The next meeting of the Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway will be Sept 12 at Schenectady Distilling Company, 3304 Amsterdam Road, Glenville. This will be a tasting open to the public. We supply the Erie Canal related presentation, drum up an attendance of forty people, and they will provide a tasting of their products.
This will be a pleasant, relaxed departure from our usual meetings which tend to be totally focused on the Byway; the Erie Canal; and the waterway west. I plan on bringing a power point type presentation (lots of images) of the “State of the Byway”.
This is a kick-off of our public availability sessions on the draft Corridor Management Plan (CMP). Sure it is a bit different than any other Byway has done it, but why not? The “State of the Byway” summarizes sections 1, 2, and 3 of the CMP. I will add a slide or two to show where the nearest Erie Canal features are to the Distillery (which features “36 Locks beverages”). Here’s an approximate schedule of what we have planned:
- 4 to 5 PM – Tour of the distillery and tasting
- 5 to 8 PM – hors d’oeuvres
- 6 to 7 PM – Byway Presentation, questions, discussion, answers
From a historic perspective alcohol played an important part in building the Erie Canal. Treated municipal water, that we take for granted, was not available. In the spirit of building public acceptance of our Byway plan, let’s relax and enjoy each other’s company as exhausted canal workers must have ended the day of moving mud and stumps to make way for what is now history?
Note that attendees are expected to make a $5 donation to the Byway on entry. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available for us tea-toddlers who are encouraged to provide car pool or rides for others!
Friends of the Mohawk Towpath Byway 