Events: Erie Canal Bicentennial Parade
The Buffalo Maritime Center has constructed a full-sized replica of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief, which first traversed the Erie Canal upon its opening in 1825. On September 24, 2025, the Seneca Chief will embark on the Bicentennial Voyage from Buffalo to New York Harbor, commemorating Gov. DeWitt Clinton’s 1825 inaugural journey.
July 10, 2025
Editor’s note: It is with very mixed feelings that we publish this article. It’s difficult to discuss events in the US without tripping over the current exasperating political horror. Yet, it’s also hard to ignore the bicentennial of the Erie Canal. The canal is remains a living museum as an important part of the 19th century waterway structure that also included Canada’s many canals, that also continue to delight boaters.
Bottom line: maybe one day we can again visit the Erie Canal, a very charming gentle cruising waterway.
This year, the Erie Canal is celebrating its bicentennial with many events across the area. When it was opened in 1825, it was a marvel of modern engineering and economic necessity. Two hundred years later, it remains an important recreational waterway connecting communities and boaters across upstate New York. On August 16, the achievement will be celebrated in Western New York with a boat parade and activities along the canal.
The Boat Parade will be led by the Buffalo Maritime Center’s Erie Canal boat Seneca Chief and the Buffalo Fire Department’s historic fireboat, the E.M. Cotter. Boats will depart from the Buffalo Launch Club at 11:30 am and will make their way down the river to the Tonawanda’s Gateway Harbor, where the parade can be viewed on both sides of the canal at approximately noon.
the Buffalo Launch Club was formed in 1903 it was the first Power Boat Club in North America, if not the world and is the oldest organization on Grand Island NY.
