Welcome Home Ceremony: Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief

The Erie Canal Boat Seneca Chief will depart Gateway Park in North Tonawanda (99 Sweeney Street) at 9:15 a.m. Led on the water by the E.M. Cotter Fireboat and welcomed dockside by bagpiper Henry Schmitt, the boat is expected to arrive at the Commercial Slip at Canalside (44 Prime Street) at approximately 12 noon. An official Welcome Home Ceremony begins at 1 p.m., emceed by Buffalo Maritime Center Executive Director Brian Trzeciak and featuring remarks from Buffalo Maritime Center, M&T Bank Charitable Foundation, New York State Canal Corporation, Erie County, the City of Buffalo, and Indigenous Scholar Melissa Parker Leonard. The ceremony will culminate with the final Gathering of the Waters, a tradition first introduced during the 2025 Bicentennial Voyage, when communities were invited to contribute water from their part of the Erie Canal or the Hudson River to a barrel carried aboard the Seneca Chief.

Prior to the ceremony, between 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., folk duo Sally Schaefer and Tyler Bagwell will perform Erie Canal music. After the ceremony, the doors to the Seneca Chief will officially open to the public between 2PM and 5PM. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the boat's newly completed interior and educational exhibits for the first time!