The symbolism behind having vendors lined along the length of the Albany County-Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail may not have been nearly as clear to those attending as it was an ingenious idea this past Saturday.
State Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and County Executive Dan McCoy sat along with town supervisors John Clarkson and Tom Dolin of Bethlehem and New Scotland, respectively, for the annual Summer Solstice Celebration. The rail trail has been a grassroots effort to reclaim the old D&H Railroad that once tied communities together. How the old rail would supply rural towns with goods and supplies, and for a time served as a mode of transportation to the City of Albany and beyond. And, as time passed, helped those communities grow more expansive in size with additional businesses, and later residents. To think, when the Susquehanna Line was first established, railroad tycoons took to exploiting politics and later firearms to fight for its control. But, after nearly a century of affordable cars and an infrastructure to support competitive means of transportation, the trains disappeared along with the caboose in 2003.
Saturday, politicians were not pitching their campaigns from the back the train. Instead, they praised the efforts of the Mohawk Land Conservancy. Instead of storefronts within walking distance of the local train station, area vendors lined themselves on the trail itself. For a few hours, the old rail in Voorheesville, Slingerlands and Delmar resembled a microcosm of the very villages and hamlets nearby. And, in case you were not aware of the importance the rail once was to our towns, old pictures of trains long gone were on display by the Bethlehem Historical Society.
Many may not see the overall benefit of a bike or pedestrian trail, and say it stands to provide more of a nuisance to those who own homes along it. But, seriously, such inconveniences won’t be any more likely than that of the sidewalks that run in front of most of those homes already. Once completed, the rail trail is going to serve as a fine feature for our towns. As our suburbs continue to explode with more residents, and more traffic, local bicyclists should have a place to ride safely. Mind you, it’s also a fine place for pedestrians to enjoy a scenic, nearly lost vantage point of where we call home. Not to mention, the prospect of riding a bicycle from the Town of New Scotland, to Albany, north on to Watervliet and Schenectady beyond that, is mind boggling. It will be possible, logistically, if not physically by those of us employed to sit and write behind a desk all day. As scores of people flocked to the festival on Saturday, it’s quite evident the trail will become a tourist attraction, of sort – as proven by the bicyclist from Guilderland, and the vendors from Colonie, Waterford and beyond. Anything that promotes a healthier style of living, with the potential of strengthening the bonds of our communities, is something worthwhile.
