Celebrating the Erie Canal in song

Bill Hullfish

Celebrating the
Erie Canal in song

Bill Hullfish, a Brockport native, and three other members of the Golden Eagle String Band, will serenade visitors at Brockport's Welcome Center at 7 p.m. on July 10.

The concert is sponsored by the New York Geographic Alliance in a program entitled "Grand Canal ExpERIEnce" in a number of stops along the canal. The public concert is free and open to the public.

Hullfish, a SUNY Brockport professor, will lead the band which is comprised of musicians who play the guitar, banjo and bass. Hullfish sings and plays the flute and whistle. "We offer an unusual repertoire of music that encompasses the length of the canal and from the Great Lakes," he said. "It will be a lively, historic program."

The Golden Eagle band has been around for more than a quarter century. Hullfish said the group celebrated 25 years a couple of years ago and released an anniversary album. He is also the author of "The Canaller's Songbook" with CD that includes 37 songs.

According to Tim McDonnell, director of the Grand Canal ExpERIEnce 2007, the goal of the Alliance is to promote geography in the classroom on all levels. "We believe that it is the forgotten discipline, that when it comes to understanding the world around us, all children are being 'left behind.' "

In 2005, the Alliance members decided to revitalize itself. "Since the Erie Canal is so critical to the history and the culture of NYS, we began planning for a week-long summer institute for teachers along the canal," McDonnell said. "On Sunday, the dream comes to fruition." There will be two groups traveling from opposite directions. The "Lock Tenders" will begin in the Hudson Valley, travel to Albany area and then up the Mohawk Valley. The "Hoggees" are beginning in Buffalo and will work their way eastward. Both groups will combine for three days of training in Syracuse. The Hoggee group will be in Brockport, to hear the Golden Eagle String Band on July 10. "We don't just want to learn about the canal; we want to celebrate it," McDonnell said.