PRESS RELEASE

CANAL DAY OCT. 16 IN ROCHESTER! MUSICAL ACCORDION PARADE, HISTORY LECTURES about MARGINALIZEDPOPULATIONS and CHILD LABOR, and an INTERPRETIVE WALK ON THE FORMERCANAL ROUTE
10:30 A.M. TO 3 P.M.

ACCORD – The Town of Rochester’s Historic Preservation Commission’s Canal Day launches with a musical ACCORDION PARADE at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 16 from the porch of the Friends of Historic Rochester Museum, 12 Main St. and marching to the Town Hall Pavilion, 50 Scenic Drive a half mile away. An array of accordion players will perform water-themed tunes, some of which the canawlers of the 1800s may have played as their boats approached the next lock.
Through a generous donation by the Woodstock Chimes Foundation, a dozen children’s accordions have been provided for area children to participate in the parade. All instrumentalists are welcome to join in the parade, whether playing the mouth harp or hand drum!
D&H Canal Society Historian Bill Merchant will give a brief talk at 11:15 a.m. at the Town Hall Pavilion about the marginalized populations who worked on the D&H Canal, followed by Sullivan County Historians John and Debra Conway speaking about the children (Hoagies) who lead mules on the canal towpath.
A pair of mules will be on site at the event, along with a member of the Historic Preservation Commission to interpret the animals’ important role in canal operations.
Folk singers Rich Bala and Sarah Underhill present songs of the canal era at 12:15 p.m. at the pavilion.
A Canal Hike with historian Bill Merchant starts at 1 p.m. near townhall to see vestiges of the canal, towpath, bridge abutments and more. The level-ground hike takes about two hours but hikers can turn back at any time. Hardy hikers who plan to do the whole route can stage carpool vehicles at the Kerhonkson end of the trail for a lunch at the new Mill & Main Cafe before riding back to town hall.
The event is sponsored by the Rochester Historic Preservation Commission and is free of charge.
For more information, call HPC chair Wilton Duckworth, 845-626-2161, or
for the Accordion Parade, Deb Medenbach, 845-706-7716.
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Minisink Valley Historical Society