The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
‘Rolling documentary’
CANASTOTA, N.Y. >> Tuesdays on the Towpath is back and kicked things off with a ride through Canastota canal history.
Tuesdays at the Towpath is a series of recreational bike rides in and around the Erie Canal hosted by local canalmuseums and organizations that teach the history of the waterway.
Before the ride, Canastota Canal Town Museum President Joseph DiGiorgio said museum staff go over the canal’s history with riders and just what used to be along the canal back in the olden days.
The first ride saw cyclists start at the Canas
tota Canal Town Museum and ride around 5 miles to BeeBe Bridge Road. That stretch of canal was home to quite a bit of history, DiGiorgio was happy to share.
“There were feed mills and industrial parks going west,” DiGiorgio said. “Right across the street from the museum, there was a feed mill.”
DiGiorgio showed cyclists photos of the canal back in the late 1800s and the industry that thrived along it. Even back then, times were changing as DiGiorgio pointed out the tractors farmers drove instead of horse and buggy.
“There was a cider mill here at one time,” DiGiorgio said. “Canastota was famous for cider and vinegar, but out of that, pectin was made. The company that made it was called Certo and it’s still sold today.”
Other factories include the Watson Wagon Company, famous for its belly wagons, and the Ideal Cut Glass factory, where workers made everything from windows to bottles.
One of the riders on the towpath was Alan Williamson, a candidate for council in the town of Lenox. Williamson said he did three Tours on the Towpath just last year.
“They were great,” Williamson. “It’s like a rolling documentary. I did the one in Syracuse, Rome and the Chittenango Landing. They’re all different because it’s different areas and different history. The Syracuse one was awesome because it explains why the buildings in Syracuse are where they are and why [Interstate] 81 takes that weird dip. I learned all sorts of interesting stuff.”
Williamson said he thinks activities like Tuesdays on the Towpath are a great way to not just learn, but get active.
“It’s great, this brings the community together,” said Derrick Pratt, director of programs at the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum.
“It shows the history,” said Bob Lake, a Chittenango resident.
“And events like this bring groups together that might not interact, like cyclists and historians,” Pratt said. “There are people who learn about the canal just from events like this. Then there are people like me who haven’t ridden a bike in years and now I’m here.”
After the trip, riders were invited into the Canastota Canal Town Museum to check out the exhibits.
The next Tuesday on the Towpath ride is at the Camillus Canal Park on June 11, followed by the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum on June 25.
To learn more about Tuesdays on the Towpath, visit https://www.tourthetowpath.com/tuesdays