Big Slackwater Restoration

( By Yvette May/Staff Photographer / October 13, 2012 )

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, center, prepares to cut the ribbon at a dedication ceremony Saturday at the Big Slackwater boat ramp in Downsville, Md. Kevin Brandt, left of Cardin, is C&O Canal Park superintendent. Thomas B. Riford, president and chief executive officer of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, is to the right of Cardin, and National Park Service National Capital Regional Director Steve Whitesell is to the right of Riford. The ceremony celebrated the restoration of the area of the C&O towpath known as Big Slackwater.