Some major changes are in store for this year’s Low Bridge High Water Canal Opening Festival in Brockport.
The 3rd annual celebration of the seasonal opening of the Erie Canal is now a three day event – instead of a week long celebration – and it’s happening May 14 to 16, two weeks later than in past years.
“We pushed the date back for two reasons,” Brockport Mayor Margay Blackman says. “The weather should be warmer and it’s college graduation and we hoped to capture some of the graduation crowd at the Friday night event.”
Mayor Blackman says the changes came about as the result of a workshop with Scott Winner and Nancy Ragus of the Fairport Partnership to discuss festival planning based on Fairport’s highly successful festival events. They suggested shortening the festival from an entire week to just a few days.
Mayor Blackman says the idea for a Craft Beer Big Tent Event on Friday, May 15 as a fundraiser also came out of the workshop.
“The past two years, we have had the village-to-village challenge rowing regatta from Spencerport to Brockport, but for logistical and budgetary reasons, the sponsors of that regatta could not put it together for this year,” Blackman continues, “so we will have a rowing presence with rowing demonstrations on the canal Saturday, May 16. We have talked for two years with the regatta organizers about bringing rowing to Brockport as a community sport for all ages, so we created a fundraising event – the craft beer event – that will be the first step to getting us there.”
Jay Nichols of Stoneyard Brewing is partnering with the village on the craft beer and beverage event and wanted some of the proceeds to go to a charity that benefits children, Mayor Blackman explains. Some of the proceeds from the tent event will go to Camp Good Days and to Camp Abilities, which was created and is run by Lauren Liebermann of the College at Brockport for visually impaired children.
The Stoneyard has helped to handle all the logistics of the tent event, Blackman says. “They will also be making a special Low Bridge High Water brew for the occasion,” she adds.
The tent event additionally ties in with the growth of craft brewing in the village. Stoneyard Brewing Company, for example, has purchased the building at 85 Clinton Street and will build a microbrewery at that site with a production area, banquet room and tasting room.
In addition to Stoneyard, other craft beer and beverages featured at the Big Tent Event include: Swiftwater Brewing Co.; Roc Brewing Co.; The VB Brewery; Lost Borough Brewing; Three Heads Brewing; Knucklehead Craft Brewing Co.; CB Craft Brewers; O’Begley’s; Lock 32 Brewing Co.; Leonard Oakes Estate Winery; Cider Creek Hard Cider; and Root Beer samplings.
Signature Eats include Jimmy Z’s; Barber’s Grill & Taproom; 58 Main; Union Street Eatery; Coleen’s Cafe; Amora’s; Java Junction and Calios.
Live music will be provided by Big Eyed Phish – The Dave Matthews Tribute Band – and the Mike Melito Quartet.
The Local Craft Beer Big Tent Event runs from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, May 15 on Water Street. Tasting tickets are $15 in advance and are available at www.tentevent.eventbrite.com; the Brockport Village Hall and The Stoneyard Brewing Co. Tickets at the door are $20 – ID is required and minors must be accompanied by an adult. Five dollar general admission tickets are also available.
The Low Bridge High Water celebration kicks off the night before, on Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m., at the Morgan Manning House where Tom Grasso, President of the New York Canal Society, will speak about “New and Exciting Projects for the NYS Canal System.”
Saturday, May 16 features the 5K Barge Charge Fun Run which begins at 10 a.m. at Corbett Park, located at the corner of Smith Street and Clark Street. Registration and packet pickup runs from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Proceeds from the race benefit the Sgt. Clifton Rife II Memorial Scholarship.
Race entry is $30; $25 Race Day only with a donation of four non-perishable food items to be donated to the Brockport Food Shelf; and $20 with military ID.
Applications are available at the Village Hall, 49 State Street, or sign up through www.yellowjacketracing.com. The first 100 racers signed up receive a race T-shirt. For information email thestetsonclub@yahoo.com.
Children under 14 are free, but must be accompanied by an adult entered in the race.
The canal opening ceremony and awards begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 on the Barge Stage at the Welcome Center on Water Street Additional Saturday events at the Barge Stage include a rowing demo, kayak rentals, the Golden Eagle String Band, Pizza Olympics at noon; Yoga on the Barge; Bollywood Dance Mania and more.
Additionally, the festival now has its own logo designed by Susan Smith. It features the image of a green lift bridge over blue high water.
The canal opening festival has now become firmly established as one of several seasonal events in the village which include the Summer Arts Festival and the Holiday Festival of Lights Parade.
“The whole idea with creating Low Bridge High Water three years ago was to have a festival that celebrated something that marks the spring season, which around here is the filling of the canal,” Mayor Blackman says. “Many other canal municipalities have canal festivals, but only Brockport and Waterford celebrate the seasonal opening of the canal.”
