes the canal special," said Gossett. "There are literally dozens of events in the Finger Lakes area in the spring and summer, and we're hoping people can come to towns like Fairport, Pittsford, Spencerport and Brockport to discover they're not only great places to visit, but that they all also have a deep sense of pride that comes from being a part of the canal and the canal's history."

More: Genesee beer tank voyage via Erie Canal starts Friday

About an hour after the opening ceremonies in Waterford, a dozen massive beer tanks headed for the Genesee Brewery will begin their 225-mile, six-day journey to Rochester. The best place to watch the tanks head into the Waterford locks will be the Waterford Harbor Visitor Center, 1 Tugboat Lane. High water levels on the canal delayed the journey by about a week, and as of Thursday the tanks were on barges on the Hudson River near Albany.

Here are some of the events scheduled this year to celebrate 200 years of New York state canals:

• May 19, Ceremonial opening for seasonal navigation, Waterford, Saratoga County
• May 20, Erie Canal Family Fun Day at Lock 30, Macedon, Wayne County. The event runs from 3 to 7 p.m. and features family games, food and refreshments, live music, canal trail tours, children's activities and information about the heritage of the Erie Canal. 
• June 2, 4 and 4, Fairport Canal Days, Fairport. The three-day event features food, concerts, crafts and more and runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m. June 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 3 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4.
• July 2 through 8, Water Music New York, a seven-day celebration with the Albany Symphony, which will perform either on a barge or canal-side. The symphony will be in Brockport at 8 p.m. July 7 for a free concert near the Welcome Center. At each stop, a newly commissioned work by a young American composer will premiere. The event culminates with a performance July 8 at the Lockport "Flight of Five" locks.
• July 16 through 22, VoteTilla. The Susan B. Anthony Museum & House will commemorate the centennial of woman suffrage with a weeklong celebration along the Erie Canal. VoteTilla canal boats will set out from Seneca Falls and travel to Rochester, with a concluding ceremony at the Anthony Museum on Madison Street. Throughout the week, VoteTilla boats will dock at several towns and villages along the route. 
• July 29 and 20, Spencerport Canal Days. The family festival in the village of Spencerport will offer arts and crafts vendors, live entertainment, wine tasting, a car show, carriage rides, and food vendors. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with free parking available at Spencerport High School and Terry Taylor Elementary School and free shuttles to and from the festival site. 
• July 5 through Oct. 12, Lois McClure Legacy Tour. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's canal sailing boat will visit ports along the Champlain and Erie Canals. 
• Lockapalooza 2017, Lock 32 Whitewater Park, Pittsford. Paddlers from around the region will compete in whitewater kayaking events at the only man-made whitewater park in the state. 
• Sept. 24 through 28, World Canals Conference, Syracuse. Hundreds of canal enthusiasts, professionals and scholars will meet to discuss protection of historic canals or features, revitalization of canal systems, harbor sites, trails and amenities and more.

For more events and schedules, visit nycanals200.com.

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com

Erie Canal facts

Here are some facts about the Erie Canal, according to the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor website:

There were 83 locks along the Erie Canal back in 1925, and there are 57 at present day.

The elevation change along the canal between Albany and Buffalo is 571 feet.

The canal is currently 12 to 23 feet deep and 120 to 200 feet wide.

Laborers who worked on the original Erie Canal were paid between 80 cents and $1 a day.

The overall state Canal System is 524 miles long.

There are 17 lift bridges in the canal system, 16 of which are on the Erie Canal. Of those, five are within Monroe County, and seven are in Orleans County.