News & Events

Falls Island Festival

Saturday, September 19th from 4pm - 8pm

Enjoy an afternoon in the park with Grasse River Heritage for the Falls Island Festival!

This event, which is family friendly and open to the public, is a celebration of Heritage Park, the Grasse River, and the community that makes it so enjoyable to live here. This event will feature music from Kaputt, The Noncommittals, and The Boyden Brook Band. Additionally, there will be food and drinks available, educational programs between music sets, and booths hosted by local organizations and partners. For a full itinerary and list of partners, look down below.

We hope to see you soon at our "friendraising" event!

Falls Island Festival Schedule:

3pm - 4pm: Kaputt

4pm - 4:30pm: Heritage Park History Walk

4:30pm - 5:30pm: Noncommittals

5:30pm - 6pm: Aileen O'Donoghue Equinox Talk

6pm - 7pm: Boyden Brook Band

Vendors:

Little Italy pizza by the slice

The Happy Hive serving domestic beers, hard seltzers, and wine slushies

Mr. Ding-A-Ling Ice Cream with cold treats for a hopefully warm afternoon

Partners:

Nature Up North

St. Lawrence Land Trust

St. Lawrence Country Center for History and Culture

Canton Police Department

Canton Public Library

Walk in the Park

Saturday, July 11th, 9:00am

On Saturday, July 11th at 9 am, join GRH board President Tom Langen for a walk through the park with information on EAB, what it means for Heritage Park now that they're here, and what steps GRH is taking to manage the problem. He will also talk about other invasive non-native plants and plant pathogens that affect our forests, and what GRH is doing to manage them.

Grasse River Heritage Award Recipient Selected!

Aida has been selected to receive the Grasse River Heritage Award 2026. Aida will be attending either SUNY Binghamton or University at Buffalo this fall with interests in Biology or Environmental Science. During high school, Aida played Soccer, Softball, and Indoor Track and Field. She is a member of the National Honor Society. She attended Area All-State, All County, and All County Jazz. Aida also has worked at the Farmers Market and Grasse River Outfitters. Congratulations to Aida, and good luck on your journey! We're confident you'll be successful in whatever you choose.

Native Plant Walk

Friday, June 25th, 4:00pm - 5:00pm

Join Grasse River Heritage and Nature Up North for a bingo themed walk of the Heritage Park trails! Over the course of an hour, we'll explore all parts of the Heritage Park island in search of a variety of flowers, trees, shrubs, ferns, and more.

Come prepared with iNaturalist and/or Seek downloaded on your phone to help you with plant identification. All of the plants listed on the bingo cards are findable in Heritage Park, but some are more difficult than others!

Meet the Artists at Willow Island Sculpture Garden

This program has been postponed. Stay tuned for the rescheduled date and additional details.

Local Students Volunteer in Heritage Park

Members of the St. Lawrence University Delta Delta Delta Sorority volunteered in the park on Make a Difference Day this October. The students assisted with various tasks including moving bordering logs for the woodchip trail (pictured here).

New Bench Installed

A new bench was installed this fall in Heritage Park overlooking the Grasse River. Pictured here: the first person to enjoy the new bench, Conrad Stuntz.

Grasse River Heritage is excited to announce the receipt of a $4000 grant from the Corning Incorporated Foundation “in support of beautification and outdoor artwork at Heritage Park in Canton.” This grant will be used primarily to develop the sculpture park in the coming year through the installation of several new pieces of art. In addition to this grant, staff from the Corning plant in Canton have, throughout the years, contributed valuable volunteer service at Heritage Park.

Grasse River Heritage is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the Grasse River to a central place in the life of the community of Canton, NY.

The Corning Incorporated Foundation is a charitable contributions organization established by Corning Incorporated in 1952. Through leadership and collaboration, the Foundation strives to foster vibrant, enriching, and supportive Corning communities. The Foundation focuses on education, human services, culture, and volunteerism in Corning business locations.

Beth Denny receives the Volunteer of the Year award from Grasse River Heritage President, Tom Langen. Grasse River Heritage could not exist without support from the community that it serves, support that takes the form not only of financial donations, but of volunteer work. Week in and week out, Beth Denny shows up to control both the litter and the poison ivy that would otherwise interfere with the use and enjoyment of Heritage Park in Canton.

Fabulous Fungi Finding!

The stormy weather held off until the afternoon and the sun even peeked out from behind the clouds during our fungi walk on the morning of Saturday, August 12th! Thanks to the keen eyes of many group members we found stink pots, bracket fungi, artist's conk, and a whole host of other fungi. Claire answered questions about fungi life span, how they grow, edibility, and so much more. Thank you so much to Claire Burkum for sharing her knowledge and excitement for fungi, and thank you to all of the community members who came out to learn!!

Canton Senior Scholarship Recipient!

Katharine Metcalf received the 2023 Grasse River Heritage Award. Awarded to the Canton senior who exemplifies the ability to help promote cultural, economic, educational, and recreational opportunities within the Grasse River Corridor, Katharine was nominated by the Canton High School District Scholarship Committee.

Katharine is attending Saint Joseph’s University this fall and has an interest in Economics and International Affairs. Katharine participated in volleyball and softball during her high school years. She has volunteered for the Canton Sustainability committee, Smithsonian Transcriber and the Nicole Fleury Memorial Run.

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