JHN-Old Canal Days 2024

The Lockport Old Canal Days Parade

Friday, June 7th from 6-7pm

View the annual Old Canal Days Parade march through downtown Lockport on State Street. The parade will begin at 12th Street and travel north on State Street, ending at 3rd Street. View the Old Canal Days Parade Route Map below to see the spectator area.

Parade Traffic Bypass

On Friday, June 7, beginning at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., State Street will be closed between Thornton Street and Division Street for the Old Canal Days parade. This closure includes the intersection of 9th and State.

Schedule of Events

Thursday, June 6, 2024

EVENT

Carnival

5:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Friends with Disabilities Day 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Food Court

Beer Garden

Friday, June 7, 2024

EVENT TIME

Carnival

5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

DJ Jon Wise - JPW Productions 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

GLOW NIGHT:

Anyone 21 or younger receive FREE glow wands and glow necklaces

Anyone 21 or older receive a FREE souvenir mug

Did you know Chiropractic can

5:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Food Court 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Parade 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Beer Garden

7:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Wine Tent 7:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Margarita Tent 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Bingo 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

MAIN STAGE:

LP Vinyl

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Tim Gleason Band 9:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Lockport Moose Lodge #1557

Lockport Moose Lodge #1557

The Loyal Order of Moose is an Internaonal Organizaon of Men and Women Dedicated to Caring for Young and Old, Bringing Communies Closer Together, and Celebrang Life. Lockport Moose Lodge #1557 Fraternity has embraced the Lockport and surrounding communies for the past 100+ years. Our moo we live by is...“A burden heavy to one is borne lightly by many”. Ask how you can embrace our community by contacng us at lodge1557@mooseunits.org.

The Loyal Order of Moose is an International Organization of Men and Women Dedicated to Caring for Young and Old, Bringing Communities Closer Together, and Celebrating Life. Lockport Moose Lodge #1557 Fraternity has embraced the Lockport and surrounding communities for the past 100+ years. Our motto we live by is...”A burden heavy to one is borne lightly by many.” Ask how you can embrace our community by contacting us at lodge1557@mooseunits.org.

Saturday, June 8, 2024

EVENT TIME

Carnival

Food Court

10:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m.

10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.

Beer Garden Noon-11:30 p.m.

Wine Tent

Margarita Tent

MAIN STAGE:

School of Rock

4:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

4:00 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

Noon. - 1:30 p.m.

Crook County Blues 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Righteous Hillbillies

Fletcher Rockwell

Bostyxx

4:30 pm - 6:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

9:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.

Bingo

Artisan Market

2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Powerhouse Tour 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Face Painting 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Caricature Artist 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Heritage Village Noon - 4:00 p.m.

(Re-enactors; building tours, train exhibit)

Animal Demonstrations / Exhibit 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Show at 2:00 p. m. - 4 p.m.

Historic Trolley Tour 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Tours depart every ½ hour)

Cemetery Tour 10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. (meet at 560 E. 6th St)

Duck Races 3:00 p.m. - 4 p.m.

See SCHEDULE, page 6

At LEWIS UNIVERSITY, we believe that working together in community creates opportunities for all to learn, serve and succeed. Together, we develop students who have the knowledge and skills to lead in their communities and make a difference in society.

FINE ARTS/ THEATRE

The PHILIP LYNCH THEATRE and WADSWORTH ART GALLERY are located in the Oremus Fine Arts Center on the main campus on Route 53. The season runs from fall to spring each year. Musical and non-musical performances by faculty, staff and students occur throughout the season. Tickets may be purchased online at lewisu.edu/plt

ATHLETICS

Join the LEWIS FLYERS for outstanding athletic competition in facilities that include an indoor track and fieldhouse, an 8-lane collegiate size swimming pool, softball, baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, and a new outdoor, NCAA-certified 9-lane track. Lewis University competes in 23 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Sports. Many sports events are free.

Visit lewisflyers.com

TREE WALK CAMPUS

Lewis University has achieved ARBORETUM STATUS at its main campus in Romeoville. The University received this award by achieving certain standards of professional practices deemed important for arboretum and botanic gardens. Lewis University is a veritable arboretum with more than 2,400 trees in addition to wooded areas. The 410-acre campus features more than 140 varieties of trees. lewisu.edu/ sustainability/areas.htm

HISTORY CENTER

The LEWIS UNIVERSITY HISTORY CENTER: Urban, Cultural and Catholic History of the Upper Midwest, located in the Library of the main campus, seeks to unite scholars, students, and the public. The Center strives to preserve and promote the region’s heritage (with a special focus on the Illinois and Michigan Canal).

Visit lewisu.edu/historycenter

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Beer Garden Noon - 9:30 p.m. Wine Tent 3:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

MAIN STAGE:

Joliet Police Pipe & Drums 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Blackbird Academy of Irish Dance 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lockport Swing Thing 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Grupo Folklorico

Monte Carmelo De Joliet 2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Johnny Russler & Beach Bum Band 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Simple Remedy 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

7th Heaven 7:30 pm - 9:30 p.m. Fireworks 9:30 p.m.

• Plant Health Care

• Tree and Stump Removal

• Storm Clean-Up

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Creamery

Dairy

Frosty

GrzGrub

Kona

Food Court

Krispys

Los

Mr.

Pierogi

Smokin’

Supermercado

Villa

Cemetery Tours

Bringing alive the stories and the past of earlier Lockport generations, the popular tours of the historic Lockport Cemetery will be held in conjunction with Old Canal Days, a long-standing summer festival which celebrates the I&M Canal and its contributions to the success of Lockport.

With relatives living in Lockport since the 1830s, Jerry Adelmann, a sixth-generation resident of Lockport will be on hand conducting the tours of the iconic cemetery.

Sharing his deep interest of the cemetery and its preservation, he said, it is more than a cemetery it is also an “open-air museum.”

The Lockport Cemetery was created following a trend that began in the early 1880s for a new kind of cemetery which began in Massachusetts.

Earlier in the United States, cemeteries were built with lines of tombstones often near a church.

However, this new style of cemetery stood out because it had “winding streets—almost like a mini-arboretum. We didn’t have parks in the United States at that time, so in essence, these cemeteries became parks,” he added.

The Lockport City Cemetery was laid out by the Illinois & Michigan Canal Commissioners in 1836 and today it is one of the oldest and most historic cemeteries in the region, especially considering the important role Lockport played in the development of Illinois.

In 1853, the cemetery association was created by the state legislature and Adelmann said, “they laid out a park like cemetery with lots of trees and family lots with coping borders.”

“When I was a boy, it was like a park to me,” he said. “I would go with my great grandparents and grandparents on a stroll through the cemetery on a Sunday and people would be having picnics.”

“It was like a green oasis,” he added.

Over the years, tornadoes and Dutch Elm disease has impacted the park like-setting of the cemetery and many of the old stones need repair.

Something the present board is committed to restoring, Adelmann said.

“Today, we are trying to reconnect people to this place and the stories that it talks about

the history of Illinois, the history of the I&M Canal, and immigration,” he added.

The earliest graves date back to the 1830s.

The cemetery is home to many significant figures associated with the Illinois and Michigan Canal and Lockport’s history including William Gooding, the Canal’s Chief Engineer and Hiram Norton, a member of Canada’s Parliament who started the Norton Flour Mill—the largest in the state at the time, and George Gaylord a prominent grain merchant.

Other notable figures buried at the Lockport Cemetery include Robert Milne, who built the locks on the canal, John Lane, inventor of the first steel plow, and soldiers from every American war, including the War of Independence.

“One of the most significant and somewhat forgotten is Ichabod Codding, one of the nation’s leaders of the Abolitionist movement,” Adelmann said.

Codding had major influence on Abraham Lincoln, and at one time, he served as the

continued on next page

Partnering together throughout your life

We’ll help you identify and define your unique financial goals. Then we’ll tailor-build investment strategies that help you work toward those goals. And you’ll be backed by our team each step of the way.

continued from previous page

minister of the Congregational Church in Lockport.

In addition to the prominent figures buried at the cemetery the “monuments themselves” are also significant because they are examples of the interesting and eclectic revivalist styles of Gothic, Greek, Roman, and Egyptian— many which were locally carved.

In the 19th century, Adelmann said, “there were very few museums. People didn’t see

sculptures. It was the cemeteries that had the first sculptures in the United States.”

The tours will start at the mausoleum on 6th Street. Parking is available at Milne Grove School, 565 E. 7th Street.

“Whether you have family buried there or not,” Adelmann said, “It is a very interesting place. It is a place to learn about art, design, and history,”

The tours will be conducted on Saturday, June 8 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on Sunday, June 9 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

As part of Old Canal Days, trolley tours of historic Lockport will offer festival attendees the chance to learn about the significant role Lockport and its earliest residents played in the development of the region.

The tours also give insight into who lived in the area over time and how they lived.

“In the 1830s and 1840s, before the railroads came along, Lockport was a big deal,” according to Gary Ward, a lifetime Lockport resident and avid member of the Lockport Area Genealogical and History Society.

Ward who will be on hand for several of the tours offering his insight into highlights of historic Lockport as he has over many years, said “Lockport is an old canal town with a rich history.”

The community is especially important to Ward since his ancestors were among the settlers who first arrived in the 1830s.

At one time, Ward said, “There was no bridge, no trucks, and no trains. Just by chance a canal boat may come up and who knows who was on them.”

Some speculate the President Lincoln spent

Trolley Tours

a night or two in Lockport, Ward added, “As he was a big advocate of the canal.”

Ward also suggested that prior to the construction of the canal, the Lockport Valley had to “be beautiful.”

However, when the canal came in, he added, “It became industrial and now it is home to three rail lines, two canals, a river and everything that goes through it.”

The tours will be conducted on both Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9 from 1 to 5 p.m. with the last tour beginning at 4:30 p.m. each day. The tours will depart every ½ hour from Heritage Village.

The Gaylord Building is one of the many stops along the trolley tour and is the oldest industrial building to survive in Lockport.

At the time of the I&M Canal’s construction, Lockport served as the location of the engineering office for the canal project and the Gaylord Building was the site where all the tools were kept for the canal’s construction, Ward said.

Over the years, the building was closed for a period, however, today, it is home to Gallery

Seven and the I&M Canal Visitor Center of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) hosts the permanent exhibit Illinois Passage: Connecting the Continent. It also houses the Public Landing Restaurant.

In 1997, the Gaylord Building was added as a National Trust Historic Site and is a prime example of the adaptive reuse process of giving new uses to a building while retaining its historic features.

Many of the stops on the trolley tour feature Lockport’s natural resource--the dolomite limestone which was discovered when the I&M Canal was being dug out.

“A lot of the buildings—schools, churches, houses, we look at are constructed with this type of limestone,” Ward added, “It has been part of Lockport since day one and I like to emphasize it.”

Other stops on the tour include the former guard shack for the canal which now serves as home for the Will County Historical

continued on next page

TRANSPORTATION

& MUNICIPAL ENGINEERING

continued from previous page

Society and Central Square which now includes the Lockport City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce, and Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society’s Archive Room.

In addition, to still-standing homes of prominent residents and churches, the tour also includes stops and spots where significant historical buildings used to stand.

For example, Ward said, a canal lock tender house for the individual who would open the locks when a tow would come through is now the site of a parking lot.

“But we still talk about it,” Ward said.

LEFT: Looking SW across the canal. ABOVE: Looking south at the 9th St. bridge. Norton Building is to the left and the Norton’s Flour Mill is to the right of the canal. Photos courtesy of Lockport Area Genealogical & Historical Society.

Artisan Market

List of Vendors:

1 More Round Ent.

7415Collective

Adara Selene Creations

AM and PM Hemp Farm

Anita Young artwork

Apron Love llc

Asteria1122

Aubrey’s Attic

Bada Bling Boutique

Bark About It!

Beadazzle

Benjamin Calvert

Big K Soaps

Bob Johnson

Bob’s woodworking

Britt’s Leather

BuzzWorthy BeeWorks

Candle Cubby

Chef Heatley’s Hot Pepper Farm

ChiCityCrafts

ChocolateMoonshineCo

Christy’s Home and Garden Decor

Cindysreal Wood creations

Cobbler Lane Designs

Completely Nuts, Inc

Cozy Crafts

Craft Magic

Crafts By Judy

Crafty Casey’s

Crafty Wreaths by Anna

D & E Boards

Diane By Designs

Drunk-N-Hungry Spice Co

EMK Creations

Evermore Beauty Farmhouse Dreamer

FosleStudio

Full Circle Healing Farm

Gallery’s Choice

Gil’s Pampered Pups

Gindo’s Spice Of Life

Gloria Mizek

GPT Genie

Gracie Pie Apothecary

Greta’s Caramel, LLC

Hanan Hall Jewelry -

“Maillewerks”HappyRachelCraft

Healed Body

HMC Billet

Honey with Style

Hopps and Honey

from 10am6pm and Sunday June 9th from 10am-4pm. Lockport Woman’s Club has a 53 year history of presenting

I Got You in Stitches

Indigo Creations LLC

It’s Just Puppy Love

J & J Creations

John Diaz leather.

Just Sage it company

K&K Custom Woodworking

Kari Bee Creations

KP Jewelry Designs

Kritters Pet Studio

Laconic Foods

Lasered Lumber

Libra Rising By Yoali

Lil Bird Kitchens LLC

Linked Different Permanent Jewelry

Liz Art Design

Loopily Crafts

Love & Earth Soap

Lovin’ Tails

Magic green thumb

Maki

Maple Hill Farm 1854 LLC

MD Metal Art

MOREKREATIONS

Nathan’S Spray Monay

Nature’s Nest

the finest Artisans, Makers and Creators at Christmas Crossroads, the weekend before Thanksgiving and now the Artisan Market @ Old Canal Days! Every application is carefully juried by committee members. Proceeds from the Artisan Market benefit the good work Lockport Woman’s club does for the community!

Nightmare Stitchery

Onsemiro Art and Craft

Papa Caps Foods

Papa Couture Originals

PeeNana’s Pecans

Pruwoodart

Real Fruit Tea (by Ever Group Inc.)

Reclaim Frame Designs

Reed’S Crafts

RejuveNate - Plants & Wellness

Royal Oils LLC

Rustic Oak

S&E Craft Worxs

Salty Provisions

Sew Fairy LLC

Shirt Stack

Simple Beauty Rocks LLC

Simply Josie Rivera Sweets and Treats, LLC

Spirit Bombs

Stitchn For Your Kitchen Creative

Creations

Summer Snow Sunsets & Sawdust

Sweet Bee Candy Company LLC

Sweetu Candles

Switch Plate Shack

TAYITA

Terrelle Hall

Texas Metal Art

The Boujee Blends, LLC

The Cookie Maker

The Crafty Coupon Mom

The Flying Purple Pigs

The Gourd Hoard

The licorice guy

the marilyn boxes

The Potter’s Jam

The Soundwave Booth (formerly Jack

Vaughn Gifts & Decor)

The Spin of it

The Trendy Bumpkin

Timber & Twine

Tiny Treasures of 815

Topp Knots

TreeGhost

Unique Flags / FSZ Contracting

Unique Solar Glass Art

Vivid Moon Jewelry

Xpressive Mocha

Young Artisans Creations LLC

Lockport Powerhouse will open for tours

In conjunction with Old Canal Days, the Lockport Powerhouse will open for tours giving the community a rare chance to learn about the important role it played in the history of the Chicago region while also gaining a behind the scenes look at this innovative facility.

The Powerhouse sits at the end of the 76-mile Chicago Area Waterway System, where the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal connects with the Des Plaines River. Today, it is considered the oldest hydroelectric plant in Illinois and is vital to protecting water quality, keeping communities from flooding, and ensuring waterways are navigable.

The facility has been generating hydroelectricity since 1907—something it continues to do with upgraded state-of-the art technology.

“We were created in 1889 and our first task was to reverse the flow of the Chicago River to protect the quality of Lake Michigan--the source of our drinking water from pollution,” according to Patrick Thomas with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the organization who manages the Lockport Lock and Powerhouse.

Susie Sheehan

“Lockport about 40 miles away played a key role,” he added.

In 2004, due to its significance in history, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

“In addition to building 61 miles of canals, we needed control structures to manage the flow of water. When we completed the Powerhouse in 1907 and opened the lock, we essentially connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, a monumental achievement in engineering and for the health and environment of our region,” he added.

This day, “is as much a celebration of this critically important and historic building’s preservation and our work with Old Canal Days to promote the importance of protecting our water environment,” Thomas shared.

“We have several gates at the Powerhouse that we open when we have storm events, allowing us to divert more water and mitigate overbank flooding,” Thomas said.

Located where there is a 38-foot drop

between the canal and the river, the Powerhouse allows water flows through the facility and that power is harnessed by two turbines to provide a safe and environmentally friendly hydroelectric energy source that is sold back to ComEd, providing both an environmental and economic benefit.

Thomas said, the Powerhouse last offered tours about 10 years ago.

“Since that time, we have taken on a number of rehabilitation projects, replacing the clay tile roof, the headrace gates for water flowing into the facility and tailrace stop logs for water being discharged downstream, and other equipment,” he added.

The tours will be held on Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

All ages are welcome at the event. Sturdy shoes and dress for an industrial setting are strongly recommended.

Those interested in attending the event should park and sign up for a bus from Old Canal Days, 303 W. 2nd St. in Lockport. There is no parking at the Powerhouse.

Lockport is Our Home

Lockport Mayor Steven Streit takes an advanced tour of the Lockport Powerhouse.

Photo provided by Donna Nevels