July 26 and July 27, Union Street and Firemen’s Field will be filled with music and bustling with activity. For more than two decades, Spencerport has welcomed area residents and visitors to the annual celebration of the community and the Erie Canal.

Canal Days will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night’s celebration will include the immensely popular Street Dance from 7 to 11 p.m. Ruby Shooz, a high energy band, is sure to delight audiences of all ages as they perform in the Gazebo on the south bank of the canal on Saturday night.

Local merchants are gearing up for this event and are ready to show off some of their goods including specialty menus created just for the festival.

Sunday, the Erie Canal will be full of colorful canoes and cheering spectators as teams race towards the $200 first prize. From the Martha Street Bridge to the Union Street Bridge, the view will be spectacular as they compete. There is still room for teams to enter by picking up a registration form at any of the local stores or by contacting Ellie Carr at 352-1162.

The entertainment line up which includes bands that will play at the Union Street Tent and Firemen’s Field, returning acts such as Heartland and the ever popular Kaleidoscope will fill the air with music. There are also new acts that are sure to become village favorites. One such act, Patrick Hotchkiss and the Johnny Matt Band features the Entertainment Committee Chairman, Patrick Hotchkiss. Pat has been instrumental in pulling together a wide range of acts to appeal to all tastes.

New this year but something not to be missed is Black Creek Wildlife. Gary and Trish Zimmerman, wildlife rehabilitators, will be stationed in front of Ritchie Family Hardware. Stop by and visit the magnificent birds of prey they will have with them.

Java John’s is sponsoring musical entertainment and offering special items inside the shop just for the enjoyment of Canal Days visitors.

To the delight of anyone who appreciates a good looking car, Pineway Ponds Park will be the place to be Saturday as cars from yesterday and today roll in and line up to be judged. The show starts at 9:30 a.m. with registration and ends with awards at 3:30 p.m. There is still time to sign up for this popular event.

The children haven’t been forgotten either. Located on the Firemen’s Field will be Marlene Williamson and her team of volunteers who will help create awesome crafts out of ordinary items. An oat-filled sandbox will provide a much needed reprieve for tired little ones who need some down time. A fully stocked changing station will also be located here.

A special guest this year will be WARM 101.3’s Tony Infantino of “Tony and Dee in The Morning Show.” Tony will be announcing some of the entertainers as well as walking around town and chatting with festival goers. Look for him from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The WARM 101.3 booth will have prizes and giveaways both Saturday and Sunday so make this a must see on your list of things to do.

Speaking of giveaways, the raffle is back. Tickets can be purchased at the information booth as well as at the Unique Shop during both days of the festival. The prize is $500. Tickets are $1 each or 3 for $2. Winning ticket will be drawn on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. Winners do not have to be present to win.

Shuttle bus transportation will run to the festival site from Pineway Ponds Park as well as from Ogden Town Hall.

Canal Days is made possible only because of the enormous behind-the-scenes work of a few volunteers. The Planning Committee is comprised of people of all ages from Spencerport as well as other nearby communities. This year’s Canal Days is especially poignant for these folks with the death of Tom Vandertang on July 2.

Tom Vandertang was the Event Director for the 2003 Canal Days and worked literally to the day before he died on the festival. Even sick and clearly not feeling up to it, he was present at meetings and did everything he could to help out, Patrick Hotchkiss, past chairman of Canal Days said. “After seven years, I was burned out. No one wanted to take the responsibility to direct Canal Days. Tom saw a need and filled it, even though he wasn’t feeling well and had many medical challenges ahead of him. He was a trooper.”

Any proceeds from Canal Days are turned back to the community. The proceeds from 2002 were used to fund a new flag pole, a new Fly Car for Spencerport Ambulance, and were used to refurbish all the landmark signs around town.

As Pat Hotchkiss indicated, Canal Days is at a critical point. If more volunteers do not come forward to help plan and work the 2004 Canal Days, its very existence is threatened. There is not enough manpower at this point to pull together next year’s event. Volunteers are desperately needed on all committees. No amount of time is too small.

There are several committees that could still use help for this year, especially children’s activities (contact Marlene Williamson, 352-1162) as well as others. Anyone with time available can call the Canal Days hotline at 349-1311. The address is P.O. Box 331, Spencerport, NY 14559. The website for Canal Days is www.ogdenny.com/canaldays.

This year’s 2003 Canal Days is dedicated to the late Tom Vandertang.