Blue Links Tour of
the Hudson River
August 12 to 21, 2005
Kingston Waterfront
Festival
August 13 to 20
Once again this year, the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and Save Our Ships New York launch the "Blue Links" campaign aboard the historic fireboat John J. Harvey to resuscitate and rebuild the waterfront infrastructure that once lined the river's edge.
The tugboat Pegasus will tow Brooklyn Waterfront Museum's Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge #79 from Brooklyn to Albany and return as part of Blue Links 2005. It is a great opportunity to bring people to the River and encourage them to claim it. The Maritime Adventure kids will be crew. Kingston will welcome the renowned John J. Harvey fireboat, and Hudson River Maritime Museum will welcome the fully restored Lehigh Valley RR Barge #79 and the 1907 tugboat Pegasus to its docks.
Kingston Waterfront Festival
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The Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge #79 was built in 1914, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only floating wooden covered barge of its kind restored and ready to receive visitors. It functions as the home of the Hudson Waterfront Museum, a floating classroom, a showboat, and an art exhibition space. The highlights of the Barge #79's visit will be four Showboat Circus performances (Artistic Director Karen Gersch) which take place aboard Barge #79 and a Sunset Concert featuring Buddy Mondlock and Chris Thompson. August 14 & 20, 3:00 and 4:30 pm — Showboat Circus |
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The “Fire Boat Harvey” built in 1931, the 286 ton 130 foot vessel is one of the most powerful fireboats in service. She has five 600 hp diesel engines that can pump 18,000 gallons a minute. Retired in 1994 from active service, she came back to help during 9/11. In June 2000, the John J. Harvey was added to “The National Registry of Historic Places”. August 13 &14 and August 19 & 20 |
Hudson River communities exist because of the Hudson River, which connects
towns and cities throughout New York. Sadly, most of the piers and their
cleats, docks, bollards and fendering systems along the Hudson are long
gone, robbing the river of its vital and historic function as a highway
for people and goods.
Restoration and renewal these basic links would unleash enormous potential
for local and river-based economic development. As part of this campaign
we are conducting a river-long reconnaissance to compile a comprehensive
list of waterfront infrastructure improvements-from promenades to town
docks and ferry and vessel landings-that we believe should be included
in the upcoming Federal transportation bill, scheduled to be reauthorized
later this year.
In recent history we've been missing the boat when it comes to waterfront
investments. New York has more excursion and ferry boat riders than any
harbor in the nation. While the last iteration of the federal transportation
bill included over $100 million in funding for waterfront infrastructure,
we fared quite poorly in bringing the federal funds home.
Creating "Blue Links" is one way upstate and downstate New York can work together to draw new investment here. The federal transportation legislation, revised and updated only once every six years, can and should be a catalyst for connecting our waterfront communities with their maritime heritage, new water-related tourism, economic development opportunities, and with the water itself.
Complete Blue Links 2005 Schedule
John J. Harvey fireboat home page
Brooklyn Waterfront Museum, Lehigh Valley RR Barge #79
These periodic newsletters and announcements are published to promote the historic, cultural, and maritime resources of the Hudson River.
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