400 Year Anniversary

In the year 2009, the Hudson Valey Region will host a large festival for the 400 year anniversary of Henry Hudson's journey up the river. The festival will include a three-day festival in both New York City and in Amsterdam. Among the many events planned for this occasion is a transatlantic sailing race between the two cities. Artist Len Tatillo, who gained local fame for his reconstruction of Hudson's ship the Half Moon in 1989, has proposed a historic re-enactment of the Dutch Corning Preserve, using his model ship. Other cities and groups in the region are planning similar events for the year. Hudson's accomplishments will be celebrated with those of French explorer Champlain, who had settled Quebec the same year. Final decisions for the celebration of Hudson's anniversary, as well as the 200-year anniversary celebration of Robert Fulton's first steamboat trip in 1807, are planned to be discussed this September.
This celebration could mean more than just fireworks and rides for a week in the summer. If the event goes well, it could help spark the cultural revitilization already occuring along the Hudson River. Historic sites in the region such as Olanna and the FDR libary are already gaining popularity. The creation of more historical sites could open up the eyes of entrepeneurs, bring ing successful tourist sites as well as businesses into many River valley cities that are desperate for economic revival.