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Waterloo Village lively with visitors

STANHOPE. Greater Byram Morris Canal History Day celebrates the rich 19th-century history of Byram and the bustling trade along the 102-mile-long Morris Canal.

Byram /
| 01 Jul 2023 | 07:12
    Visitors explore Waterloo Village in Stanhope during the Greater Byram Morris Canal History Day on Saturday, June 24. (Photos by Greg Smith)
    Visitors explore Waterloo Village in Stanhope during the Greater Byram Morris Canal History Day on Saturday, June 24. (Photos by Greg Smith)
    The Long Hill String Band entertains visitors in the gazebo at Waterloo Village in Stanhope.
    The Long Hill String Band entertains visitors in the gazebo at Waterloo Village in Stanhope.
    The Waterloo Village blacksmith hammers out a nail.
    The Waterloo Village blacksmith hammers out a nail.
    Inside the Mule Barn, vendors and historical groups sold toys, books, wool, honey and other items.
    Inside the Mule Barn, vendors and historical groups sold toys, books, wool, honey and other items.
    Children pet the chicks.
    Children pet the chicks.
    Mr. Potato Head and Craigles the Clown of God’s Funny Bones pose with Zoë Smith of Hewitt after she built her own Mr. Potato Head.
    Mr. Potato Head and Craigles the Clown of God’s Funny Bones pose with Zoë Smith of Hewitt after she built her own Mr. Potato Head.
    Kathleen Nolan of Pequest Pottery and her grandchildren pose behind a table holding some of her work.
    Kathleen Nolan of Pequest Pottery and her grandchildren pose behind a table holding some of her work.
    Zoë Smith of Hewitt poses by a tool used to mash corn in the Native Lenape Woodland Forest exhibit.
    Zoë Smith of Hewitt poses by a tool used to mash corn in the Native Lenape Woodland Forest exhibit.
    A visitor pets one of the goats.
    A visitor pets one of the goats.
    People take cover from the rain amid the goats, sheep and ducks on display.
    People take cover from the rain amid the goats, sheep and ducks on display.

What started as a dreary day flourished into celebration and fun at Waterloo Village in Stanhope.

The historical village was bustling with almost 1,000 visitors for Greater Byram Morris Canal History Day on Saturday, June 24.

The event was celebrating Byram Township’s 225th anniversary and the annual Canal Day festivities.

More than 75 volunteers greeted visitors and set up shop, selling items such as historical toys and games in the Mule Barn. Nonprofit organizations offered information on various causes and issues, from the advantages of honey to the rising rate of veteran suicides. Authors and local historical organizations displayed their books.

Among the activities were the village museums, which are rich with history; boat rides on the canal; and opportunities to see a blacksmith forging and spinners turning wool into yarn.

Craigles the Clown and others from her organization, God’s Funny Bones, set up a tent where children could make their own Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head.

The Long Hill String Band performed in the gazebo, and Beaver Wood Farm of Swan Lake, N.Y., ran a petting zoo with goats, sheep, ducks and chicks.

Barbecue lunches were offered by the local Methodist church and caterers prepared brick-oven pizza.