Canal Conversations

Have you stopped by the museum recently? We’re nearing the end of our opening month and the museum’s been busy lately!!

The museum has a few new things for visitors to explore on their visit. The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center is joining the statewide events to celebrate the beginning of the Erie Canal Bicentennial with our new exhibit, “Always Know Your Pal”.

Join us as the lyrics of the iconic “Erie Canal Song” guide you through canal history and culture in a fun and musical way. See how well you remember that song from when you last had it stuck in your head – you’ll be sure to be humming along with our exhibit!

Kids can check out our activity booklet and our coloring areas too! We definitely would love to have some of that artwork up on the walls for visitors to enjoy:)

     





And don’t forget to sign our “Canal Conversations” community exhibit. We’re encouraging visitors to be more involved in the exhibit by sharing their own stories!

Fill out a post-it note with a story of what makes the canal memorable to you -  was it growing up alongside the canal, hearing family tales about life on the canal, maybe trips you’ve taken on the canal or visits to events like Tugboat Roundup or through a school trip like the museum’s Canalways program! What has you interested in the canal? And if you’re not up for storytelling (you can be anonymous with your story too) you can leave your mark just by signing your name to one of the star notes and putting it up on our board to be a part of the celebration!


Here’s a few quotes from some of the stories already on our wall:

“My first journey on the Erie Canal was during the summer of 1997…I remember most how serene the trip was, and the view of urban communities…”

“My JoJo would take me on a nearly daily walk to the ruins….It was like exploring the ruins of some ancient civilization or that I was Indiana Jones scaling that wall of the canal…”

“When I was in elementary school we did a school wide presentation on the Erie Canal. My grade did a song and dance routine to the song, “The Erie Canal Song”…”

Our Canalways school program was also a part of the celebrations this year too! The students were able to get some great hands-on experience with interacting with the history of the canal and Waterford. The lieutenant governor was there on Friday and students got to be a part of the big kick-off bicentennial event down at the harbor visitor center and Lock 2-E park area.

And guess which song they sang? If you can’t guess, you can always stop by the museum for a reminder…