NEWBURGH/BEACON – The cities of Newburgh and Beacon, across the Hudson from one another, simultaneously welcomed the flotilla that is sailing the river in celebration of the Quadricentennial of Henry Hudson's historic voyage. The replicas included the Half Moon, the ship Hudson used to sail up the river that now bears his name.

After the Half Moon docked in Newburgh, Mayor Nick Valentine said told an enthusiastic crowd the Quad activities were a joint effort.

The cities of Newburgh and Beacon worked together as “two sister cities that were able to pull this off,” he said. The vents demonstrated a “comradery between two cities that really, really care about the people that live here.”

Spectators on the Beacon side enjoyed a festival sponsored by environmental preservation organization Scenic Hudson.

The group’s president Ned Sullivan said the river is “the most magnificent natural resource that we have in the area” and that events like these connect the people.

Sullivan said that aside from the celebration, the preservation efforts of Scenic Hudson and even the festivities themselves create jobs in the area.

He continued to say the, "creation of jobs by building parks and protecting land and contributing to a $4.5 billion tourism industry; it’s good for the economy and it’s good for the environment." He then added that not only do festivities like the Quadricentennial help put the Hudson Valley on the map but they are also an inspiration to local residents.