On September 20, 2025, the C&O Canal Trust and the National Park Service welcomed over 200 members of our canal community to the lawn of the historic Great Falls Tavern in the C&O Canal National Historical Park for our annual fundraising and community building celebration, Park After Dark 2025. Each year this special event gives the canal community an opportunity to provide direct support to the C&O Canal. This year, our Spotlight Fund focused attention on the condition of the towpath’s critical infrastructure – the historic culverts. There are over 150 culverts supporting the towpath and canal prism itself. Each one plays a critical role in ensuring towpath continuity.
“These 200-year-old unique hand-built stone and brick structures carry streams beneath the canal, quietly holding everything together. Without them, washouts would sever towpath continuity, making long stretches of the park impassable,” said President & CEO Lauren Riviello.
Through this event alone, the Trust raised nearly $200,000 to support the park, with the goal of raising an additional $30,000 for the Spotlight Fund to launch the Culvert Preservation and Restoration Initiative.
During the evening’s program, the Trust announced the launch of the new Friends of Great Falls Tavern Initiative. “For more than 51 years, the Friends of Historic Great Falls Tavern has supported this park, raising funds, welcoming visitors, and caring deeply for this special place,” said Acting Superintendent Ed Wenschhof. “Their contributions have left an indelible mark on the C&O Canal community and on the history of this park. The Friends have given us 51 years of dedication, and now the Trust will build on that foundation, ensuring that this historic Great Falls Tavern and the entire canal remain vibrant for generations.”
Earlier this month, the Board of the Friends made the decision to dissolve as an independent nonprofit organization, with a commitment to helping the Trust launch a new initiative focused on fundraising and stewardship at Great Falls. “We are honored to build on the work that the Friends have accomplished, continuing the legacy they started more than half a century ago,” said Riviello.
Special thanks to our donors, sponsors, and community partners who made Park After Dark 2025 a huge success. Every year, we are humbled by their support for the continued mission of the Trust, and the important work of preserving our C&O Canal.
Thank you to our Park After Dark 2025 Sponsors
Presenting Sponsors
Canal Patron
Francis and Carolyn Grant-Suttie
John Guttmann and Holly Cannon
A.R. Landsman Foundation
Canal Explorer
The Jewell Foundation
Canal Traveler
Cheryl Altschuler
Gay and Tony Barclay
Steve and June Chaudet
Mary Ann Fisher
Sandy, Wyatt, Zeze Grace
Paul and Laurie Juola
Mann Paller Foundation
Howard Morse and Laura Loeb
Ed Ryan and Catie Malone
Canal Preserver
Crescent Cities Charities
Marc Grossman and Mildred Patterson
Judy and Dallas Harrison
The Healthier, Greener, Kinder Foundation
Mike and Sue Mitchell
M&T Bank
Photos by Tony Brooks Photography and Paul Graunke