Shad Festival / Loop Fest / Locktender's Open House

Schuylkill Canal Association Presents the Schuylkill River Shad Festival 2010 and the 4th Annual Loop Fest

The first annual Schuylkill River Shad Festival will be held at Lock 60 on the Schuylkill Canal in Mont Clare, PA.  Activities for the day are planned to include a five mile canoe and kayak paddle on the Schuylkill River and Canal (the 4th annual Loop Fest),  live music, Lock openings, canoe and kayak demos, a fishing competition for the kids, and of course food.  This is our first year holding the festival and we are starting small but have big plans for the coming years.  Come on down and join us on Sunday, April 18 from 11 AM to 4 PM.  Music is scheduled from 12 to 3.  If you are planning to join us on the water, we will be leaving between 11:30 AM and Noon and expect to arrive back for lunch and to enjoy the music at 2:00.  Rental canoes and kayaks are available through the Fitzwater Station in Port Providence, 610-935-2750. 

It has been a long time coming but with the construction of fish ladders or fishways at four dams and the removal of three dams American Shad are once again able to ascend the Schuylkill River.  This is the first time in approximately 180 years that the American Shad can swim up the river, the construction of the Fairmount Dam during 1820 was the the reason that American Shad could no longer make it up the river.  Many people including the Schuylkill Canal Association think this is a big deal, big enough to start an annual festival on the banks of our beautiful Schuylkill River. 

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission have stocked approximately 4.5 million juvenile American Shad in the Schuylkill River since 1999.  A multi-year study has recent found that approximately 95% of shad collected at the Fairmount Dam have been shown to be from the stocking.  This is great news because it tells us that the shad fishery has been redeveloped. While it will probably be a few years before we start to see the shad in significant numbers we want to be ready for them when they arrive.      

The rain date is Sunday April 25, 2010, same time and program.   For more info contact SCA at 610-917-0021.