On April 20, 1820, the packet boat The Montezuma arrived in Syracuse marking the beginning of navigation on the Canal’s 96-mile middle section between Utica and Montezuma. Now over 200 years later an ErieCanal2025 Partnership Coalition has been formed to recognize and celetrate the upcoming 200th Erie Canal Bicentennial. Plans are being made leading up to the 2025 completion celebration at canal-related sites in communities all along the middle section of the canal system. It is an opportunity to recognize the importance of building the Canal between 1817 and 1825 as the longest artificial waterway and the greatest public works project in North America.
Kicking off the celebration this year on Earth Day, April 20, 2024 several local sites are joining the 140 statewide Clean Sweep events with opportunities for thousands of residents to give back to their local communities and to show pride in one of New York’s most iconic cultural and recreational resources. Volunteers may participate at one of these sites: Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse; Camillus Erie Canal Park; Jordan Historical Society, Port Byron Old Erie Canal Heritage Park; and Montezuma Heritage Park in Montezuma.
As stewards of Montezuma Heritage Park, the Friends Committee of the Old Mentz Heritage Center proudly dedicates itself yearly to participating in the statewide program to ensure that trails are cleared and open for the public and to preserve the Park’s historic Erie Canal resources. Volunteers are welcome to join us in our annual clean-up. Signing up to volunteer is easy! Visit the online registration site with an interactive map at: https://www.ptny.org/events/canal-clean-sweep. Type in the event location box on the map where you want to volunter and a pop-up window with appear to register at that site or email montezumaparks@tds.net
Canal Clean Sweep does so much for our greenway system helping prepare the Canalway for the summer recreation season, ecouraging exercise for the whole family, fulfilling hours for community service or scouts, and creating an opportunity to meet new people. Year after year, canal communities continue to amaze and inspire with their support and participation… through hours of working together to make a difference.
For more information on events planned to celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ErieCanal2025/
Community organizations, service groups, municipalities, and businesses all across the New York State Canal System participate in the Canal Clean Sweep by joining in one of the more than 100 local clean-up activities in Canal parks, along with public promenades, and on Canalway Trail segments in their region.
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.
Parks & Trails New York is the only statewide not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the health and quality of life of New Yorkers through the use and enjoyment of a growing network of parks, pedestrian and bicycle trails, greenways, and heritage corridors around the state.
Where ever you are, on Earth Day weekend, get out there, clean up, and have fun