The Greene-Dreher Historical Society will have a booth at the annual Canal Festival in Hawley on Saturday, August 19. We will offer a selection of books on local history, including our new publication, Blueberry Time—Recipes and Reminiscences of the Poconos’ Most Treasured Berry by Diane Smith. The author will be on hand to personalize your purchase.
The free rain-or-shine event will feature live canal-era and Native American music, guided tours of the canal house and along the towpath, artisans demonstrating their work—quilting, blacksmithing, weaving, spinning, wood carving—and other historical exhibits and demonstrations. Local nonprofit participants will include Delaware Highlands Conservancy, Lackawaxen River Conservancy, Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreational River, Audubon Society, and the 143rd NY Volunteer Infantry, Civil War reenactors. The canal store will be open, and food and baked goods will be available. The annual event is sponsored by the Wayne County Historical Society; for more information about the festival please visit their website.
The festival celebrates the history of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, which took coal from northeastern Pennsylvania to market in New York City in the 1800s. The Canal Park, a mile west of Hawley on Route 6, is open daily for walking and learning about the canal.
