Delaware Canal Festival promises to be just ducky
BRISTOL – Don’t look now, but giant yellow ducks are invading the Bristol Lagoon. Okay, not really, but their smaller counterparts will be out in force this weekend for the Delaware Canal Festival.
Events are being held in the boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville, both Landmark Towns of Bucks County, on June 21 and 22.
“We’re excited because there will be two new concepts introduced - a decorated duck contest and a brand new illuminated wish boat float,” said Susan Taylor, executive director of the Friends of the Delaware Canal. “It should be a spectacle.”
The fun begins at Bristol Borough Lagoon Park at 700 Jefferson Avenue on Friday, June 21 starting at 7:30 p.m.
Yoga classes from PT Transformations, located on Mill Street and owned by Patrick Mulhern, will start things out with a stand-up paddleboard yoga demonstration.
“People from the class will be doing yoga out on the lagoon,” said Taylor. “A headstand executed on a paddleboard while floating on the water promises to be a sight to see.”
The rubber ducks that people have been decorating for weeks also will be on display, and plain ducks can be bedazzled that evening at a duck decorating station. Winners will be chosen, and cash prizes awarded.
In addition, the McCloskey Family Trio will perform Irish folk tunes and Americana, community groups will be sharing information about upcoming events, such as Historic Bristol Day and Canal Walk 2013, and there will be food and beverages.
And as the sun goes down, the evening will conclude with the launching of little candle-lit boats with wishes written on their sails that will cast their lights upon the waters of the lagoon.
“We’ve made little flat boats out of corrugated plastic sign board and in the kit are your flat boat, wooden skewer, a tea light and a paper sail. The intent is to write your wishes on the sail,” said Taylor. “That night, we’ll have volunteers light the candles and set them afloat on the lagoon. It should be pretty and I’m sure it will make all those wishes come true.”
On Saturday, June 22 the Festival arrives in Morrisville. Events for young and old will begin at 2 p.m. in the field next to the Actors’ NET Theatre, 635 North Delmorr Avenue.
drammy Award winner children’s musician Jonathan Sprout will perform his latest releases, including songs about American heroes. More decorated ducks will be on display, and the duck bedazzling station will be open for business. The Morrisville winners will be selected and cash prizes awarded.
There will be a clothes line art show featuring canal-themed works created by local children and adults. Food and beverages will be plentiful, and community groups will share their stories.
The whole idea behind the festival, said Taylor, “is to bring more awareness of the canal, what it has to offer, raise some funds to help with canal improvements and promote our Landmark Towns.”
When the canal was built, both Bristol and Morrisville experienced tremendous growth because opportunity came to town as a way of conveying goods and getting goods, said Taylor. “Both had coal yards. And Bristol was the terminus for boats headed to Philadelphia from the north. If you look at old pictures during the canal’s heyday, Bristol was a bustling place.”
The lagoon itself, said Taylor, was constructed for recreational purposes, making it unique along the 60 mile corridor stretching from Bristol to Easton. The Delaware Canal Festival is co-sponsored by Landmark Towns of Bucks County, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, and the Friends of the Delaware Canal.
Now’s the time to get ready for the Decorated Duck Contests in Bristol and Morrisville. Buy a plain yellow rubber duck now and make it fancy in any way you wish. The ducks are available for a contribution of $5 each or three for $10 and can be purchased in advance at locations listed at www.delawarecanalfestival. org. They also can be bought and decorated at the Festival. Proceeds benefit Delaware Canal improvement efforts.
Cash prizes will be awarded to winners in six categories: Best of Show, People’s Choice, Most Beautiful, Most Imaginative, Most Humorous, and Most Typical of the Canal.
The Delaware Canal Festival has something for everyone.
For more information about the Delaware Canal Festival, go to www.delawarecanalfestival.org, find Delaware Canal Festival on Facebook, or call 215-862-2021.