May 13, 2011 — The new exhibit, Paddling to Perfection, opens at noon today at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association as part of the weekend celebration of the 50th Anniversary Rushton Canoe Races in Canton. Boatbuilder J Henry Rushton built his first boat, a canoe, at his Canton boat shop in 1873. Within ten years, his boats, canoes and paddles were on display at world's fairs and expos.

The new exhibit explores Rushton's involvement with the American Canoe Association meet in 1886 at Grindstone Island on the St. Lawrence River and Rushton's award winning canoes at the 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago. St. Lawrence County historian Trent Trulock told Todd Moe that the "Paddling to Perfection" exhibit includes photographs, books, and artifacts related to these two events.