It was a beautiful, sunny, and successful day for The Seneca County House of Concern’s fundraising event, Canal Crawl Paddling Poverty on Saturday, August 20th. Launching from Oak Island, serenaded by the acoustic duo Brad & Anna, seventy-seven paddlers (70 adults, 7 children) took to the water in over sixty water craft, which included kayaks, tandem kayaks, canoes, a paddle boat and a stand up paddle board. From there they paddled through the Waterloo lock heading towards Seneca Falls on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.
There were antique boats on the water offering assistance, handing out water and providing musical entertainment by Joe’s Auto Body band. There was a scavenger hunt along the way, snacks lowered in buckets from the Water Falls Bridge and lunch and additional entertainment by Infrared Radiation Orchestra when participants disembarked at the Seneca Falls Recreation Center.
The Canal Crawl’s mascot created by Kim Marble of Seneca Falls, specifically for the event, was unveiled for photo ops. Initially called the Canal Creature, it was officially named “Canal Croaker” by one of the participants.
Because of generous sponsors, including The Young Agency, del Lago Resort & Casino, and T.R.A.C. Team, 100% of the proceeds will go toward serving the Seneca County House of Concern’s mission. The events net proceeds totaled over $10,000.
Special thank you goes to the New York Canal Corp., the Village of Waterloo, the Waterloo Police Department and the Waterloo Community Center, the Town of Seneca Falls, the Seneca Falls Police Department and the Seneca Falls Recreation Center, as well as the Seneca County Sheriff Department, Boy Scouts of Seneca Falls, Elks Lodge #992, Seneca Daily, Fuzzy Guppies, the music artists, basket raffle donors, numerous committee members and event volunteers, without whom the event would not have been possible
Last but certainly not least, The Seneca County House of Concern would like to thank all of the people who came out to paddle, as well as the friends and family who pledged money for our cause. You are truly helping to feed minds with knowledge, stomachs with food and hearts with hope.
Photos by Charlie Cappellino, Tammy Mills and Karen Beals