08/31/2026
We will be set up at Lock 2
Sunday 9/13/26!!!
This event is lots of fun! Come see us!
Kicking off with a tugboat parade from the Port of Albany to the Port of Waterford on September 11th, the three-day Waterford Tugboat Roundup will bring tugboats and other vessels, maritime enthusiasts, canal historians and thousands of visitors to Waterford’s waterfront September 11-13 for a weekend celebrating New York’s extraordinary canal and maritime heritage.
Two-time Grammy Award-winning conductor and Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller is this year's Grand Marshall of Tugboat Parade; historic tugboat Shoofly Pie as the 2026 Tug of the Year; and Robert “Bob” Stopper of Lyons, New York, as the recipient of the Capt. Bart Brake Canal Lifetime Achievement Award. Town of Waterford, NY Supervisor Dave Ball said, “We are thrilled that Maestro David Alan Miller is serving as Grand Marshall of this year’s tugboat parade. David has become a regular along the Canal in recent years, bringing the ASO’s Water Music series to communities like Waterford. His passion for the Canal, and love for communities like Waterford, is unparalleled and I think he’s an exceptionally fitting choice for this honor.”
Waterford Harbormaster Jeffrey D. Cleary said, “The Tugboat Roundup has always been about much more than tugboats. It is about the people who have dedicated their lives to our waterways, the communities that grew up along them, and the remarkable stories that continue to connect us to New York’s canal heritage. David Alan Miller, Shoofly Pie, and Bob Stopper each represent a different and important part of that story. From music and culture, to the working vessels that built our maritime history, to the people who continue to welcome and champion the Canal today, these are three tremendous honorees.”
David Alan Miller said, “I am deeply honored to be named Grand Marshall of Waterford's Tugboat Parade and to be part of an event that celebrates the extraordinary history, character and spirit of New York’s waterways. The Erie Canal is much more than an engineering marvel—it is a living connection between communities, generations and cultures across our state. Having had the privilege of exploring that connection through the Albany Symphony’s Water Music NY project, creating music and art that commemorate the Canal's unique role in America's history, its past, present, and future, I am thrilled to return to the Canal in this different, but equally meaningful, role. I look forward to leading the parade and celebrating with the people of Waterford and all those who share a love for New York’s canals.”
Robert Stopper said, “I am truly humbled and honored to receive the Capt. Bart Brake Canal Lifetime Achievement Award. The Erie Canal has been such an important part of my life, and I have always considered it a privilege to welcome boaters, share the history of our canal communities and help people discover and enjoy what makes the Canal so special. The Tugboat Roundup celebrates everything I love about the Canal—the boats, the people, the history and the communities that continue to thrive along its banks. To be recognized by the Roundup and to have my name associated with Capt. Bart Brake and the many remarkable people who have
dedicated themselves to New York’s waterways is a tremendous honor.”
2026 Tugboat Parade Grand Marshall David Alan Miller David Alan Miller has served as Music Director of the Albany Symphony since 1992, establishing himself as one of the leading American conductors of his generation. A two-time Grammy Award winner, Miller has been recognized for his innovative programming, commitment to American music, educational initiatives and community outreach. Under Miller’s leadership, the Albany Symphony has developed a national reputation as a champion of American composers and innovative orchestral programming. He has conducted many of America’s leading orchestras, including those of New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and San Francisco, as well as ensembles throughout Europe, Asia and
Australia.
Miller also has a special connection to New York’s canal heritage. In 2017, he and the Albany Symphony undertook Water Music NY, a unique musical journey along the entire Erie Canal that brought live performances and original music to communities from Albany to Buffalo. The project demonstrated the power of the Canal not only as a transportation corridor and historic resource, but also as a living connection between the communities of upstate New York.
The 2026 Tug of the Year, Shoofly Pie, brings an extraordinary wartime history to this year’s Roundup. Launched in December 1941 just 4 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Shoofly Pie was
originally designed as a U.S. Army harbor mine tender. The vessel laid submarine-detection cables in Maine before spending the remainder of the war serving as a tugboat.
Following the war, Shoofly Pie continued her career on the nation’s waterways as a working tugboat, serving for a time as a fireboat, transferred as payment for legal services, was later lost in a poker game, and at times used by both a smuggler and a treasure hunter.
Today, the historic vessel is owned by the Tideland Institute and makes her home port in Brooklyn. Her recent service includes being called into action during the abnormally cold winter of 2025-2026, breaking ice on and around New York Harbor and connecting waterways to help keep navigation channels open for commerce.
Shoofly Pie has also become a familiar and popular participant in the Waterford Tugboat Roundup, where her distinctive history and character – to say nothing for her crew’s penchant for exceptional hospitality – have made her a favorite among visitors and tugboat enthusiasts alike. More information on Shoofly Pie and Tideland Institute can be found at tidesin.org.
The 2026 recipient of the Capt. Bart Brake Canal Lifetime Achievement Award is Robert “Bob” Stopper of Lyons, New York, a tireless advocate for the NYS canals, the community of Lyons and the people who travel New York’s waterways. For more than a decade, Stopper has served as a volunteer boat greeter and Erie Canal Ambassador, welcoming visiting boaters to Lyons and helping introduce travelers from around the world to the history, character and attractions of the community. His efforts have helped
make Lyons a destination for canal travelers and a memorable stop along the Erie Canal.
Stopper’s commitment to the Canal extends well beyond greeting boats. He has promoted Lyons and Wayne County’s canal heritage through photography, writing, historical research and community involvement. He has contributed to numerous publications and organizations focused on New York’s waterways and history, and has helped document and interpret the historic resources of the Erie Canalway corridor. In 2025, Stopper received the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s New Yorker Award in recognition of his extraordinary volunteer commitment to heritage tourism, community hospitality and the Erie Canal. Stopper’s lifelong enthusiasm for the Canal and his personal commitment to the people who travel it embody the spirit of the Capt. Bart Brake Canal Lifetime Achievement Award.
The annual award honors the memory of Capt. Brake, founder of Empire Harbor Marine and an early and steadfast supporter of the Tugboat Roundup, as well as an innovator in canal towing. The Roundup presents the award to an individual who has made a significant and enduring contribution to the people, places and legacy of New York’s historic Canal System.
There will be an especially poignant significance to this year's Tugboat Parade as the historic fireboat John J. Harvey leads the procession from Albany to Waterford. The parade will take place in September 2026, on the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001—a date forever etched in the history of New York and the nation. The John J. Harvey is uniquely connected to that history. Retired from the New York City Fire Department in 1994 and saved from the scrapyard by a group of volunteers, the 1931 fireboat was called back into service on the morning of September 11, 2001. She joined the flotilla of vessels helping evacuate people from lower
Manhattan before turning her powerful pumps toward the burning World Trade Center site. Working alongside FDNY fireboats, the Harvey pumped water for approximately 80 hours until water service to lower Manhattan could be restored. Having the John J. Harvey at the head of the Tugboat Parade 25 years later is therefore more than a celebration of a historic vessel—it is a tribute to the courage, sacrifice and extraordinary spirit of the people of New York. As the Harvey makes her way up the Hudson and into the Erie Canal, she will lead a procession of working vessels that represent generations of New York's maritime heritage. On this anniversary, her presence offers a powerful reminder that our waterways have always been pathways of commerce, recreation and connection, but in moments of crisis they can also become pathways of rescue and hope.
The tugboat parade from will depart Albany on Friday, September 11 at approximately 3 pm, arriving at the Port of Waterford at approximately 6:30 pm. This followed by a weekend of tugboat tours, maritime exhibits, live music, vendors, presentations, children’s activities, demonstrations and the popular “Tug Talks” speaker series. This year’s Tug Talks will feature a crew reunion and panel on New York’s 1976 Bicentennial Barge, which traveled New York’s waterways commemorating the Nation’s 200th birthday; a presentation on the 2026 Tug of the Year Shoofly Pie by Capt. N.D. Austin; a tale of an ill-fated 1800s trip on the Champlain Canal where a barge goes over a dam by Waterford Historian Russ VanDervoort; a presentation on the role New York’s Canal System still play on moving commerce through the State by New York State Marine Highway; a reunion and retrospective on the 1988 Live Steam Voices trip on the Canal led by legendary Canaller Steven R. Wunder; and a talk on Revolutionary New York by Brad Utter of the New York State Museum.
Special thanks to the 2026 "PORT CAPTAIN" sponsors of the Tugboat Roundup: New York State Marine Highway and Fane Family Charitable Trust.
For more information about the Waterford Tugboat Roundup, contact Harbormaster Jeff Cleary at (518) 233-9123 or [email protected].
WRGB CBS 6 News, Albany
WTEN
WNYT NewsChannel 13
WAMC Northeast Public Radio
Times Union
The Record
The Daily Gazette of Schenectady
The Saratogian
Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
