Flower Power at the Erie Canal’s 200th Anniversary

Syracuse Garden Club Members Create Floral Designs Supporting Fundraiser

June 03, 2026

By: By Jennifer Lawrence

What do you do for a 200th birthday? Celebrate with flowers! Last Fall, in a tribute to the Bicentennial Anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal, Syracuse Garden Club put together 50 floral centerpieces showcased for a gala at the Erie Canal Museum, an event hosted along with the Onondaga Historical Association. It was a team effort, which included club members, spouses, friends, and even a gardener visiting from the UK.  Event proceeds benefited both the Erie Canal Museum and Onondaga Historical Association.

Some 300 guests attended the 200th birthday gala honoring the historic 363-mile waterway that linked the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The event also marked the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the village of Syracuse, where the Erie Canal once flowed through its downtown area. 

For the gala, hundreds of flowers were purchased and arranged in Syracuse China vintage containers which were borrowed from the archives of the Onondaga Historical Association. The day after the gala, garden club members transported the floral arrangements to St. Joseph’s Health Hospital, where they were shared with staff and patients. At 95-years, the Syracuse Garden Club, founded in 1931, is the oldest garden club in Central New York.