CanalWays 2019 Making Changes To Its Program

One of the few things that stands out for any kid during the school year is the field trip. Coming from an admittedly biased point of view here at the museum, the visits to historical sites and museums or anytime that a field trip meant a trip out to a, well, field of some kind (aka not a classroom), tends to stands out the most. Luckily, there are a plethora of nearby historic sites that local schools can take advantage of to fulfill this part of students’ experiences! 

Waterford and the WHMCC is all too happy to provide the opportunity for local schools to fill that anticipation with the program known as CanalWays. As the name implies, it centers on the canal, taking place at Lock 2, the Old Champlain Canal trail, and the Waterford Harbor Visitors Center. And the best way to do that so students can get that hands-on experience is to actually visit the NYS Erie Canal.

Having gone by a couple of other names – NYS Canal System and the Barge Canal – this system of canals continues to follow in the legacy of the original Erie Canal as it celebrates its bicentennial years. This program offers students a chance to learn the history of the bygone canal era by being able to physically stand on the ground where all those facts and details came from that they learned in their history books. At the same time, it also is a visible reminder that history is an ongoing concept as they get to see the canal in action.

To make it possible to share Waterford’s involvement in history (including local, state, national, and international history) involves a number of partners. The museum works with the New York State Canal Corporation, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Waterford Canal & Towpath Society, and the Town of Waterford.

WHMCC actively coordinates these partners to organize and create content for program, which is designed into 5 segments and a picnic lunch segment at the Lock 2 Park area. The museum acts as a contact for teachers to schedule their trip for their students and as a resource for updates on the not-so-enthralling but so-very-crucial details of the program like daily schedules and safety guidelines to make sure everyone involved has a safe as well as enjoyable time at the canal.

Canalways is an outdoor program, except for a segment that takes place at the Waterford Harbor Visitors Center upper floor -  which has a great boat window to give an amazing view of the Mohawk and Hudson River and the entrance to the Waterford Flight of Locks that begins the NYS Erie Canal.  This segment is the only portion of the program with any handicap aids.

There is a lot of walking involved in this program – so make sure to wear your comfy shoes, have your sunblock ready and be prepared to explore rain or shine!

CanalWays has been offered to local students for over 15 years. The most memorable portion of past programs has to be without doubt the ride through Lock 2 on the historic Grand Erie Barge. This barge is owned and operated by the New York State Canal Corporation.

However, due to the Canal Corporation’s transitioning from the Thruway Authority to the Power Authority combined with state funding cuts and a lack of captains to operate the vessel, CanalWays 2019 will be the first year that this beloved portion will not be available at all. 

Last year, the barge was only able to sail for a couple days of the program. The Urger, the tugboat that used to act as the flagship of the canal fleet and was a floating classroom in that regard, was retired and so the Grover Cleveland filled the role of a tugboat docked at Lock 2 for students to be able to view. They were not able to board the vessel, but it was used in the Canal Corporation’s segment on the history of the canal. 

While the barge will not sail at all in 2019, the Canal Corporation will offer students an opportunity to explore the inner workings of the barge by inviting them aboard as they did last year for a tour of the vessel. It will be docked at Lock 2 and despite not being able to go through the locking system, the canal will be open during this program so students get the chance to see an operating canal.

The past couple of years, students were able to view the grand opening ceremonies of the canal season. Even though the rain held off last year for the speakers to finish their speeches, it let loose shortly afterward and cancelled the rest of the day’s program. 

Pulling the mini Matton, a scale model barge, on the old
Champlain Canal Trail with Waterford Historian,
Russ VanDervoort, of the Waterford Canal & Towpath Society

This year, students will miss out on the photo op with state officials for the gran opening. But they will hopefully get the chance to see how a working canal operates and get a chance to view the locking process as the canal is used by a variety of boats.

The cost for the program is $5 per student and school will need to cover transportation costs. Luckily, there is some funding aid available in the form of our partner ECNHC’s “Ticket to Ride” program.

Due to their own state funding cuts that influenced the funding aid last year, the student count financed under the "Ticket to Ride" funding aid in the past has been reduced by about half of what it was a few years ago. But the museum would like to make sure that credit and gratitude is given where it’s due as the ECNHC has worked hard to be able to continue to support the local Waterford program.

If schools are not able to be included in this aid, as it works based on a fixed student count from all the prospective schools looking to participate in the week-long program, they are still able to schedule with the museum. They will be charged the amount previously listed, but the lack of inclusion in Ticket to Ride does not mean that we will turn schools away.

There are some conditions though that partners ask teachers to consider:

1.       Time Frame of the Program: The duration of the program is 9:30am to 1:30pm and segments are built so that lunch is scheduled for the end of the day. If that time frame doesn’t work for your school, unfortunately there isn’t much wiggle-room to be able to accommodate any changes. Partners are available only for these hours and more than 1 school may be booked for the day, making rearranging schedules impossible due to group size constraints. All partners do their best to try and accommodate everyone – taking a wrong turn happens and delays are inevitable as the day goes on as bathroom breaks always take longer than they should  – but schools are asked to commit to the full 4 hours.

2.      Group Size: the program is designed to accommodate a maximum of 90 students a day. For some schools with over this amount in their 4^th grade class, CanalWays cannot accommodate the group sizes to remain at safe levels. Please remember that we’re by the water for the entirety of the program. We want everyone to have fun, but we also need to make sure that the volunteers at each segment can keep track of everyone in the group, as many segments have only 1 or 2 segment leaders. Chaperones and teachers will need to be available to assist in this regard.

3.     Grand Erie Barge: Should a barge ride be offered, schools need to consider the amount of safety vests that are available on the barge. Every person on board the barge for a ride through Lock 2 must be wearing one of these safety vests – this includes teachers, chaperones AND the often overlooked crew that also will be wearing these vests, bringing the number to 30-33 total persons. If there are more people than vests, the barge will not be sailing. The canal is also a fully-functioning and operating canal, which means that if commuter traffic needs to use the lock, CanalWays will be waiting until the boats have gone on their way. This can mean a 15-20 minute delay, which may impact some students’ chance to ride. For the 2019 program, this is not a concern, but something to keep in mind if Canal Corporation is able to offer a barge ride through Lock 2 in the future.

CanalWays ends each day with an outdoor picnic lunch that students bring with them to Lock 2 Park area. It’s a chance to burn off some of whatever excess energy all this excitement at the canal has built up…and a chance to visit the restroom at the Visitors Center. 

Students can spend that time looking over the old side-cut locks of the Champlain Canal that act as a spillway for the current lock, producing an artificial waterfall (that makes for another great chance at memory making with a photo). It’s a very clear look at the old and the new, and the amazing engineering that was the original canal systems.

This program is a great way for students to get to learn more about Waterford and the canal in a fun and exciting way! All the partners involved are always glad to see the enthusiasm of the fourth graders while participating. 

The NYS Canal Corporation provides memorable experiences with the barge and at the lock itself, hoping to foster or encourage that enthusiasm to thrive.  The Waterford Canal & Towpath Society gives students a glimpse into past on the old Champlain Canal route with its scale model barge students get to handle as they walk the old trail.

The canal journey doesn’t have to end after the field trip.
Stop by the museum to find something new every time you visit!

And the museum is happy to be able to share the history and the canal culture that developed in Waterford, NY. There’s a lot within and on the walls of the WHMCC about the canals and the influence of the surrounding waterways on the area – native settlements, Dutch towns, Revolutionary War “Water Ford”, the famous Button Fire Engine Works, and the building of the original Champlain and Erie Canals with a working scale model of a river lock for visitors to use!