A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Brockport Village Boathouse on June 13, following the dedication of the new Pedestrian Bridge. The Boathouse is located at the back of the SUNY Brockport Lot “D” on Holley Street and will be the home base of Brockport Community Rowing (BCR), a 501c3 corporation authorized to accept charitable donations.
Following the ribbon cutting, BCR participated in the the Low Bridge, High Water Festival on June 14 and held an open house at the Boathouse on June 15. Members are excited about the outpouring of community support they have received and take it as an indication that Brockport is ready to row.
The dream of bringing rowing to Brockport began in 2013 when the first “Village to Village” regatta was held on the Erie Canal between Brockport and Spencerport. A Canalway Grant was received in 2018 to build a floating dock in Commissary Park which is located southeast of the canal gates. The dock was built by volunteers in 2018 and dedicated in 2019. Land in Commissary Park was transferred from SUNY Brockport to the Village of Brockport in 2023. Additionally, a second Canalway Grant was received and combined with a DASNY Grant and private donations to build a boathouse near the proposed pedestrian bridge.
Membership in Brockport Community Rowing is free for the first year and open to adults of all levels of experience. The organization aims to develop rowing programs that are fun, healthy and accessible to everyone, and foster an appreciation of the Erie Canal and Western New York environs.
BCR is actively seeking donations of money, time, and talent as it gets started. They are especially in need of safety equipment donations that are vital to the safety and success of the growing rowing community.
Fill out our interest and membership forms at https://linktr.ee/brockportrowing. Also, visit http://www.brockportrowing.org and follow BCR on Facebook, or e-mail brockportrowing25@gmail.com to get involved.
Provided information
Photos by Karen Fien
Margay Blackman
Marleen Cain
