Accepting Flotilla boater applications; Music, food, games, and historical displays will round out the celebration.
Town Supervisor Ciaran Hanna today announced the Town of Perinton will host a celebration of the Erie Canal Bicentennial on Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Perinton Park. The evening event will feature a Bicentennial Flotilla, live bands, food trucks, children’s games, and historical displays.
“The Town of Perinton is thrilled to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal in our community,” said Hanna.“The Erie Canal is among our most significant cultural, economic, and historic attractions. The story of the Erie Canal is one of great tenacity, perseverance and vision, and it is woven into the very fabric of our Town. I invite our community to come together in Perinton Park to celebrate the bicentennial of our treasured waterway.”
Community members are invited to Perinton Park for music, food, games and historical displays. At approximately 7 p.m., a Bicentennial Flotilla, led by the Colonial Belle, will depart from Parker Street Bridge in the Village of Fairport and head West toward Perinton Park; the Flotilla will turn around at The Oxbow and take the same 2-mile route back into the Village.
Residents are invited to line the Canal path along the route to view the Flotilla or join in the celebration at Perinton Park, where the boats will be announced. Up to 20 vessels will participate, including the Colonial Belle with the Fairport Fire Department Band on board, police and fire boats, the NYS Canal Corporation Tug Boat, and more. All vessels will be decorated and lit up for the celebration. Boat owners may apply to participate in the Flotilla by the September 7, 2022, deadline. The application can be found online.
Colonial Belle Captain Tammee Poinan Grimes said, “The Bicentennial anniversary of “our” section of the Erie Canal is something we’re very excited to celebrate. 200 years of history along with the present and future of the NY State Canal System is something we’re directly enjoying every day during our operating seasons. The flotilla is something that multiple generations will remember for years to come & we’re very happy to be a part of that.”
Perinton’s Bicentennial Celebration commemorates the 1822 opening of the Erie Canal in Perinton. Although the Erie Canal was not completed end-to-end until 1825, the portion of the canal which includes Perinton became navigable in 1822. Fullam’s Basin, where Perinton Park is located, was an early canal port and busy thoroughfare.
New York State Canal Corporation Director Brian U. Stratton said, “The Erie Canal is possibly New York’s single most influential and storied piece of infrastructure and helped create canalside communities like Perinton and Fairport that continue to flourish along its banks 200 years after its opening. I am honored to join the community in celebrating this remarkable milestone and encourage everyone to participate in this once in a lifetime bicentennial event commemorating the past, present, and future of the Erie Canal.”
The Town of Perinton partnered with the Colonial Belle, Fairport Perinton Partnership, New York State Canal Corporation and Village of Fairport in support of the event.
