Delaware Water Gap to celebrate Founder's Day with train ride from Steamtown, festival

Whether you arrive by foot, train or car, there's plenty happening in the Water Gap this weekend.

Delaware Water Gap is celebrating its ninth annual Founder's Day on Saturday with fun-filled events including a scenic train ride (departing from Scranton), a pancake breakfast at the firehouse, a duck race in Cherry Creek, live music and a wildlife demonstration.

Founder's Day was established in honor of Antoine Dutot, who founded Dutotsburg, now Delaware Water Gap, in 1793.

All aboard!

One of the most picturesque ways to stroll into Water Gap is via train.

The Steamtown National Historic Site is offering 104-mile roundtrip excursion and narrated trip departing the park's station at 350 Cliff St., Scranton on 9 a.m. Saturday.

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The train ride, powered by a diesel engine locomotive will travel through several tunnels and historic Pocono train stations (including Moscow, Gouldsboro, Tobyhanna, Cresco, and East Stroudsburg train stations) before arriving at Delaware Water Gap (with views of the Point of Gap Overlook) shortly before noon.

Visitors can spend the day checking out Founder's Day festivities before departing back to Electric City at 4 p.m.

Steamtown Station

According to the National Park Service, the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railway (DL&W) first arrived at the Delaware River in 1856 with a train to New York City. The terrain from Scranton had been mountainous and isolated; the route traced the course of major streams, crossed the Lehigh's headwater at Gouldsboro, and bisected Pocono Summit Lake on DL&W's land bridge.

The historic station Water Gap station was built between 1903-1904 and designed by Frank J. Nies, an architect best known for having designed numerous DL&W stations. It closed to passenger service in 1953 and was sold to the Borough of Delaware Water Gap in 1958, NPS said.

Tickets cost $55 (ages 12-61), $50 (62 and older), $33 (ages 3-11) and $1 (children under 2).

For info, go to www.nps.gov/stea/index.htm

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Founder's Day Fun

Celebrate Water Gap's 229th birthday early with a pancake breakfast with firefighters from the Delaware Water Gap Firehouse (214 Main Street) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Still hungry? Grab some sweet treats at a bake sale at the Presbyterian Church of the Mountain (110 Church Lane) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Then test your luck at the duck race in Cherry Creek behind the Village Farmer and Bakery starting at 10:30 a.m. at 13 Broad Street. The cost is $4 per duck and all participants are guaranteed to win a prize. At noon, the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center will be at the bakery with some of their furry friends.

There will also be live music by Hot Takes Trio at the borough's gazebo (110 Church Lane) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and performances by local students from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Rick Chamberlain Memorial Stage (Delaware Avenue).

Learn about the history of Water Gap from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Dutot Museum Open Gallery at 24 Main Street.

There will be four guided walking tours of Water Gap, available at noon, 1, 2, and 3 p.m and featuring a tour of the Castle Inn (20 Delaware Water Gap), which was built in 1906 and is now the site of several cute shops and galleries.

Looking for a locally-made souvenir? the Town Firehouse will host an art-and-craft vendor show between 10 a.m and 4 p.m. on Delaware Avenue.

After all that sight-seeing, find a snack and cool beverage at one of the DWG's restaurants including the Sycamore Grille (92 Main Street), Sango Kura (39 Broad Street), Zoe's Ice Cream Parlor (20 Delaware Avenue) or Joe Bosco Authentic Smokehouse BBQ (55 Broad Street).

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Delaware Water Gap celebrates Founder's Day with train ride, festival