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Historic waterway
Canalfest 2007 to honor history of Erie Canal and impact on state; events are scheduled at locks 7 to 12
BY BILL BUELL Gazette Reporter

   Thomas Jefferson thought the idea was “a little short of madness,” but DeWitt Clinton and history proved him wrong. The Erie Canal was America’s first super highway and the primary way west for hundreds of thousands of people throughout much of the 19th century. That waterway will be celebrated at various Capital Region stops along the Mohawk River on Saturday and Sunday with the observance of Canalfest 2007.
A joint operation of the Schenectady and Montgomery County chambers of commerce in partnership with the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site and the Schenectady County Historical Society, Canalfest 2007’s mission is to honor the history of the canal and its impact on New York state.
   To best celebrate “Clinton’s Ditch,” the place to start is the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, where the hamlet of Fort Hunter will host its 23rd annual Canal Days Celebration.
   “The thing that makes Schoharie Crossing such an important stop is that we have all three stages of the Erie Canal, side by side,” said Tricia Shaw, education coordinator at the site. “We have the original canal in 1825, the enlarged version of the canal in 1840, and the modern New York State barge canal. The quote from Jefferson tells us how he felt about the building of the canal, but he was wrong.”
   The Schoharie Crossing also has remnants of the aqueduct that was built to carry the Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek just south of where it flows into the Mohawk River.
   “As we know now living in this area, the Schoharie Creek was infamous for its flooding,” said Shaw. “The most experienced canal boat captains dreaded having to cross that creek. But they built the aqueduct, all 624 feet of it, up and over the Schoharie Creek, and that solved a lot of the flooding problems.”
   The site at Schoharie Crossing has a visitor center with a number of exhibits and interpretive panels on the Erie Canal, and will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. ECOS, the Environmental Clearing House of Schenectady, will provide carnival-style games throughout the day, while other activities will include a craft fair, demonstrations of antique agricultural and household machinery, a reading by “Saratoga Ghost Stories” author David Pitkin, amateur canoe races, a chicken barbecue and performances by Elvis Presley impersonator Bill McGrath.
   The Northern New York Paddlers will be conducting free amateur canoe races with the winner being awarded the Mohawk Cup, and the Albany Carriage Service will provide horse-drawn carriage rides along the old towpath at the Schoharie Crossing on Saturday and Sunday between 1 and 4 p.m.
   The Mabee Farm in Rotterdam Junction will host a two-day music festival beginning each morning at 11, while museum tours at the Schenectady County Historical Society and tours of the historic Stockade District will be available each day from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. On Sunday at 2 p.m., the society will host a special appearance by Captain Kelsey (first person interpreter Michele Henry) to talk about life on a canal boat.
BRADT REUNION
   Among the visitors to the Schenectady County Historical Society and the Mabee Farm on Saturday will be descendants of Arent Bradt, the patriarch of one of Schenectady’s earliest families. The Bradt Family Reunion, held every five years since 1987, will have its headquarters at the Desmond Hotel in Albany, but most of the sightseeing will be done along the Mohawk River.
   “We try to take advantage of everything going on in the area, and we all love the Canalfest,” said Dan Bradt of Niskayuna, who will be named president of the Bradt Family Association at their get-together this weekend.
   “We’ll be taking several buses to Schenectady to visit the Stockade area and we have another bus load going to the Mabee Farm. Some people will be driving their cars to other places. There’s plenty of great history associated with the Erie Canal, and it’s wonderful how the Canalfest ties everything together.”
   Bradt expects around 100 families and approximately 300 people to attend the reunion. Many of the visitors will be coming from Canada.
   “We get along fine now, but back during the American Revolution a lot of the Bradts were Tories and ended up going to Canada,” said Bradt. “So, we get Bradts from Canada, California and all over the country. We’d like to encourage more local Bradts to come and see what we’re all about.”
MORE EVENTS
   Other venues with special activities planned as part of Canalfest 2007 are Maalwyck Park in Glenville, Freedom Park in Scotia, Riverlink Park in Amsterdam and the Schenectady Yacht Club in Rexford.
   Alpin Haus, the major sponsor for Canalfest 2007, which includes locks 7 to 12, will also present the Wildlife Institute animal show both days from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Schoharie Crossing.