FIRST LADY MICHELLE PAIGE PATERSON TO OPEN THE 104th NEW YORK NATIONAL BOAT SHOW
Event Marks Official Launch of New York’s Hudson-Fulton-Champlain
Quadricentennial Celebration
First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson tomorrow will lead a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony to open the 104th New York National Boat Show. The event will also launch the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration, of which the First Lady is Honorary Chair. The Show marks the first of many festivities in the yearlong commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the voyages of English Captain Henry Hudson and Frenchman Samuel de Champlain, as well as the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s maiden steamboat journey up the Hudson River.
“I am so honored to be to a part of this impressive moment in New York’s history,“ said First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson. “As we reflect on the progress our State has made since its first explorers navigated up the Hudson River and across Lake Champlain, let us also look to the future and consider how our own contributions can impact New York’s legacy. The Quadricentennial Celebration’s focus on environmental and economic sustainability highlights how we, too, can make history.“
The First Lady will be joined by Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis, Dutch Consul General Hugo Gajus Scheltema, Joan K. Davidson, Chair of the Hudson- Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, and National Marine Manufacturers Association President Thom Dammrich to kickoff the nine-day exposition. The Boat Show will host the Onrust Historic Shipbuilding Expo, a special Quadricentennial exhibit that highlights 17th century shipbuilding, sail-making and rigging. The Boat Show displays nearly 1,000 luxury motor yachts, cruising yachts, performance boats, other new watercrafts and accessories and is expected to draw close to 80,000 attendees. Participants will also learn of an opportunity to take part in River Day, a regatta from New York City to Albany scheduled for June 2009.
New York State Commissioner of Environmental Conservation Pete Grannis said: “The voyages of Hudson and Champlain in 1609 opened a route that became America’s lifeblood and brought about a flood of art, culture and commerce that changed the world. The Quadricentennial is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate the river’s amazing history, while setting a course for a sustainable, prosperous future.“
Joan K. Davidson, Chair of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, said: “The Quadricentennial celebration offers us the exciting opportunity to take account of New York's splendid resources, consider how far our city and state have come in the last 400 years, and look ahead to where we may be in the next 100 years. It is wonderful that New York's distinguished First Lady will lead the way in this grand cause.“
Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said: “It is such an honor to have the First Lady with us. We are thrilled to host the launch of NY’s 400th at the world’s longest-running boat show and to continue to help New Yorkers discover and enjoy boating along the Hudson River and beyond.“
The New York National Boat Show will run from Saturday, December 13 through Sunday, December 21 at the Jacob Javits Center. More information about the event is available online at www.NYBoatShow.com.
For more information on New York’s Quadricentennial Celebration, please visit: www.exploreny400.com