(Right to left) Boat builder Richard Bush, H. Lee White Maritime Museum; David G. White, New York Sea Grant; Dave Bullard, Great New York State Fair; Eileen Jensen, Dairy Cow Birthing Center; Mercedes Niess, H. Lee White Maritime Museum; Tim Kerstetter, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; and on the State Fair Pond, in the dory won by Matthew Hoch of Marcellus, N.Y., Patti White, Boating Industries Association of Upstate New York. Credit: New York Sea Grant.

Contacts:
 
Dave White, New York Sea Grant, Recreation and Tourism Specialist, P: 315-312- 3042, E: dgw9@cornell.edu

Kara Lynn Dunn, NYSG Great Lakes Publicist, P: 315.465.7578, E: karalynn@gisco.net

Syracuse, NY, September 4, 2018 - Visitors through the “Path Through Maritime History: Lighthouses and Lifesaving” exhibit at Syracuse's Great New York State Fair from August 22nd through September 3rd experienced the history and lifesaving service of unique structures still standing from Long Island to Lake Erie, in the Finger Lakes, in New York City, and along Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, Hudson River and Lake Champlain.

Prior to the exhibit's debut, co-sponsor New York Sea Grant announced details via two press releases: "On Air: New at the 2018 Great New York State Fair" and "2018 Great New York State Fair: Contests."

During the Fair, NYSG and its partners, which included the Central New York Boating Industries Association, Central New York Boat Show, Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway and Great New York State Fair, documented the warm reception "Lighthouses and Lifesaving” with a photo series and promoted its content via a series of media segments.

Discussions with the media focused on the exhibit's interpretive panels, interactive kiosks, artifacts, demos and contents and took place both on air (WNTQ 93.1 FM Syracuse, WTNY 790 AM Watertown) and on TV (WSYR-TV channel 9, a Syracuse-based ABC-affiliate; WWNY-TV channel 7, a Watertown-based CBS-affiliate; and Spectrum News, available on channels 1 and 200 exclusively for Spectrum customers in the Central New York region including Syracuse, Ithaca, Utica, Watertown, Binghamton, Elmira and surrounding areas in upstate New York).



On YouTube: Bridge Street - "Favorites at the Fair 8.23.18"

Syracuse, NY, August 23, 2018 - During a "Favorites at the Fair" segment, New York Sea Grant's (NYSG) Recreation and Tourism Specialist Dave White and Michael Pittavino, a curator at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego, NY discusses with the hosts of "Bridge Street" what's new this year from Sea Grant and its partners at the Great New York State Fair.

A new exhibit at the Fair, “Path Through Maritime History: Lighthouses and Lifesaving,” invites visitors to check out more than 70 lighthouses that still exist across New York State. There's also a boat-naming contest.

"New York is second in the U.S. only to Michigan," says Pittavino of the state's lighthouse numbers.

"One of the highlights of the exhibit is an interactive kisok that features all the 70+ lighthouses in New York State," says Pittavino. "The information includes which ones are visit-able, how you can get to them, which ones are parks, which ones are museums, which ones are available as B&Bs and which ones are private."

Also this year, White adds, "we are building a 14-foot kayak on the Fair grounds. We've invited people to come in and name it and each day we have been doing a drawing for the 'name of the day.' Each one is then put into a drawing and the winning name wins the boat."

Labor Day is when the boat launches and the contest winner is revealed.

For more on the exhibit, check out this 5+ minute segment.

"Bridge Street," a daily talk show, is just one of the locally-produced programs of NewsChannel 9 WSYR-TV, the ABC affiliate covering Syracuse and Central New York.

And for more of NYSG's "Boating and Marine Trades" news see www.nyseagrant.org/marina.


Lighthouse exhibit at the New York State Fair. Credit: John Smith/WAER News.

On Air: WAER 88.3 FM - "A Lesson on Lighthouses: Maritime History at the New York State Fair"
Filed By: John Smith, Xia Lapides and Molly Bolan

Beyond the glitzy lights of the State Fair’s Midway, there is an exhibit about bright beacons that guide boaters and commercial ships across the State.  The exhibit is called “A Path Through Maritime History: Lighthouses and Life Saving.”  New York Sea Grant Recreation Specialist Dave White says even the Statue of Liberty is a lighthouse.

“They’re a critical component of our maritime history and how we’ve grown as a country and being able to provide that opportunity to get folks safely in and out of our harbors.”

Most of the 70 lighthouses in the state are now automated and White says they serve as heritage tourist destinations.  Some are set-up as B and B’s.

“In several of the ones that are automated you can go up and see the new technologies. There are very few traditional lighthouse keepers – some of the historical ones will still have a lighthouse keeper.”

One part of the exhibit at the Fair looks at role of women lighthouse keepers.

“It’s really focused on a lot of the women lighthouse keepers. Their husbands had passed and they were actually the keepers – the people who would do the most about it were their spouses. So they actually became the lighthouse keepers as well. It brings a lot of tradition, a lot of family issues and opportunities to think about how that life was as a lighthouse keeper, because many of them were in remote locations. They had to live off the land right there and they had their gardens. That’s where they really lived and spent their life in a lot of cases.”


The NY Lighthouses interactive kiosk developed for the maritime history exhibit at the 2018 Great New York State Fair with information on more than 70 historic lighthouses still in existence in New York State is now at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum. Credit: John Smith/WAER News.

The exhibit allows fairgoers to look-up the history of their favorite lighthouses and see if they can pay a future visit by land or water.  Safe boating mini-lessons hosted by the US Coast Guard and Kayak building demonstrations are also a part of the exhibit. It’s located on the Fair’s West End beyond the new Expo Center in the New York Experience festival grounds.  Look for the inflatable lighthouse.


Richard Bush, an Associate Professor in the Department of Technology at the State University of New York at Oswego, talks with Great New York State Fair visitors about the techniques he is using to build a strip-built kayak. One Fair visitor who submits the best name for the flat bottom, shallow draft boat Rich built at the Fair last year will win it! The announcement was made at 10:30 am on Labor Day at the Fair pond. Credit: Brian P. Whattam.

|NY Tourism and Agriculture Industries Recognized in Boat Winner Ceremony with Milk Christening at 2018 Great New York State Fair

Syracuse, NY, September 8, 2018 - In a Labor Day ceremony at the Great New York State Fair Pond, New York's water-based tourism and agriculture were recognized as the State's leading industries as the Name That Boat winner was announced by the H. Lee White Maritime Museum.

The name 'Either Oar' was selected at random from 12 daily winners submitted at the Path Through Maritime History: NY Lighthouses and Life Saving exhibit to make Matthew Hoch of Marcellus, N.Y. the winner of a 9-foot dory built by Richard Bush of the H. Lee White Maritime Museum during the 2017 Great New York State Fair. 

The dory was christened the ‘Either Oar' with a milk toast by Eileen Jensen, co-coordinator of the Dairy Cow Birthing Center. She was joined in the ceremony at the State Fair Pond in the new NY Experience Festival area of the Fairgrounds by representatives of the Great New York State Fair, H. Lee White Maritime Museum, Boating Industries Association of Upstate NY, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Dairy Cow Birthing Center, and New York Sea Grant.

Name That Boat entries were received at the exhibit from Fair visitors from 21 states. The 12 daily winners, receiving family passes to the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego, NY, included residents of Franklin, Greene, Monroe, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and Suffolk counties.

The Path Through Maritime History: NY Lighthouses and Life Saving exhibit was coordinated by New York Sea Grant in partnership with the Boating Industries Association of Upstate NY, Central New York Boat Show, Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway, and Great New York State Fair.

“The partnership between the Great New York State Fair and New York Sea Grant has helped add a variety of activities to the NY Experience Festival grounds including a New York State maritime history showcase and today’s boat launch at the pond,” said Great New York State Fair Public Relations and Marketing Manager Dave Bullard.


In Photos: Sea Grant Partners up at 2018 Great New York State Fair


Great New York State Fair visitors fill the NY Lighthouses and Lifesaving exhibit at the 2018 fair. At far right in the red shirt is Richard Bush of the H. Lee White Marine Museum talking with visitors as he demonstrates boat building. Credit: Brian P. Whattam.


These Great New York State Fair visitors from Oswego County, NY, test their skill at operating the ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle), otherwise known as the underwater drone, in the State Fair pond. Students from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry are assisting with the demonstration experience. The drone is on loan from the Great Lakes Research Consortium. Credit: Brian P. Whattam.


When New York Sea Grant is on duty, even the ROV has to have a life vest. The little orange life vest-shaped float helped Great New York State Fair visitors trying the controls see the ROV move across the surface of the pond in the NY Experience area of the Fair. Credit: Brian P. Whattam.


"The Path Through Maritime History: NY Lighthouses and Life Saving" exhibit is easily accessible on level ground at the Great New York State Fair. This is visitor is reading about the 1942 December storm that stranded the keeper of the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse. The exhibit also included the uniform worn by Andrew Cisternino who was among the U.S. Coast Guard personnel involved in a rescue attempt that day. The uniform was donated to the H. Lee White Maritime Museum by his daughter Linda Mandel. Credit: Brian P. Whattam.


Life vests have come a long way in their utility and style since 1920 when this cork-filled vest saved a life of someone aboard the tugboat Laura Grace that sank in Lake Ontario. Credit: Brian P. Whattam.


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly. Our program also produces an occasional e-newsletter,"NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog.