October 26, 2026 | Vol. I, No. 20
The Erie Canal Foundation
Canal News & Community Updates
eriecanalfoundation.org
Headlines
Last Call on the Canal: Erie Canal Closed October 14 as Fall Releases Feed Lake Ontario Creeks
The 524-mile system closed at 6 p.m. October 14, ending the 202nd season, while fall flow releases feed four spawning creeks through mid-December.
Detour Season on the Towpath: Crews Rebuild the Trail from Rochester to Rome
Three separate closures and detours are in effect as the Canal Corporation turns late season into its busiest towpath construction push in years.
Oars Above, Divers Below: 200 Rowing Shells and an Underwater Lock Inspection
About 200 rowing boats crossed the channel in Rochester October 10–11 while divers inspected six canal locks and gates before the season’s close.
Lock One Found Whole Beneath Albany’s Warehouse District
Archaeologists confirmed the 1825 lock survives essentially intact just 18 inches below a patch of grass beside I-787.
Featured
$229,757 on the Table: Applications Open Through November 20 for 2027 Canal Tourism Grants
By Sophie D’Amore | October 26, 2026
ALBANY, N.Y. — With the 202nd navigation season in the books, the Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor are looking to 2027. Applications are open through November 20 for a competitive program that will award $229,757 to tourism projects and events along the canal system, with accessibility and universal design prioritized.
Capital and equipment projects can win $5,000 to $24,000 and events $500 to $3,000, each with a one-to-one match; $963,766 has been awarded since 2022. Continue reading →
Four Miles, $3.9 Million: Rochester’s Erie Canal Trail Reopens Between Lyell and Mount Hope
The Canal Corporation reopened a four-mile stretch of the Erie Canalway Trail in Rochester October 6 after a $3.9 million rebuild with new paving, drainage and accessibility upgrades. Read more →
Canal Life
Thirty Tugs at the Front Door: Waterford Roundup Fills the Canal’s Gateway
The Waterford Tugboat Roundup filled Lock E-2 Park September 11–13 with tug tours, a heaving-line contest and harbor fireworks.
Tug Rome Joins the Fleet Where the Canal Began
A 64.5-foot ice-capable workboat, the second of four new vessels, was christened at Bellamy Harbor Park in Rome in August.
Canal as Collaborator Closes, But the Canal’s Next Artists Are Already at Work
The Erie Canal Museum closed its five-month exhibit September 27, making way for two new resident artists.
Hands On the Rope: A New Exhibit Rebalances the Erie Canal Museum
A board strung with rope asks visitors to tie a knot that will hold a boat — the leading edge of a shift in Syracuse’s 1850 Weighlock Building.
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