Lock 24 was the first lock in operation on the new statewide Barge Canal in 1910 – which means the current Baldwinsville lock has been operating for 100 years! Now that’s worth celebrating. An ad hoc committee has held several events this summer to celebrate this centennial with the theme “Barge Into Baldwinsville”. This Saturday, August 28 has been declared Barge Into Baldwinsville Day, with performances, speeches and parades for everyone to enjoy. The first BIB Day event will be a boat parade on Friday night, August 27, at 7 p.m. The best viewing will be from the South Wall near Lock 24, Paper Mill Island, or Mercer Park. Boats will meet at Cooper’s Marina at 6 p.m. The event was scheduled for nighttime so the boats can show off their lights, but it should be light enough for the audience to see the boats as well. Any boaters who want to join in the parade should call the Baldwinsville Public Library at 635-5631 and ask to speak to a Barge Into Baldwinsville Committee member. Saturday morning will kick off with a street parade from Lock Street and East Genesee Street down to Paper Mill Island, starting at 11 a.m. “We have just about everything for a good old-fashioned parade except a band, and we may get that before Friday. We have the VFW Color Guard, firetrucks, people with banners, politicians, vintage cars and a tractor,” said Meg VanPatten, Reference Librarian at the Baldwinsville Public Library. VanPatten will be Grand Marshall, riding a yellow convertible Mustang in the parade. Following the parade a commemorative plaque will be presented to Lock 24 at the lock house, with speeches by dignitaries and thanks for the many sponsors of the plaque, including the Beauchamp Club, the Village of Baldwinsville and the Town of Van Buren. From noon to 7 p.m., Paper Mill Island will offer performances and festivities. Various groups will perform on the Budweiser Stage starting at 12:30 p.m., while kids’ games and food will be available from noon until 7 p.m. The Canal Corporation tugboat “Syracuse” will be tied up at the island for viewing, and kids can get their picture taken on a cute little tug nearby. Lock Chief Andrew Derby will be offering tours of Lock 24 hourly at half past the hour, starting from the Barge Into Baldwinsville Information Booth. Several organizations will have booths, including the Shacksboro Museum at the Schoolhouse, Baldwinsville Public Library, PACB-TV (Channel 98), and a Fine Arts Tent, where several local groups will offer information about arts opportunities in the community. Anyone may submit a poster for the Poster Contest which will be judged in three age categories: ages 3-8, ages 9-13, or 14 to adult. Create a poster depicting the theme: “Barge Into Baldwinsville: 100 Years at Lock 24”. Bring it to the Barge Into Baldwinsville Information Booth between noon and 4 p.m. Please write the artist’s name, address, age (or family group) and phone number on the back of your poster. Winners will receive a gift certificate to the Shacksboro Museum Gift Shop, a Baldwinsville hat, or a Barge Into Baldwinsville T-shirt. Children will be entertained with old-fashioned kids’ games, woodworking opportunities in the Home Depot tent and a “bouncy house,” all free of charge. The Baldwinsville Volunteer Center is coordinating with the Shacksboro Museum to arrange volunteers for the games and the bouncy house. Please call 638-0251 if you are interested in helping out. Food will include cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs and pizza frites, root beer floats and ice cream cones. These delectable delights will be provided by the Shacksboro Museum, the local chapter of Rotary International, the Methodist Men’s Club, Ice Cream Crossing, and the Barge Into Baldwinsville Committee. Performers on the Budweiser Stage will include several community groups as well as professional musicians. The Baldwinsville Theatre Guild will sing some selections from its recent musical production, followed by traditional English morris dancing by Thornden Morris of Syracuse and Heartwood Morris of Ithaca. The Village Singers will sing old favorites, followed by the alternative rock band East of Earth. Two local librarians will tell canal stories as the Canal Girl Storytellers, then announce the winners of the poster contest. The “best male a cappella singing group in Syracuse”, noXcuse, will then sing intricate vocal arrangements. Then at 6 pm, the Baldwinsville Community Band will present a concert, with Phill Sterling conducting. The Barge Into Baldwinsville Committee includes Baldwinsville Mayor Joe Saraceni, Lock Chief Andy Derby, Community Band Director Phill Sterling, Director of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse Sue McManus, Town of Lysander Historian Bonnie Kisselstein, and several librarians from the Baldwinsville Public Library. More information on Barge Into Baldwinsville events and Lock 24 history is available on the committee’s website, bargeintobville.wordpress.com. Budweiser Amphitheater Schedule for Aug. 28
1 p.m. Thornden & Heartwood Morris Dancers
2 p.m. The Village Singers
3 p.m. East of Earth
4 p.m. Canal Girls Storytellers
5 p.m. NoXcuse
6 p.m. Baldwinsville Community Band
Pictured is the Lois McClure, a replica canal boat that visited Baldwinsville Aug. 13 and 14.
12:30 p.m. Baldwinsville Theatre Guild