Beacon Lights event in Waddington to mark Seaway flood

WADDINGTON — The last of a series of spotlights will light up the night sky tonight to commemorate the flooding a half century ago of several riverfront towns to build the St. Lawrence Seaway.

For about a week, spotlights have been lit at villages in Canada and in the U.S., with at least one more each night.

Each light has been lit in remembrance of the villages, or parts of villages, that were flooded to make way for the massive barges and ships that float up and down the shipping route today.

"When they created the project, they inundated 38,000 acres," said Dalton P. Foster, a member of the Seaway 50 group, which planned the Beacon Lights event. "This is to commemorate the lost villages and more so the people who lived there because some of them lived there for generations."

The beacons are being lit in honor of the Canadian towns of Aultsville, Sarron's Point, Dickinson's Landing, Wales, Moulinette and Mille Roche.

Louisville Landing and Waddington are the only villages on the American side to get a light.

A ceremony in Waddington, which will include live music and guest speakers, will begin at 8:30 p.m. tonight. The spotlight will be lit at 9 p.m. and stay on until midnight, Mr. Foster said.

The Beacon Lights event marks the beginning of a series of events on the American side to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Seaway.

More events on this side of the river will be held in mid-July, beginning with a guest lecture by Claire P. Parham, author of "The St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project" at 7 p.m. July 9 at Hawkins Point Visitors Center and ending with a parade July 11 in Massena.

"It's just sort of a glimpse back into history," Mr. Foster said.