update

Summer has finally arrived! Complaining about the heat is not permitted! We’ve been waiting too long for the warmth of the sun as we open our third Water Taxi Season.

A couple rainy weekends in June not withstanding we’ve gotten off to a very good start. In fact, we have already exceeded last season’s rider numbers!! This increase in ridership is due in large part from the attendance at events that were held on both sides of the river.

And, speaking of large I have one word – Sailfest! We had over 1,000 people ride the taxi and enjoy river cruises during the day and the fireworks by night. They were all ages and came from all over the state including Springfield, Hartford, and Fairfield as well as from right here in the center of the universe.

As we continue to make improvements to the Park experience, we are introducing a new Park Ambassador Program funded by grants from The Community Foundation of ECT and Dominion Energy. Meet our ambassadors here. READ MORE.[clear_both]

A shout out to our sponsors who are an essential component of funding the Park and Water Taxi operation. We were pleased that so many of our 2017 sponsors returned along with several new ones.

This year we introduced a new sponsorship opportunity in which businesses and individuals can sponsor two water taxi season passes for New London County libraries which can be signed out by their patrons. Read about it here. READ MORE.

Our Ride & Save program, which has almost twice as many business participating as compared to last season, continues to provide added value to our water taxi ticket and season pass holders. The purchase of a $10 water taxi ticket gives you hundreds of dollars of savings. If you’re not taking advantage of it you’re missing out big time.

After a well-attended meeting held earlier this year at the Lyman Allyn Museum representatives from Park heritage sites began the process of building a formal collaboration with TRHP. We developed an agreement and are now in the process of getting approval from 18 potential partners, most of which are featured on our website. We will soon be on our way to developing collaborative programming and events, a fundamental component of the Park’s vision. Stay tuned. READ MORE.

We continue to get our message out not only to local audiences but also to prospective visitors from throughout the region and the country. Here are some new opportunities for people to see and hear about the Park. READ MORE.

And, lastly, my annual friendly request and reminder, if you visit this season please take our super short survey – in person on the boat or online here. It takes less than a minute, I promise.

Have a sunny, fun and safe summer! And, be sure to get out on the Thames!

Cheers,

Executive Director

P.S. New TRHP t-shirts are now available for purchase on the Water Taxi and at Flavours of Life, 86 Bank Street in New London. Soon, you’ll be able to order them on our site.

In addition to the Rack cards and Map & Guides, local radio, print and online advertising courtesy of our media sponsors, I hope many of you have seen our banners at the entrance to New London and at the Poquonnock Bridge in Groton. We’ve also added National Public Radio Station WSHU into our marketing mix this year as well as Mystic Luxury Cinema where our TV commercial will air before every movie throughout July. And, we now have a presence at the Mystic Information Center which we are told gets about 250,000 visitors a year. Those of you on the Groton side of the River I hope you’ll see my interview on Mystic Matters, the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce Cable Access show with Membership Director Kristin Hartnett. Thanks, Kristin, that was fun!

Since its inception, the TRHP vision has been to engage the public in programming and events that promote heritage and culture. We have taken a giant step toward making this a reality by developing a formal agreement with the heritage and cultural sites and institutions in the Park to begin this work. Our agreement provides benefits to our Partner Sites such as promotion on our website, inclusion in our Map & Guide and in our social media, and the right to identify themselves as a TRHP Partner using our logo. It also calls for similar reciprocity by the Partner Sites to help promote the Park. A fundamental component to the agreement is the inclusion of the Partner Sites representatives to be directly involved in designing and implementing collaborative initiatives. We will soon be on our way to developing programming and events to improve the Park experience and building more awareness of all we have to offer.

Chap Hanley, Atlantic Broadband VP and General Manager, (center) was on hand to present New London Public Library with two Water Taxi Season Passes for library patrons to use. Shown from left Suzanne Mazursky, New London Public Library Director and Amy Perry, TRHP Executive Director. Through ABB’s generosity, and that of Poppy & Rye Bakery in Norwich and Groton Utilities, patrons of eight New London County libraries can sign out the passes and hop on the water taxi to visit the sites, dine, shop or just enjoy being on the water. The other libraries that have Water Taxi Season Passes include Waterford, East Lyme, Groton, Bill Memorial in Groton, Preston, Slater Library in Jewett City, and Otis Library in Norwich.

Our new Park Ambassador Program is just getting underway. Two students from STEM Magnet School in New London Gianna Rubino and Mia Dorcely, were chosen through an application process that was coordinated by our Park Ambassador Program partner New England Sailing and Science (NESS). The Program gives these students an opportunity to learn about our local history, answer passenger questions about the area, and assist the water taxi mates. As part of the Ambassador Program Mia and Gianna earned their Power Boating Certification through NESS.

This pilot program has been made possible through a generous grant from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut with additional support from Dominion Energy.