The Canal Cities Classic invites paddlers to experience the Mohawk Valley from a whole new perspective.
By Lauryn Johns
Long before highways and interstates linked our communities, the Erie Canal carried people, goods and ideas through the heart of our region. Nearly 200 years later, that same waterway continues to bring people together for recreation, adventure and a new tradition that celebrates the places we call home.
On Saturday, September 19, the inaugural Bank of Utica Canal Cities Classic will bring paddlers together for an 18-mile canoe and kayak race from Bellamy Harbor in Rome to Utica’s Historic Harbor Point. Following the Erie Canal before joining the Mohawk River, the course offers a new way to experience one of the Mohawk Valley’s defining waterways.
The weekend begins with a Friday evening pre-race celebration at Bellamy Harbor featuring live music, local food and family-friendly activities. After the race, the celebration continues at Harbor Point with awards, entertainment and food vendors.
Whether you’re planning to compete, cheer from the shoreline or simply discover a new event, the Canal Cities Classic invites us to slow down, look at our communities from a different angle and appreciate the waterways that have helped shape the Mohawk Valley for generations.
Sometimes the best way to explore where we’re headed is to follow the path that brought us here.
Canal Cities Classic
Saturday, September 19
Rome to Utica
Registration: paddleguru.com/races/BankofUticaCanalCitiesClassic
