Rich Newberg and Tim Bohen will conclude the EC200 Speaker Series with a presentation called “Charting the Course for Canalside: The Erie Canal Legacy Lives On.” They will discuss the development of Canalside, from the initial concept to the grand opening ceremonies. Learn about the history of the Canal District in Buffalo and the legacy of the grain scoopers to the launch of the Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief. Balladeer Stuart Shapiro will also perform a few numbers that finished first in Erie Canal original song writing competitions.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) is presenting the 2025 Erie Canal Bicentennial Commemoration at Canalside in Buffalo, NY from Memorial Day through September. The EC200 Speaker Series will take place in the Buffalo Naval Park’s Hangar Building on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. This series is co-sponsored by the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park and The Buffalo History Museum.

Speakers will include subject matter experts regarding Buffalo’s Erie Canal heritage and those who were key in helping develop the Waterway of Change: Complex Legacies of the Erie Canal exhibit in the Longshed Building.