Celebrate C and O Canal's 45th Birthday!

Date: January 6, 2016
Contact: Ben Helwig, 301-491-6259

Celebrate C&O Canal National Historical Park’s 45th Birthday and the National Park Service Centennial on January 8-9


Hagerstown, Md. - Join C&O Canal National Historical Park (NHP) to celebrate its 45th birthday on January 8 in Cumberland, Md. and January 9 at Great Falls Tavern in Potomac, Md. Thirty years of public debate over the future of the “Grand Old Ditch” ended onJanuary 8, 1971 when President Nixon signed legislation creating the C&O Canal NHP. Today, the park is a vital resource to the region, generating over $91.9 million in visitor spending in 2014.  

In Cumberland, the public is invited to a brief celebration onFriday, January 8, 2016at the Western Maryland Railway Station at 13 Canal Street in downtown Cumberland, Maryland, beginning at1 p.m. Following brief remarks and the announcement of a special Centennial project sponsored by the C&O Canal Association, cake and punch will be served. For additional information, contact the Cumberland C&O Canal Visitor Center at [phone].

At Great Falls Tavern, onSaturday, January 9, 2016 from 1:00 p.m.until3:00 p.m., park staff, volunteers, and visitors will observe the park’s 45th birthday with birthday cake, music, and 19th century games. Come sign our birthday card and make a wish for the Canal during the Centennial year! A C&O Canal mule will make a special appearance. The celebration is free, but there is an entrance fee to the park of $10.00 per single vehicle. The park entrance to Great Falls Tavern is located at the intersection of Falls Rd. and MacArthur Blvd. in Potomac, Maryland. For more information about the concert and the park, call 301-767-3714.

The Centennial of the National Park Service will be celebrated throughout 2016. Stay tuned to the Park’s website,www.nps.gov/chohand the Centennial webiste,findyourpark.com, for more events celebrating 100 years of the National Park Service. Follow us on Facebook at chesapeakeandohiocanal and on Twitter @COcanalNPS