Time Capsule Celebrating Hudson River Quad Buried in Yonkers

Oct. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- A time capsule of materials from 2009 was buried for a century at Habirshaw Park in Yonkers to commemorate the quadricentennial of the Hudson River.  Pictures, letters, and other items collected filled the capsule and was a cornerstone of quad events organized by the Yonkers Downtown Waterfront Business Improvement District office.

The time capsule is a collaborative undertaking between the Yonkers Downtown BID, Friends of Westchester County Parks and the Beczak Environmental Education Center.  The cross-section of materials is meant to educate future generations in the year 2109 on what the Hudson River meant to people today and what life was life in the year 2009.

Steve Sansone, Executive Director of the Yonkers Downtown BID noted: “The time capsule will provide a perfect opportunity to leave an accurate record of what people thought about the Hudson River during this historic Quadricentennial year.”  He said that the BID contacted schools, businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals both locally and throughout the region to reflect on the Hudson River’s rich heritage and to express their views in writing or though photography and other art.

Over 100 different Westchester-based companies and organizations included news clippings, brochures, product catalogs, pictures, menus, and predictions of the future.  More than a dozen different newspapers from the week were added as were popular magazines and real estate guides.  Area organizations that participated included the Greyston Foundation, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Groundwork Hudson Valley, The Hudson River Museum, Business Council of Westchester, Sarah Lawrence College, Jewish Council of Yonkers, Yonkers Chamber of Commerce and the Yonkers Partners in Education.

Many companies added materials as well, ensure the future sees what doing business was like at the start of the 21st century.

“How fabulous would it be for someone to have sent you a treasure chest of information about your company from 100 years ago?” said Peter Klein, vice-chairman of the Downtown BID board and a vice-president with Fidelco Realty Group.  “I’m sure whoever is doing my job in a century will be interested in the aerial pictures, blueprints and other information I’m added to the time capsule  that documents what life is like today.”

A website was set up to collect messages and files, expanding what fit into the capsule.  The digital capacity of the disks means a tremendous amount of data can be preserved for the future to explore.  Such space availability would not have been available 100 years ago and translates into the equivalent of hundreds of boxes of paper.

“The technology means that we can get an extensive cross section of views from many residents throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley region to leave an impressive record for future generations to appreciate,” said Sansone.  

The time capsule is one of the highlights of the Yonkers Downtown BID’s Half Moon Festival comprising two October weekends of free festive events while the replica of Half Moon, Henry Hudson’s 85-foot-long ship, is docked at the Yonkers Pier.  

On hand for the ceremony was Westchester County Executive Andy Spano who added information from various county departments such as Planning, Tourism, and Parks.  The County Executive talked about his commitment to create a walkable path along the 51 miles of Hudson River waterfront in the county, which should occur long before the reopening of the time capsule in 2109.

Also attending the ceremony was a class from Christ the King school in Yonkers.  Students wrote letters about the Hudson River for the time capsule and added pictures and other mementos important to them.

For more information, visit www.yonkersdowntown.com/halfmoon.  

The Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront Business Improvement District (YDWBID) was created to promote and implement the economic revitalization of the District and the City of Yonkers. The BID is also designed to maintain the downtown streets, contribute to public safety, landscape the district, market special events and create promotional opportunities to highlight the area. Additionally, the BID will preserve and encourage the cultural, historic, tourist and civic interest of the District and the City of Yonkers.

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The Yonkers Downtown/Waterfront Business Improvement District was created to promote and implement the economic revitalization of the District and the City of Yonkers. The BID is also designed to maintain the downtown streets, contribute to public safety, landscape the district, market special events and create promotional opportunities to highlight the area. Additionally, the BID will preserve and encourage the cultural, historic, tourist and civic interest of the District and the City of Yonkers.