Erie Canalway funds to help smaller canal organizations with outreach and planning
(March 2013) The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission is distributing $34,000 in grants to eleven canal-related museums and historic sites to boost their ability to preserve and share the state’s extraordinary canal heritage.
Each site came up with one project that would help them do a better job attracting and serving visitors, managing programs, or planning for the future. Sites will match the Erie Canalway grant with their own funds or in kind services to double the value of Erie Canalway’s grant.
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is home to an astonishing array of canal museums and historic sites, including aqueducts, dry docks, vessels, and collections. Yet many of them are run by small staffs or volunteers who are responsible for everything from raising money to greeting visitors to managing collections to putting on events. Unfortunately, things like training, long-range planning, or professional services are often unfunded “extras.”
“We are thrilled to be able to provide these funds to organizations enrolled in the Erie Canalway Partner Program. We anticipate that these grants will keep on giving long after the money is spent, because they will enhance the ability of our partners to do their work even more effectively,” said Beth Sciumeca, Erie Canalway Executive Director.
Recipients include:
· Burden Iron Works Museum, Troy- Long range planning
· Camillus Erie Canal Park, Camillus- Communications and outreach upgrades
· Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum, Chittenango- Pilot outreach program
· Erie Canal Discovery Center, Lockport- Communication and outreach upgrades
· Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse- Collections management
· Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, North Tonawanda- Communications and outreach upgrades
· Historic Palmyra, Palmyra- Communication and outreach upgrades
· Mohawk Towpath Byway, Schenectady to Cohoes- Long range planning
· Montezuma Historical Society/Town of Montezuma, Montezuma- Communication and outreach upgrades
· North Tonawanda History Museum, North Tonawanda- Communication and outreach upgrades
· Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry, Seneca Falls- Communication and outreach upgrades