FOCAAdmin  Jul.24.2013

Photo: Mavis Cain, Gary Ricci, Manager of Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, Sammy Singh who worked on the bridge and Robert Kornfeld.

By Andrea Minoff

A double celebration marked the completion of preservation work on the Old Croton Aqueduct at the Double Arch Bridge and the Bicentennial of the Village of Ossining on Saturday July 20 at the Weir Chamber on the Bridge. With Mavis Cain, President of the Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct acting as mistress of ceremonies, remarks were delivered by Gary Ricci, Manager of the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, Westchester County Legislator Catherine Borgia, Project Engineer Phil Pierce of CHA, Ossining Town Council Member Geoff Harter, Village Trustee John Codman III, David Branston of Parks and Trails NY and Ossining resident and Aqueduct neighbor Northern Wilshire (spelling?). The preservation work was funded by an allocation from the State of New York.

The occasion was toasted with the Croton Highball, a cocktail of crisp, clean, sparkling Croton water and lemon juice imbibed to celebrate the completion of the Aqueduct in 1842, and two amazing cakes both of which pictured the Double Arch, one in a photo and one as a sculpture atop the cake. Attendees cooled off by descending into the Aqueduct Tunnel, a rare opportunity to see the inner workings of the weir, which controlled the flow of the water. KJ Denhert provided musical accompaniment for the festivities.