Jacqueline Connelly named winner of 17th annual Key to the Locks Award

Jacqueline Connelly is the recipient of the 17th annual Key to the Locks Award. A volunteer selection panel drawn from the Lockport community chose Connelly for her years of volunteer service to the Locks District improvements.

Connelly researched, created and organized the “Flight of Five Walking Tour,” which provides Lockport visitors and residents with an enhanced understanding of the historic locks and Erie Canal. She has been an active volunteer board member of the Locks Heritage District Corp. for several years, and has contributed to several other LHDC projects.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21, Lockport Mayor Michelle Roman will present the award to Connelly in a public ceremony on the lawn of the Erie Canal Discovery Center, 24 Church St. The public is invited to attend. If the weather is bad, the ceremony will be held indoors. Audience size may be limited.

The annual Key to the Locks Award was established in 2006 to recognize persons in Niagara County who exemplify the community spirit – or promote the heritage or the preservation – of the historic Erie Canal.