Towpath

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A nonprofit group thinks it's time to fix Big Slackwater, the broken link in 184.5 miles of C&O Canal towpath. A 2.7-mile stretch of the towpath south of Williamsport is impassable and has been closed for years. The detour sends hikers and bikers along Dam 4 Road and two others, then back to the towpath - a side trip of about five miles, according to Tom Perry of the C&O Canal Association. The nonprofit association, trying to drum up support to fix the breach, has invited public officials to tour the area this weekend.

View streaming video from the finish line at Springfield Middle School from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday online at www.herald-mail.com .   On the nightstand of Buzz Sawyer's room in Somerford Place is a copy of “The Flying Scotsman,” a book about the Olympic runner Eric Liddell, and copies of Track & Field Magazine. “Born to Run” and “The Perfect Mile” are in his bookcase, along with an All-America cross country award from 1954, and the walls are crowded with framed photos and newspaper clippings of a life spent on the run. At 83, William Joseph “Buzz” Sawyer Jr., the founder of the JFK 50 Mile, has slowed a bit and a walker stands by his chair, but he hopes to be at the dinner Friday night before the 50th running of the race and, possibly, there to see the finish Saturday.

The Western Maryland Homeschool Association will hold a bike ride on the C&O Canal towpath in Hancock Sunday, starting at 1:30 p.m. The group will meet at the towpath parking lot near the Potomac River boat launch parking area. Adults are asked to participate with their children. It would be a good idea to bring plenty of water to drink. In case of light rain or drizzle, the ride will still be held. If the weather is more severe, the rain date will be Saturday, Aug. 8. For more information, e-mail westernmarylandhomeschool@hotmail.

On the towpath for Food Resources Two board members of Food Resources Inc. of Hagerstown, Mike Mittell and Dan Greenwald plan on traversing the entire length of the C&O Canal in one day. They plan to depart Cumberland, Md., very early on the morning of Saturday, July 31, with the intent of riding the 184-mile towpath. Updates will be posted throughout the day on July 31 through Facebook posts under "Friends of Food Resources. " To make a tax deductible donation, go to http://www.

WILLIAMSPORT -- A $17 million project to replace the deteriorated Big Slackwater section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park will result in an impressive structure that uses a precast deck for a new section of the towpath, a park official said. The Big Slackwater section of the towpath needs to be reconstructed because of flooding damage over the years and the new structure is needed to protect the towpath from a particularly powerful section of the Potomac River, said William T. Justice, chief of interpretation for the C&O Canal.

The Big Slackwater boat ramp along the  C&O Canal will be closed from dusk Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday to accommodate a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the restoration of the area of towpath known as Big Slackwater.  The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. Park Superintendent Kevin D. Brandt will lead a tour of the newly restored towpath from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Parking for the event is at the Bowman Farm fields at 15910 Cheneys Neck Road in Sharpsburg Free shuttles will operate from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

By LAURA ERNDE Staff Writer WILLIAMSPORT - As the weather gets warmer and trees get greener, more and more people will be flocking to the C&O Canal towpath. Many will walk, some will ride bicycles and a few will be on horseback. But to keep the 184.5-mile path safe for all to share, it's the cyclists who end up smacked with the most rules. That's because bicyclists cause most accidents and get hurt more often, said Kevin Fitzgerald, chief of visitor and resource protection for the towpath.

The Big Slackwater boat ramp along the C&O Canal will be closed from dusk Friday to 3 p.m. on Saturday to accommodate a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the restoration of the area of towpath known as Big Slackwater.   The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Saturday. Park Superintendent Kevin D. Brandt will lead a tour of the newly restored towpath from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Parking for the event is at the Bowman Farm fields at 15910 Cheneys Neck Road in Sharpsburg Free shuttles will operate from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

A man fell about six feet in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park on Wednesday afternoon, according to a spokesman for the Potomac Valley Volunteer Fire Co. The man suffered a medical emergency when he fell off a wall and into the towpath's canal area, said firefighter Bobby Hunter. A Maryland State Police helicopter flew the man to a hospital but his injuries were not life-threatening, Hunter said. The man was with two other people when he fell just before 1 p.m., officials said.