By Connie Gering- co-chair
On the last Friday in April, forty-four exuberant third graders braved cool temperatures and gusty winds to walk from the New Hope – Solebury Upper Elementary School to the Delaware Canal Locktenders’ House in New Hope. Accompanied by their teachers and by parent chaperones, they came to add their Community Spirit to the cause of beautifying our Canal. Their mission was to plant flowers in a formerly disused flower bed adjacent to the towpath and Lock 11. They were hosted by members of New Hope for Our Canal, an organization dedicated to bringing water back to the Canal in New Hope, and by the Friends of the Delaware Canal, whose objective is to restore, preserve and improve the Delaware Canal and its surroundings.
Prior to the youngsters’ arrival, Lance Landscaping had volunteered help to till the old bed and to add fresh topsoil. In addition, The Living Earth Nursery donated pansies – chosen for their resistance to the still-chilly weather – for planting. Armed with trowels, the students dug, planted, covered the pansies’ roots and watered the freshly planted flowers. This was a new experience for many of the boys and girls, but all were enthusiastic and willing workers. Once they had done some planting, the youngsters had a chance to walk along the Canal towpath and see men and equipment working on the Canal’s restoration. They also had fun watching a mother Mallard keep her ten new ducklings together.
However, this afternoon was not just about getting dirty! The students also had an opportunity to learn about the Canal from docent John Sikora, who explained the Canal murals at the Main Street entrance and who also described how the locktenders cultivated their garden, which is still maintained in the entrance park. In addition, Susan Taylor, Executive Director of the Friends of the Delaware Canal, talked to the youngsters about the Canal’s original purpose and its place in the history of Pennsylvania. Ms. Taylor enjoyed her audience, noting, “I was impressed by how much the third graders knew about the Canal. Many had their own stories to tell about walking along the towpath. They used the lock model to understand how the ‘water elevator’ raised and lowered canal boats to their next level. They enthusiastically found out about conch shell horns, and they were excited about trying to find a piece of coal on their next trips to the Canal.”
Last but not least, the members of New Hope for Our Canal, with assistance from Rita’s Water Ice, treated their young workers to custard. A good time was had by all, and the seeds of Community Spirit were planted along with the flowers.

