Trail and tunnel dedication Sharing the honor of cutting the ribbon for the official opening of the Underhill Towpath Trail and Tunnel are, l-r - Ed Gruber, volunteer; Delphi Mayor Lee Hoard; Joe Mayfield, Delphi Limestone; Dan McCain, Canal Association; Lew Davis, the Heritage Group; Faye and Gerry Underhill of Delphi; Krista Watson, Delphi Chamber of Commerce. Photo provided National Trails Day was commemorated Saturday in Delphi as volunteers and the Underhill family presented the latest addition to the trails system.

People of all ages came to celebrate the official opening of the Underhill Towpath Trail and Tunnel. The dedication ceremony culminated years of work by scores of trail volunteers and the Wabash & Erie Canal Association.

The ceremony was punctuated with a shout of "Hip, Hip Hooray!" from the crowd and the firing of a cannon.

The railroad spur provides transportation for crushed stone produced by Delphi Limestone Company. Arrangements for approval to install the pipe had to come from the Stone Company and Norfolk Southern Railroad. This took an extended period of years. The culmination of negotiations was aided by Mary Ives, a local trail advocate.

Lew Davis, vice president of the Heritage Group, which owns the local quarry, was present to cut the ribbon along with the Chamber of Commerce, Delphi Mayor Lee Hoard, the Underhill family, and Dan McCain, Canal Association president.

Gerry and Faye Underhill introduced their extended family as they were being honored. Their gift of land ten years ago included the 0.8mile-long section of watered canal and the historic towpath where the trail was developed. Also honored was Bob Morrow, whose family had owned a narrow sliver portion of the towpath nearer to US 421 in west Delphi.

"All this land was donated for the development of this beautiful, pristine section of trail," McCain said.

The Underhills sponsored ten benches along the trail running through Canal Park and on to the southwest where the second tunnel passes beneath the highway at Dollar General and Pizza Hut. These benches were individually inscribed with names of deceased family members. Underhill family members present and other attendees walked the quarter mile from the Canal Center to the tunnel for the celebration.