Over 100 arts and crafts vendors are expected to show their artistic creations this year at the 2007 Spencerport Canal Days on Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29. Sue LeBeau of Beau Productions, who coordinates the arts and crafts vendors, gave a preview of some new Canal Days participants. “This year we will have an ample selection of jewelers but also some new vendors who will offer items like edible sand art, homemade suckers, painted roof slates, canvas bags and gourd bowls,” LeBeau said. Canal Days visitors can expect a variety of food offered throughout the weekend. Food can be found at the Spencerport Firemen’s Field and also near the entertainment tent on Union Street. Some of these food vendors include area community organizations like the Lions Club of Spencerport and the Kiwanis Club of Spencerport. The profits that these groups make as well as what other community organizations make from their food booths benefit many worthy community causes. Street dance kicks off Canal Days A street dance on Friday, July 27 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. will kick off the annual Spencerport Canal Days festivities. Country western band JB and Company will be the featured act along with another special guest. This five-member band describes themselves as having, “vocals that can go from lush and romantic to hard and edgy, and a range of material that provides favorites for just about everyone,” as quoted from the band’s Website at www.jbandco.com. In order to accommodate the stage and the crowd, Union Street from Amity Street to West Avenue will be closed during the street dance. Plenty of food, from local food businesses and vendors, will be available during this Friday night event. All arts and crafts and other food vendors will begin on Saturday, July 28. Spencerport Canal Days Car Show Tradition continues with the 2007 Canal Days Car Show on Saturday, July 28. Canal Days festival goers can find this popular car show at Pineway Ponds Park located outside of the Village of Spencerport. This event is free to spectators. Parking for all spectators is available at Terry Taylor School, one-half mile north of the park. On the day of the show, registration will be held 9-11:30 a.m. with peer voting from 12-1:30 p.m. Parking at Pineway Ponds will be open only for Car Show participants until 1 p.m. Trophies will be presented at 3:30 for 24 classes, Best of Show, and Mayor’s choice. A free shuttle bus will run between Canal Days, Terry Taylor School and Pineway Ponds Park. Registration for car show participants is $15 the day of the show. Paul Eksten and Rich Francis co-chair this Canal Days event and work year round to make this car show happen. Eksten described their Canal Days work as an enthusiasm for cars and their community. “We are all a special caliber of enthusiasts; most driven by our passion for the cars and the promotion of being able to show them off with all the hard work that goes into them. We also have our passion for Spencerport, and the addition of this event during Canal Days is a perfect fit. The proceeds from the show are invested back into the community in many ways, including park improvements, additions, and other around town perks,” said Eksten. The car classes that make up this show include Special Interests, Original Corvettes, Street Rods, Foreign Originals and other categories including Original and Modified and Commercial Foreign and Modified. Sponsors help make this event a success. Suburban News, Barton’s Parkside Hots, PDM Advisors, Galaxie Auto Parts and Resch Automotive are the local community businesses who sponsor this event. Car Show pre-registration forms are available on the Canal Days website at www.spencerportcanaldays.com. Race on the Erie Canal puts some splash in festival Canal Days goers can enjoy the annual Canal Days Race on the Canal on Sunday, July 29 starting at 1:00 p.m. This race will include canoe, kayak and tandem races. The starting line will be by the Martha Street bridge and the finish line will be at the Union Street bridge. This race will consist of kayaks and canoes. The first race will be with single kayaks and is open to eight racers. The second race will be a doubles race with canoes and tandems, and will also be open to eight racers. This year, the Race on the Canal will look differently from past Canal Days races which have included rafts, and many other different types of handmade creations. The race committee was looking to change the event to encourage more people to enter. With the help of St. John Fisher College intern Bobby Zucco, this event came to be. Zucco came to work at Ogden Parks and Recreation in May. According to Zucco, “The Race on the Canal was my first big assignment.” During his first few days at Ogden Recreation he met with Peter O’Brien, director of Ogden Parks and Recreation, along with some Canal Days Committee members “to come up with some ideas and continue the tradition of the Race on the Canal,” Zucco said. He enlisted the help of Dave Connors, owner of Canaltown Paddlesports, who has donated the kayaks, canoes and tandems for the race. Zucco approached Connors, a local Spencerport resident, about becoming involved with the Race on the Canal. Connors, who had already committed to being a Canal Days vendor, said, “I knew this event was a place I could become involved.” Zucco encourages people to come to either participate in or watch the Canal Days Race on the Canal. “We are going to add some fun challenges to the race, maybe even make it like a two-legged race,” he said with a laugh. This event is free to all participants; however, racers must enter by 10 a.m. on July 29. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place winners. Interested racers may enter at the Canal Days Information Booth at Canal Days. Registration forms for the Race on the Canal are also available on the Canal Days Website at www.spencerportcanaldays.com. The Canaligators are coming! When Spencerport resident Gary Tiernan came up with an idea for a new event for Canal Days, the Canal Days Committee members knew it would be a success. Tiernan came up with idea for the canaligator during an evening walk along the canal with his fiancée, Judy Ciulis. “We were walking along the canal one evening and we saw a log floating in the canal. It looked like an alligator but Judy said, ‘No, it’s a Canaligator.’ Soon after we saw Ginny Swarthout, director of the Canal Days Committee, and told her the idea and that then grew into the Canaligator Race,” Tiernan said. According to Canal Days Committee member Kathy Magin, the group knew they needed to come up with new ideas to keep attracting people to Canal Days. “At first we were joking about this idea, wondering how we could make it work. But, we found small rubber alligators from a promotions company. We’ve researched and tested these samples to make sure they would survive the canal. We’ve floated these alligators in bathtubs, hot tubs, even pools,” said Magin. Throughout the month of July, canaligators have been on sale at area Spencerport and Ogden businesses and offices for $5 each. Each canaligator will be numbered and a list will be kept with purchaser’s name of that numbered canaligator. On Sunday, July 29, the canaligators will be launched into the canal. The first canaligator crossing the finish line will win a first place prize. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place canaligator finishers. “The proceeds from this event will be given to a community project,” Swarthout said. At the end of the race all of the canaligators will be collected from the canal to be used again in next year’s race. Check the information booth for the Canaligators display. Trolley Museum joins in Canal Days festivities The Spencerport Depot and Canal Museum located on the canal banks in the Village of Spencerport will take part in the Canal Days festivities. The Depot, which also serves as a Visitors Center, will be open on Friday, July 27 from 2 to 8 p.m., on Saturday, July 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday, July 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Depot volunteers will be available throughout the weekend to guide visitors. The museum is also a depot branch of the Ogden Farmers’ Library. Library materials and books will also be available at the Depot. On Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29, the Genesee Valley Woodcarvers will show their talents and creations in front of the Depot Museum. Year after year, volunteers make Canal Days happen “Canal Days is rooted in the cornerstone of our community,” said Kathy Magin, a Canal Days Committee member. Magin’s involvement with Canal Days began five years ago when, “A group of friends had some time, so we wanted to give our time to Canal Days,” she said. Magin continues her involvement and most of her group of friends give their time during Canal Days weekend. Magin played a key role in helping to make a new event, Canaligator, a part of Canal Days. “I helped to make Canaligator come to life in a swimmingly wonderful way,” Magin said. The Canaligator event will be held on Sunday, July 29. Small green rubber alligators will be launched into the Canal and the first alligator crossing the finish line will be the winner. Magin helped to procure the alligators and also was part of the team who researched and tested the alligators. Magin wears many different hats in her roles with Canal Days. Magin, along with another Canal Days Committee member Gail McQuilkin, has coined themselves “garbageologists” explained Magin. “We found our niche in garbage,” she added with a laugh. “We drive around Canal Days on golf carts and pick up garbage. We fill the dumpsters and the village empties the dumpsters.” Magin’s husband, John, also gives his time to Canal Days. “My husband helps by setting up and taking down the roadway blockades at the beginning and ending of Canal Days,” she said. In her past five years with Canal Days, Magin has helped to solicit donations, worked with vendors and also worked in the Canal Days Information Booth. She encourages people to give their time to Canal Days, “You don’t have to donate your time for the whole weekend, just give a few hours. Canal Days is a great time to show off our community,” said Magin. Ginny Swarthout, director of the Canal Days Committee, began her involvement with Canal Days 25 years ago. Denny Marra, one of the founding fathers of Canal Days, came into Swarthout’s then-newly opened business, The Unique Shop. “He was talking to me about how difficult it was to get help for Canal Days. I said to him, ‘You are talking to the wrong lady because you’ve never come to me for help before,’ ” Swarthout said. Swarthout describes herself as the, “grandmother of the Canal Days Committee.” During her 25 years of involvement with Canal Days she has had a variety of responsibilities but mainly as the director and also head of the committee for craft vendor selection. She sees Canal Days as a vehicle for people to get to learn about the area. “It exposes Spencerport to a wider community. We have people who move here because of Canal Days,” said Swarthout. Swarthout is committed to working on the Canal Days Committee for many reasons but most importantly because, “I love working with the committee people. We have become like a family. Everyone pitches in and we get the work done,” she said. She encourages others to give some time to Canal Days. “The level of involvement can be as little as two hours at the Canal Days Information Booth or at the canoe event or as much as being a committee member and attending monthly meetings,” Swarthout said. “It’s important for Spencerport to have Canal Days. Spencerport is Someplace Special and the Canal Days Committee works hard to make that happen,” Swarthout said. Erin Kane is one of the newest Canal Days Committee members. In the spring, she came to the Canal Days Committee asking how she could become involved with Canal Days. “I knew the committee needed help and when they said they needed someone to organize the children’s area, I knew this was the place for me,” said Kane. Kane has 20 years experience in children’s daycare. Kane is also a real estate agent with Prudential Real Estate which supports community volunteering by its employees. “My work supports my volunteer activities and I knew with a few hours, or a few days, I could make a difference,” Kane said. She is familiar with how the Canal Days children’s area operates because she has also volunteered there in the past. Kane’s plans for the Children’s Area include scrapbooking activities and she hopes to include some pirate-themed activities. Kane also is a Spencerport resident and describes Canal Days as a great community event and great way for people to get involved, “What a cool way to help right here at home,” Kane said. Like Magin and Swarthout, Kane encourages people to volunteer some time at Canal Days, “It’s important to me to give to my community. I hope others can, too,” she said. Gail McQuilkin has been a part of the Canal Days Committee for over ten years. She came to the Canal Days Committee because, “I wanted to get involved with something, so I chose Canal Days,” McQuilkin said. Like Magin, she has shouldered many different Canal Days responsibilities, “I’m a handy Andy, run here, run there, get this, get that,” McQuilkin said. Years ago, when Canal Days was run by volunteers, McQuilkin remembered working to get the grounds ready for the vendors. “We would spray paint on the ground at each vendor’s area and sometimes we would duct tape the area. I remember one year when the weather was so bad we were chasing tents across Union Street,” she added with a laugh. She describes her work on behalf of Canal Days as “a lot of fun. I enjoy getting to see people,” she said. She also worked on the jury selection committee, reviewing artists’ works and other samples in order to select the vendors for Canal Days. This preparation and selection entailed many hours throughout the year. During the Canal Days weekend, McQuilkin also continues to work with fellow ‘garbageologist’ Kathy Magin. “We enjoy our work. We ride in the golf carts, clean the tables, pick up the garbage and do it all over again,” she said. This year, McQuilkin is helping to coordinate the volunteers for this year’s Canal Days events. McQuilkin would like other people to become involved with Canal Days. “It gives you satisfaction to help with a hometown event,” she said. Many other people work to make Canal Days happen, this story profiles just a few Canal Days Committee members. Anyone interested in giving their time to a worthy community event can contact Gail McQuilkin at 352-6000 to volunteer at this year’s Canal Days.
© July 22, 2007 - Westside News Inc. |
