LIFT THAT BRIDGE.....

There are 234 towns along the Erie Canal and many of them have bridges that must be raised in order for the boats to pass through.  We have two of them, and hundreds and hundreds of boats travel by our village each summer.  Many stop and stay overnight or for several days, as we have a fabulous Welcome Center where they can dock and hook up to water and electric.  There are bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities available as well as a computer and helpful volunteers guiding them.  Where else can you sign out a bike for no charge or pick up a wagon to walk to the store and get groceries.  We are the Victorian Village on the Erie Canal.

This mural is the southern gateway to our village.  It was painted by my friend Helen Smagorinsky and was presented to the village on behalf of our Art & Aesthetics Committee.  In the near future, there may be a new painting in this space.


Below is a mural that was painted on the front of a local bookstore by the Kron brothers.

Main Street is reflected in the window of the Lift Bridge Book Shop.  The addition of the mural has been a beautiful and generous gift to our community.  Kudos to the owners, Archie and Patty Kutz.

 You can see why our village is Victorian...the architecture is very rich and quaint.

We are listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
 

Our Welcome Center was built several years ago, even tho there was some controversy over funding and the usual political baloney.  I for one, am very grateful that it is there as we have become one of the most popular stops along the canal.   This is also good for the local economy.  The New York State Canal System is 534 miles long!

Phebe stands watch over the canal...a true symbol of all the effort that went into the construction of this great waterway.

You can't imagine all the different kinds of boats that stop here.

When Gary has duty at the Welcome Center, occasionally I will go down and visit the people in all the boats.  Above is the Manatee.  I was attracted to them because of their dog (Hatch) and started having a long discussion with the owners.  Soon I found out that Sandy was also an art teacher and one thing led to another.  I drove them around Brockport, helped them get fuel and am still in touch.  That summer they were heading down to the Islands for the winter and were gone for months.  They sold their cars, quit their jobs and took off for a year.  There are numbers of people who do this....they home school their kids, have huge boats and take off long periods of time to pause from the "regular" lives most of us lead.
 

The bridges are only raised for a certain number of hours per day.  At night, all of these boats have to dock somewhere.

Last summer about 50 of us went on a cruise that was a fundraiser for our Art & Aesthetics Committee.  It was a wine tasting and we did not get back until after dark.  This boat was docked in Holley, the next town to our west.

The Erie Canal has so much to offer...it takes you back to the old days.  This community is very special.  And in Rochester, there is a World Canals Conference taking place in a few days, with attendees from all over the world...some of whom will be visiting Brockport.  Welcome!

Below is a video of the Main Street lift bridge at work.