JOHNSTOWN - For runners in the Second Annual Johnson Jog, starting the
race near Johnson Hall was a simple matter of ready, set ... Boom!

The race began Saturday morning with the firing of an 18th century
swivel gun, basically a large musket mounted like a miniature cannon
on an iron swivel - a weapon of the type Sir William Johnson had to
guard his baronial home in the Colonial Era. The antique starting gun
was just one of the unusual features of the three-mile run that
attracted more than 200 participants, some from as far away as
Massachusetts and Connecticut.

"It's a themed 5k," said Johnson Hall Site Manager Wade Wells,
standing near the swivel gun Saturday and garbed in 1760s clothing,
complete with a cocked hat, breeches, black canvas gaiters strapped
around his shins above black shoes. "The runners follow a course
through the city, passing by some of the notable historic sites in
town. It's a nice way for us to feature the whole town, particularly
to some people who may not normally be attracted to historic sites or
visit them."

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-- 
Bob Sullivan
Schenectady Digital History Archive
<http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/>
Schenectady County (NY) Public Library