Community celebrates together.
To celebrate 100-years at Haviland’s Cove, we will organize a community potluck. We will have three tables to hold platters, dishes, and bowls provided by friends, neighbors, and local businesses. There will be paper plates, utensils, and a few benches but be sure to bring your own chairs along with a food to share. Below are some ideas with recipes to bring, whether salads, pastas, platters, nachos, and more.
Learn from Historians, Community Leaders, and Architects
Arith Russell is the current director of the Feeder Canal Alliance. Formed in 1988 by Hudson Falls resident Gaynell Moore, it has focused on fostering the preservation and restoration of the Feeder Canal and Towpath Trail, educating visitors about the canal’s history, and the extraordinary impact it had on the economic growth of Glens Falls, the region, and the environment. She will provide a brief overview of how the Feeder Canal shaped Haviland Cove and the surrounding area of the years.
Ardith Russell, Executive Director of the Feeder Canal Alliance
Christine Merrill, Former Glens Falls Recreation Superintendent
Christine Merrill was instrumental in securing the grant to redesign the current bathhouse at Haviland Cove. She was the Glens Falls Recreation Superintendent for fourteen years between 1988 and 2002, overseeing the development of the city’s incredible parks and trails. She will speak about her experience and memories ensuring residents have a beautiful beach along the Hudson River.
Cindy Hess, Zonta Club Historian and Former Glens Falls Councilwomen
Lacinda (Cindy) Hess is the first woman who ran for the Glens Falls Common Council and was elected in 1974. Over the past fifty years, she has been a schoolteacher, college professor, historian, and much more throughout the community. She will talk about memories of Haviland’s Cove and the Glens Falls area, especially the history of Zonta Club of Glens Fall’s bathhouse project in 1926.
Wayne Wright, Glens Falls Historian
Wayne Wright is the city’s historian, maintaining archival records for over twenty-five years, but he has been with the city since 1980, whether working in the Clerk’s office, records management, and landscaper until taking over as city historian in 2000. He will speak about the decades of archived materials over the years about Haviland’s Cove and illuminate residents about its history.
Jen Denis, Architect at LaBella Associates
Jen Davis is an architect and project manager at LaBella Associates who worked on the team that created the future vision of Haviland Cove Park that was revealed in 2024. She will speak about how the plan came about, bringing community leaders and residents together to embark on the future of the park.
Mary Gooden, Glens Falls Councilwoman-At-Large
Mary Gooden, currently Glens Falls Councilwoman-At-Large and President of the Glens Falls Chapter of NAACP, has lived in the city for decades, growing up with her family and becoming a beacon of the community. She will share memories of Haviland Cove over the years, and her work with LaBella to development the future plans for the park.
