Rockaway area residents looking for a free day out this weekend can head a few minutes west to Wharton for Canal Day, one of Morris County’s signature heritage festivals. Wharton Canal Day returns to Hugh Force Canal Park at 180 West Central Avenue on Saturday, August 22, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
The festival centers on the restored Morris Canal Lock 2 East and its lock tender’s house. After the Morris Canal was abandoned in the 1920s, Lock 2 East sat buried for decades until the Borough of Wharton and the Canal Society of New Jersey worked for years to rebuild it. The lock now operates again, and the tender’s house is furnished as if the keeper and his family still lived there.
Visitors can expect live music, food vendors, craft and exhibitor booths, historical reenactments, canal boat rides and activities for children. The Morris County Historical Society will lead guided walking tours along a water-filled section of the canal to Lock 2 East, with tours beginning at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Parking with shuttle service is available at the Wharton Industrial Center at 105 West Dewey Avenue for a $5 per carload donation, and some street parking may also be available. Canal Day is among the many events across Morris County tied to the county’s 250th anniversary this year.
