Walkway Over the Hudson
October 2, 3 and 4, 2009
All volunteer positions for Opening Weekend have now been filled. Thanks to all of you who responded. We look forward to seeing everyone up on the bridge after it opens at 3:00 pm on October 3rd.
Pageant Puppetry Workshop
Right now and through September 25th world renowned Pageant Puppeteers Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles are working on building the beautiful parade elements for the Walking on Air Procession on October 3. The workshop is at FOODWORKS, 372 Main Street in the heart of downtown Poughkeepsie. This wonderful space is great for everyone and is a hotbed of creativity. Come learn new skills, have fun, share stories, meet new folks, and make the Giant Puppet elements for the Walking on Air Parade. There are projects for all skill levels. Learn more here.
For more information email: openingcelebration@walkway.org
For other volunteer opportunities not related to the grand opening celebration, contact walkway@walkway.org.
http://walkway.org/dynamic.php?id=volunteer
walkway.org
…
HISTORY: From Rails to Trails
October 3, 2009, marks the opening of the Walkway over the Hudson, completing the transformation of the historic Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge into a mile-long pedestrian path soaring 212 feet above the Hudson River. Completed in 1881, the bridge was an engineering marvel and the longest bridge in the world at the time, spanning over 6000 feet. Closed after a track fire in 1974, it remained abandoned until a grass-roots restoration effort began in 1992 with the founding of Walkway Over the Hudson. A Dyson Foundation grant paved the way for the Walkway Opening this year, as a signature event of the Hudson-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration.
OPENING PROCESSION: Water, Steam, Air
The Walking on Air Procession will mark the first public steps across the Walkway, as the bridge becomes the stage for a site-specific performance artwork created and performed by several thousand volunteers. Two simultaneous processions will set out from opposite ends of the bridge, representing not only the east and west shores now joined by the Walkway, but also the history of the Hudson itself as a convergence point of cultures (native and European), economies (maritime and continental), and ecologies (salt and freshwater).
The procession will open with visual elements drawn from three distinct periods in the bridge’s history. Act One, entitled Water, explores the early maritime history and unique tidal ecology of the Hudson. Act Two, Steam, celebrates the engineering marvel of Poughkeepsie Rail Bridge itself, and its role in the industrial age of coal and commerce. Act Three, Air, completes the upward progression and celebrates what the bridge has become, a breathtaking passage into thin air. We will harness wind-powered structures to catch the wind and mark the transformation of the bridge into a human-centered space, and our transcendence from the Coal Age to an imminent future of local, human-scaled power.
WORKSHOPS: Hudson Valley Puppetraisings
We are calling for volunteers to build the visual elements for the Procession in free community workdays from July 18 to September 27, in Poughkeepsie, at the Pavilion-on-the-Hudson until August 2 and thereafter on 372 Main Street. No experience is necessary, and we will introduce participant to a variety of lightweight processional art techniques and materials. We also plan to invite guest speakers on a variety of Hudson River topics – from railroad history to estuary ecology to wind engineering – to provide inspiration and historical specificity for the workshops, as we shape Hudson River narratives into large-scale kinetic artworks. Contact us for more information if you would like participate, or check the schedule posted below.
50 TOWNS and 50 ARTISTS: Flags and Emblems
The Parade of the Towns embodies the Walkway ethic of grass-roots celebration, enlisting the artistic reflections over a thousand Hudson Valley participants of all ages and backgrounds. In June, we led workshops throughout Ulster and Dutchess Counties to lay the groundwork for selected artists to make 50 individual Town Emblems and to lead their communities in the creation of thousands of unique flags, to be carried as a canopy of local color. More info.
…
Opening Weekend, October 2, 3 & 4
The former Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad bridge will officially open to the public as the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park at 3:00 pm, Saturday, October 3rd. Various celebrations and festivities are planned for the weekend and are noted below.
Traffic is expected to be heavy this weekend, and there will be no on-site parking for the bridge. Parking and shuttle bus service will be available from several designated parking lots in both Poughkeepsie and Highland. For information regarding parking and busing, click here.
Friday, October 2, 2009, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Out of the Shadows – The Grand Illumination of the Walkway Over the Hudson
The evening’s events will include:
River of Light Promenade (7:00 pm)
1,000 Points of Light Lantern Release (after promenade)
Light Exhibition on the Mid-Hudson Bridge
JJ Harvey Illuminated Fire Boat (all evening)
Waryas Park Band Shell from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm featuring the Big Band Sound sponsored by Bridgeway Federal Credit Union and the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Fireworks between the Walkway Over the Hudson bridge and Mid-Hudson bridge (approx. 8pm)
The best viewing for this event will be Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie and Oakes Road in Highland.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Land, Sea, Air and In-Between the Walkway!
9:00 am – 11:00 am
The Marist College Crew presents a recreation of the famed Poughkeepsie Regatta between Roger’s Point and the Mid-Hudson Bridge.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Official Grand Opening Ceremony – by Invitation Only
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
A variety of activities will be taking place in Waryas Park during this time, including:
Clearwater & Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association Music Festival
One River, May Streams Folk Festival, presented by the Dutchess County Arts Council
Clearwater River Cruises
Theatre Performance of “Mutual Strangers” by Arm of the Sea Theatre group at 6:00 p.m.
Highland HudsonFest Street Fair in the Hamlet of Highland (http://www.hudsonfest.com)
1:00 pm
Tying of the Knot: Throwing open the gates on both sides of the river by County Executives.
This will be the Grand Opening Celebration of the Walkway at the mid-point of the bridge with a Knot Tying by City of Poughkeepsie and Town of Lloyd Officials. Only officials, performers and volunteers are allowed on the bridge at this time, however, public viewing will be available from the shoreline.
1:30 pm
Walking on Air Parade: Grand puppet procession and celebration across the Hudson River by community volunteers from Dutchess and Ulster counties. Only officials, performers and volunteers are allowed on the bridge at this time, however, public viewing will be available from the shoreline.
2:30 pm
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Flyover
3:00 pm
Grand Opening to the general public: At this time the bridge will officially be opened for the use and enjoyment of the general public.
Access will be via Parker Avenue in Poughkeepsie and Haviland Road in Highland.
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Night Circus, Light Show and AIRWAVE dances: This event will take place on the bridge, is open to the public, and will involve dozens of illuminated performers. People are encouraged to wear illuminated accessories and join in the fun!
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Highland Old Fashion Block Party; beer garden, live music, food and friends. http://www.hudsonfest.com.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sunday in the Park
8:00 am
Rooftops to Tree Tops: 5K Run hosted by Mid-Hudson Runners
8:00 am – 7:00 pm
Public access to the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park
12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Clearwater & Hudson Valley Bluegrass Association Music Festival at Highland Landing Park.
Clearwater River Cruises from Highland access points.
