The Bureau of Facility Design and Construction, a part of the DCNR that manages state park infrastructure projects, featured the rehabilitation of the Delaware Canal in its spring newsletter. The article provides a good overview of state and FEMA efforts to repair damages to the canal caused by a series of devastating floods.

This summer additional sections of the canal will reopen. Keep an eye on the Delaware Canal State Park website and the D&L blog for further updates.

A lively stretch of the Delaware Canal from Centre Bridge to New Hope will be explored during a “Member’s Choice Walk” on Sunday, July 19. The 9.5 mile round trip hike, sponsored by the Friends of the Delaware Canal, will begin at 10 a.m. at the Virginia Forrest Recreation Area located off River Road, approximately 1-1/4 miles north of Centre Bridge.

Joan Aichele will lead the first “Member’s Choice Walk,” an event designed to let members of the Friends of the Delaware Canal showcase their favorite section of the waterway. Joan is an experienced Canal walker and has acquired her talents as a group leader through her participation in the Delaware Valley chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. She will explain why she likes the Centre Bridge to New Hope section best and share stories about the sights along the way. Stopping for lunch at Dilly’s Corner is an option.

The Member’s Choice Walk is free, and the public is welcome. For more information, call 215-862-2021, e-mail friends@fodc.org or visit http://www.fodc.org/.

If you’ve ever wished that you could have seen the Canal in the days when mules still pulled coal-filled boats along the waterway, your opportunity has returned. By popular demand, the two vintage 1930′s Delaware Canal films that were presented at the Friends of the Delaware Canal’s September 2008 meeting are going to be shown again.

As he promised, Lance Metz, historian at the National Canal Museum, preserved the movies by converting the old and very delicate 16 mm film to digital media. The enlightening and entertaining films are now ready to show again.

DATE: Sunday, June 28
TIME: 4 p.m.
PLACE: Phillips’ Mill, 2619 River Road, New Hope. The parking lot is accessed by turning off River Road just north of the Mill.

Since the September show was so popular, reservations are required for this program. A donation of $5 per person is requested. Half of the proceeds will be donated to the National Canal Museum Archives to help defray the cost of the film conversion.

To make your reservations, please contact friends@fodc.org.

For more info about the films and presentation, click here.