Cities, towns and villages nestled on the “river that flows both ways” will soon be bearing witness to the kick off the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson”™s famous voyage, which will begin with a flotilla, queuing up in Battery Park for a voyage up the Hudson on June 6.
The flotilla will be made up of seven boats, including the Half-Moon and Sloop Clearwater. Tara Sullivan, executive director the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial, hopes “as many boats as possible will join the quad”™s main flotilla on the trip.”
Along the way, the flotilla will stop in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and the Catskill/Greene county area. It will also spend an overnight between the sister cities of Newburgh and Beacon on June 7.Â
Both cities, with their own rapidly growing waterfront venues, will be partnering to celebrate the beginning of the tourism season and what they hope lure both locals and out-of-towners to consider day trips and weekend trips in the Hudson Valley.
On June 7, Newburgh and Beacon waterfronts will be buzzing with a full schedule of events planned to welcome the traveling water show. The Newburgh-Beacon ferry, as well as an ongoing trolley over the Newburgh-Beacon bridge to connect the cities”™ events, will give visitors an opportunity to visit both sides of the Hudson.Â
Newburgh”™s June 7 schedule is jam-packed: a river art walk, lectures at nearby Washington”™s headquarters and a motorcycle run with Orange County Choppers on Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard are expected to be highlights of the day. Sign up for the motorcycle ride is at the OC Choppers showroom in Newburgh.
Beacon will be just as busy, with arts, crafts and entertainment throughout the day.Â
On Monday, June 8, West Point”™s band will gather by Newburgh”™s Trestle for a free concert beginning 6:30 p.m. to say goodbye to the fleet as it prepares for the next leg of its journey.
The flotilla will continue north, visiting Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Saugerties lighthouse and then remain in the Catskill-Hudson area overnight on June 12. On June 13, it will end its 9-day tour in the Capital District, where daylong celebrations are also planned.
“This is the premiere event of the quad celebration,” said Sullivan, who hopes that the flotilla will have hundreds of boats of all sizes joining the Half-Moon and Sloop Clearwater for all or part of the trip.
For more information, a complete schedule of events in the towns and villages participating and to register your boat to join the flotilla, visit www.exploreny400.com.
