Celebrating the Bicentennial of the Miami & Erie Canal. 4:00 PM: Canal Days Parade featuring a canal boat replica 5:00-9:00 Canal Days Festival at Swallen’s lot The Miami & Erie Canal is woven into the fabric and history of Middletown. The ground-breaking for the canal occurred on July 21, 1825, in Middletown, Ohio. The site is commemorated by the Miami & Erie Canal Boulder Monument located on property owned by Cleveland Cliffs at the corner of Verity Parkway and Yankee Road.