Community Corner

Canal Day Coming as New Ownership Takes Over

The Schuylkill Canal Association will host Canal Day on Sunday, June 26.

As the Schuylkill Canal Association (SCA) gears up for the 29th Annual Canal Day at , the area has another thing to celebrate.

Recently, Montgomery County took ownership of the canal, lock, locktender’s house, towpath and Mingo Basin from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

“We are definitely looking forward to our future with Montgomery County,” said SCA Executive Director Betsy Daley at a recent ceremony.

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She thanked the state for its support of the canal, as well. The “hearty handshake,” as Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel put it, took place as the were stopped at the canal for an overnight stay recently.

Hoeffel noted that the switch marked a “historic handoff” for the county. He said the towpath will be incorporated into the Schuylkill River Trail and that the county will work hard to promote the historic area.

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“We’re going to continue to interpret and expand our use of the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County,” Hoeffel told the soujourners.

Hoeffel’s brief speech was followed by a handshake between him and Kevin Gallagher, local government liaison with DEP.

The Schuylkill Canal Association will host its first Canal Day under county ownership on Sunday, June 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The day features music, a flea market, a fishing derby, history songs and stories and the ever-popular canal jousting.

A full schedule of the day’s events is posted with the photos in this article.

For more information, visit www.schuylkillcanal.org


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