First Lady Michelle Paterson Announces Two Events Commemorating New York's 400th Anniversary

ALBANY, NY (09/24/2009)(readMedia)-- New York's Quadricentennial celebration continues this upcoming weekend with an exhibition in Albany and a conference in the mid-Hudson Valley, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced today.

This year, New York is celebrating the 400th anniversary of the voyage of English Captain Henry Hudson, who led (for the Dutch) the first European expedition to sail up the river that now bears his name, and of the voyage of Frenchman Samuel de Champlain, the first European to discover his namesake lake. To commemorate these simultaneous "quadricentennials" – as well as the 200th anniversary of Robert Fulton's maiden journey up the Hudson River on the first successful steamboat – New York State and its many communities have had a yearlong series of events, programs and projects.

First Lady Michelle Paterson, Honorary Chair of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Celebration, said: "Among the hundreds of community celebrations honoring New York's 400th anniversary, our office has hosted the Dutch Royal family for a spectacular visit earlier this month, celebrated the entire Hudson River Valley at River Day 2009 in June, and, just last weekend, re-dedicated the newly refurbished Crown Point lighthouse on Lake Champlain as a fitting New York State legacy project. This weekend, we continue this special year with two important signature events."

In Albany, the "StampExpo 400," the final event in the year-long Capital District Hudson-Fulton-Champlain celebration, will be held Sept. 25-27 at the Empire State Plaza and will open 100 years to the day that the state's highly successful 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration began with the issue of a stamp depicting Hudson's "Half Moon" and Fulton's "Clermont." The U.S. Postal Service will be offering current issues, the United Nations will celebrate with the release of a three pane set for its Millennium Goals project and St. Vincent & the Grenadines will release a souvenir sheet depicting Hudson, Fulton, and Champlain. This event compliments Quadricentennial events throughout the city all weekend including waterfront festivities.

"StampExpo 400 will not only commemorate the historical significance of Henry Hudson, Robert Fulton and Samuel de Champlain, but also draw collectors, enthusiasts and dealers from around the United States and Canada. With interest in the show running high, the Expo will serve as one of the signature events of New York's Quadricentennial celebration," said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis.

"The immense popularity of stamp collecting demonstrates the enduring and widespread interest in our state and nation's heritage. I welcome all the participants to the historic city of Albany for this important Quadricentennial event," said Carol Ash, Commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

In Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park, "New York's 400 Years, The Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Conference" celebrates the Hudson, America's first river on Sept. 25-26. The historic conference has two full days of great New York writers and historians including Dr. David Hackett Fischer, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in history for "Washington's Crossing" and author of "Champlain's Dream," and Dr. David Voorhees, Director of the Papers of Jacob Leisler Project and Managing Editor of de Halve Maen, New York University.

For more information on these events and the Grand Opening of Walkway Over the Hudson coming up on October 3rd, please visit: www.exploreny400.com, or call the New York State Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial office at (518)402-8565.

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