A replica canal schooner that spent years traveling New York’s waterways as a floating classroom is set to become a permanent attraction at the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park in Port Byron this weekend.
The Canal Society of New York State will officially dedicate the Lois McClure on Saturday during a ceremony marking both the vessel’s arrival and the 10th anniversary of the heritage park’s opening.
The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. May 9 at the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park in Port Byron. Organizers said the schooner will now serve as a permanent centerpiece inside the site’s historic 1853 Enlarged Erie Canal lock.
The Lois McClure has operated throughout the Erie Canal system since 2004, offering educational programs focused on New York’s canal history and maritime heritage.
Canal Society President Captain Tammee Poinan Grimes said the project fulfills a long-standing vision to place a canal boat within the former canal prism at the park.
“The vision of a canal boat in the former canal prism within the park is now a reality with the help of generous contributors, dedicated volunteers, partners and talented professionals,” Grimes said in a statement.
Officials from the New York State Canal Corporation, Thruway Authority and Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor are expected to attend the ceremony alongside members of the McClure family.
Programming connected to the dedication will run throughout the day at the Samuel Center for Canal History on Rochester Street in Port Byron. Presentations will include discussions about the Lois McClure project, the history of the heritage park and a screening of the documentary “America’s Stairway” about Lockport’s Flight of Five locks.
Organizers said no public parking will be available at the heritage park site during the event. Visitors are instead being directed to park at the Samuel Center for Canal History or the Port Byron Central School athletic fields, where shuttle buses will transport attendees to event locations.
The Canal Society of New York State was founded in 1956 and operates both the Old Erie Canal Heritage Park and the Samuel Center for Canal History in Port Byron.
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