Nation’s oldest transport tunnel celebrated at 35th Union Canal Day

The 35th annual Union Canal Day gave attendees a glimpse of the past under a backdrop of vast natural beauty, organized by a dedicated but small group of volunteers.

Friends of the Union Canal rental and tour coordinator Suzanne Fry said turnout for the event, which raises funds for the maintenance of the 110-acre park, was fairly high. Almost all boat tours throughout the day were fully booked, she said, and sunny weather allowed for plenty of happy guests.

Multiple food and craft vendors were set up through the park, though not as many as in some previous years. Fry said limited volunteers, and an aging volunteer-base, means less planning capacity for events like Union Canal Day.

The Friends of the Union Canal, she said, are in need of volunteers, for anything from event planning to boat tour guiding to park maintenance.

The park needs “volunteers that fall in love with the park and want to do what is within their power to do to maintain it for the future,” said Fry. “Everybody’s different — I mean, we don’t expect everybody to be a narrator. We all have our uniqueness that can be consistently applied through volunteerism here at the park. The biggest thing is consistency.”

While Union Canal Day is important for fundraising, as the park relies on fundraising and donations for most upkeep, she said it also helps to introduce the park to members of the community who may not otherwise make their way over.

The Union Canal transportation tunnel is the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States, completed in 1827 and first proposed by William Penn in 1690. Before the age of the railroad, the canal allowed traders to carry goods all the way to Philadelphia.

Read More: The rise and fall of the Union Canal: A tale of ambition, struggle, and ingenuity

Guided canal tours, like those offered on Union Canal Day, take place the first two Sundays of the month from June to September, with tours at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 p.m. Tour guides discuss the canal’s storied history as they travel the only remaining 5/8-mile section of the original canal.

Of course, Fry said, the park is also a celebration of Pennsylvania’s natural beauty. The park contains 16 trails, most grass or wood chipped, and offers a combination of farmland, woods, and meadows.

“It’s a hidden gem in Lebanon,” said Fry. “I was here at 5:45 this morning because I was waiting for my vendors, and I just sat there listening to these bird songs. That’s what this park is all about; not just the history of the canal and the tunnel that’s very important. But as far as sustaining nature within close proximity to a city, it’s just tremendous.”

Those interested in volunteering are asked to contact the Friends of the Union Canal.