C&O Canal Hosts 'Park After Dark' This Weekend

Our local national park hosts its largest fundraiser of the year Saturday, allowing visitors a chance to see the C&O Canal National Historical Park in a state few regular visitors have seen before.

Tickets are still on sale for the C&O Canal Trust's Park After Dark, an evening benefit that will allowing event-goers to view the canal at twilight while supporting the C&O Park and the Canal Trust. Traditionally, the C&O Park closes at dusk. With nearly 250 guests in attendance, last year’s benefit was a sold out event. This year, event organizers have upped the attendance to allow for 300 guests.

According to Matthew Logan, president of the Canal Trust, the 2011 Park After Dark benefit raised around $60,000 to support park programs including Canal Quarters and Canal Discoveries

The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. at Great Falls Tavern in Potomac.

Tickets must be purchased in advance at $150 each; $115 of the ticket cost is tax deductible, according to the Canal Trust. The ticket price includes live music, chili and cornbread, beer and wine, live and silent auctions, campfires, a Civil War encampment and more.

Because the benefit will take place outdoors, the Canal Trust recommends keeping attire “towpath chic.”