July 31, 2006
Recently a series of photos of the Brock Monument and Queenston Heights park was added to the Niagara Falls picture gallery. Click on the thumbnails below for more.
History of the Brock Monument
In 1824, the first monument memorializing British Major General Isaac Brock was erected at Queenston Heights. The white limestone tower was 65 feet (19.8m) tall. Inside this tower was a circular staircase inside the viewing area at the top of the tower. The bodies of Major General Brock and his aide de camp Lieutenant Colonel Macdonell were entombed at the base of this tower. The monument was dedicated on October 13th 1824.
On April 17th 1838, Benjamin Lett, an Irish Canadian rebel sympathetic to the Mackenzie Rebellion and a group of saboteurs set off an explosive blast at the base of Brock’s Monument causing irreparable structural damage.
The bodies of Brock and Macdonell were disinterred from the vault and reburied in the Hamilton family cemetery in Queenston.
On October 13th 1853, construction of the new Brock’s Monument was begun. It was designed by Toronto architect, William Thomas. It was completed in the autumn of 1856. The tower is 184 feet (56m) tall and inside has a 235 step circular stairway to a small twelve foot diameter observation deck/pod at the top. It was paid for from public donations.
At the beginning of the construction of the new monument, the remains of Brock and Macdonell were disinterred from the Hamilton cemetery and reburied in a vault underneath the monument.
On April 5th 1929, during a heavy gale, the outstretched arm of the statue of General Brock broke off and fell to the ground below. It broke into three large pieces weighing one thousand pounds. The arm and the entire upper portion of the statue needed replacement. Scaffolding was build around the tower to the very top to allow workers to reconstruct the statue of General Brock.
Brock’s Monument continues to stand as a sentinel atop the Niagara Escarpment at Queenston overlooking the beautiful lower Niagara River area. Access to the top observation pod is allowed.
Source: Niagara Frontier
As seen on CBC News July 21, 2006
Scientists in cloud over mistier Niagara Falls
Scientists on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border have different ideas to explain why the skyline at Niagara Falls is increasingly misty and wet.
The Niagara Parks Commission started tracking weather conditions at the tourist site 10 years ago.
In that time, the number of misty days has increased from about 30 a year to more than double that number, the commission said.
To read more of this article, please visit: CBC.ca
July 28, 2006
Printed from Niagara Falls Review
Rock Paper Scissors tourney at casino
Friday, July 28, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – Rock Papers Scissor won’t just settle playground disputes – it could win you big bucks. Casino Niagara will host a Rock Paper Scissors tournament Aug. 12, with the winner heading to Toronto Nov. 11 for the RPS Society’s World Championships and its $10,000 prize. “Rock Paper Scissors seemed like a natural fit for Casino Niagara,” said general manager Drew Chamberlain. “It’s a lot like poker in that the players have to conceal their own intentions while trying to predict those of their opponents.” Anyone 19 or older is eligible for the tournament. To enter visit the Players Advantage Club booth at Casino Niagara or phone 1-888-WINFALL. Entry is free.
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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review
July 27, 2006
Printed from Niagara Falls Review
Peach lovers rejoice!; Crop a full week early this season, good harvest expected
ERIK WHITE
Thursday, July 27, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – Niagara’s peach crop is about a week early this year.
And Jeremy Froese, whose family runs a 300-acre fruit farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake, thinks the public might have been caught a little off guard. Like a date knocking on the door while you’re still in the shower.
Froese Farms had its first peaches of 2006 on store shelves last week and sales were a little sluggish. It has picked up this week, though.
“People think of fruit going by the calender, but the farmer has to pick when it’s ready,” Froese said during a break from packing Wednesday afternoon.
He and other workers have been kept busy, especially since the same hot weather that is sweetening their crop is also ripening it much faster than usual. Instead of picking every three days, they’ve been picking every two.
“But with all the rain, we’re getting some sleep at night,” Froese said.
“Don’t have to irrigate.”
Len Troup, chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Producers Marketing Board, said the rain has been very “timely.” Often coming, just in time, at the end of a string of hot, sunny days.
The sun makes the fruit sweet and the rain makes it big. And this year’s crop is looking like a good one.
And a relief, Troup said, after last year’s peach harvest was on the small side following a harsh winter. The peaches were good, there were just weren’t too many of them.
This will be a much larger crop. But because of the few hundred trees still being ripped out every year to stop the spread of the plum pox virus, nowhere near a record.
“But every tree is doing the best it can,” said Troup, whose family owns Lakelee Orchards near Jordan Station.
With different varieties of fruit ripening at different times, the peach season stretches out eight weeks into mid-September. And different orchards, most notably those near Lake Ontario, tend to start a little later.
But contrary to Froese’s experience, Troup believes an early harvest helps sales.
“We like an early season. It always seems to go better when it’s a nice, hot summer,” he said.
“Peaches are a summer fruit. And people are in the mood to eat them when it’s hot. Closer to the fall, they start thinking about pears and corn.”
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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review
Printed from Niagara Falls Review
Creepy crawly time at Botanical gardens
Local News – Thursday, July 27, 2006 @ 02:00
The Niagara Botanical Gardens will host a creepy crawly evening Bug Safari next month for children ages six through 12. The program will teach children how to capture and identify insects.
Nets, collecting jars and magnifying glasses will be provided. The program will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 12 and 19. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is $13.49 for children and $12.87 for adults, which includes entry to the Butterfly Conservatory. For more information call 1-877-642-7275, ext. 3
July 26, 2006
From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail
Not your mother’s Niagara Falls
by DEIRDRE KELLY
Niagara Falls, Ont. — When the Toronto-based Kontent Group went looking for a cool locale in which to launch Sir, its new Canadian men’s fashion magazine, CEO and creative director Michael King focused on Niagara Falls as the venue for a lavish party for 40 style-savvy guests.
“It was very clear to us 12 months ago that Niagara was on the cusp of cool,” King says. “It’s why we wanted to be there.”
Click here to read the rest of this Niagara Falls article.
July 25, 2006
Printed from Niagara Falls Review
Brock statue battles time, elements
JOHN ROBBINS
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – For more than 150 years, the stone likeness of Maj. Gen. Isaac Brock, hailed as a saviour of Upper Canada, has towered over the Niagara-on-the Lake countryside.
The nearly four-metre high statue of Brock, which sits atop the massive 56-metre tall limestone monument that bears his name, has endured just about everything man and nature can throw at it.
An earlier monument dedicated to Brock, built shortly after the conclusion of the War of 1812-14, was the target of an 1840 terrorist attack. Badly damaged in an explosion, the monument was replaced by the current, much more elaborate structure, which is both a grave and a tourist attraction.
Construction began in 1853, but the official dedication didn’t take place until Oct. 13, 1859.
Since then, the monument has been bombarded by wind, rain, hail, snow, ice and pollution. It has been hit by lightning at least once. An estimated 35,000 to 45,000 people visit the monument each year, many of them attempting the slow climb up the 235 steps of the monument’s internal staircase.
While there’s no reason to believe the monument won’t still be around in another 150 years, there’s no question it’s in need of some long overdue work, said Ron Dale, superintendent of Niagara National Historic Sites, an agency of Parks Canada.
“It’s very well built,” said Dale. “It’s quite a remarkable achievement, but it’s getting up there in age.”
Inspection of the monument over the past couple of years revealed cracking in some of the monument’s decorative features, as well as areas where mortar between the stones has come loose. The inspection also showed the deficiencies of previous restoration work, which was carried out in the early part of the 20th century.
In the interest of safety, the monument has been closed to the public while a detailed engineering study is completed. Currently, there is also a fence around the base.
The engineering study will be used to guide restoration work, which should be done by fall 2007, and help to answer some long-standing questions about the familiar landmark.
“We don’t even have detailed designs for the monument,” said Dale. “We don’t know how it was put together.”
Brock was killed Oct. 13, 1812, while leading his troops on a desperate uphill assault to recapture Queenston Heights from the invading Americans.
He and his aide, Lieut. Col. John Macdonell, were buried at Fort George, in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Their remains were moved to a tomb in the first monument in 1824.
After its destruction, the bodies were temporarily moved to a cemetery in Queenston village, where they rested until the second monument was ready to receive them.
Brock’s monument is a national historic site operated by the Friends of Fort George, in partnership with Niagara National Historic Sites. Author and historian Robert Malcomson will be leading walking tours of Queenston Heights, which will include talks about the battle and the monument, on Aug. 5 and Oct. 14. Both tours begin at 1 p.m. at the base of the monument.
For more information and to purchase tickets call 905-468-6621.
Rediscovering Niagara is a regular series looking at interesting sites around Niagara Falls and Fort Erie.
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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review
Printed from Niagara Falls Review
Brock’s monument facts
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – Brock’s Monument is just a little more than 56 metres (185 feet) tall from ground to the tip of the plume on the general’s hat;
- Made of locally quarried Queenston limestone, it’s larger than similar monuments built to commemorate British Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson and the French Emperor Napoleon;
- The statue of Brock is nearly four metres (12 feet) high and weighs several tonnes;
- The interior spiral staircase has 235 wedge-shaped steps, which allow visitors access to an observation deck;
- 35,000 to 45,000 people visit the monument each year;
- The monument is actually the second one built on the site, the first having been critically damaged in an explosion in 1840;
- Construction began in 1853, but the monument wasn’t officially dedicated until Oct. 13, 1859;
- Currently closed to the public for restoration work, the monument is expected to re-open to the public in the fall of 2007.
THURSDAY, JULY 27 – SATURDAY, JULY 29
“BOB KEELE”
with Ted Morris & Bill McIntosh
Resourceful wit with a flair for the physical combined with a likable presence, a commanding voice, and a clever use of exaggeration. Bob`s amazing mimicry cannot be matched.
Location:
YUK YUK’S NIAGARA FALLS
at Casino Niagara
5705 Falls Avenue, Niagara Falls, ON, L2E 6T3
Click here for a local Niagara Falls Map
ShowTimes/Price:
Thursday
9:00 pm
*prices: $12
Friday
9:00 pm
*prices: $17
Saturday
8 & 10:30 pm
*prices: $17
Showtimes may change for the summer & long holiday weekends
Check with us in advance
1-877-YOU-LAFF (968-5233)
905-262-LAFF (5233)
SHOWS ARE NOT CENSORED.
DISCRETION ADVISED
*Prices Subject to Change
July 24, 2006
Printed from Niagara Falls Review
News digs for native artifacts
RAY SPITERI
Monday, July 24, 2006 – 02:00
Local News – More than a million artifacts have been unearthed near the Peace Bridge in the past 10 or so years, leading archeologists to believe the area was populated by native people as early as 9,000 years ago.
On Sept. 29, when the new Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority’s administration building opens, the history of the town’s native community will be showcased.
Last Monday, council adopted a bylaw, which will see a two-storey exhibit constructed within the atrium of the new administrative building at the corner of Central Avenue and Queen Street.
The Mewinzha archeological display – with funding from the PBA and the Town of Fort Erie – will contain numerous native artifacts, artwork created by local artists and text, highlighting the presence of the native community in Fort Erie for thousands of years.
Translated, Mewinzha means a ‘journey back in time.’
“We (the PBA) value our strong relationship with the native community,” said Ron Rienas, general manager of the PBA.
“In manyx ways, the Peace Bridge was built in an area that used to be a native site and it’s essential that our presence does not overhaul the great native history that has been documented.”
Rienas said the exhibit will shed light on native culture and the positive impact it continues to have on Fort Erie.
“This is going to be a great source of information for those who may have an interest in history or for schools in the area that would find it a worthwhile trip for its students. It’s going to be a free and educational exhibit that will definitely entertain both locals and visitors to the town.”
Some of the items on display at the exhibit, which includes a replica archeological dig, will come from museum-quality artifacts currently in the possession of the PBA and Ron Williamson, chief archeologist for Toronto-based Archeological Services Inc, said Rienas.
Dave Labbe, of the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre, said this project is another example of the PBA’s respect towards native heritage.
“It’s nice to see organizations step forward and come together for the benefit of the community as a whole,” he said.
A $14.7-million plan by the town to build a full-scale archeological museum at the same location was abandonded as impracticable nearly three years ago.
That’s when the PBA, which was looking to acquire the property as a site for its new administration building, approached the town and offered to partner with them to house and maintain a scaled-down version inside the new complex.
The PBA’s responsibilities are the real estate and construction costs of the atrium structure, as well as the longterm utility, maintenance and janitorial costs of the facility. The Town of Fort Erie’s responsibilities are the design and outfitting of the actual display areas and maintenance of the exhibits.
The tender price issued by the successful contract bidder Taylor Group was $155,725, but, that price exceeded the town’s budget of slightly more than $110,000.
Staff suggested two alternatives to deal with the shortfall: Either eliminate two display cases for a savings of roughly $47,000 or find another source of funding.
Rienas said the PBA believes it should be the responsibility of the town to fund the full cost of the display, in keeping with the original agreement council endorsed in 2003.
But rather than seeing the display diminished, the PBA is willing to make up the difference.
“From the outset, it was our intent to work with the town to respectfully and professionally exhibit and interpret the long, proud native history in Fort Erie and to foster a better understanding of native culture,” he said.
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© 2006 , Osprey Media. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Niagara Falls Review acticles reprinted with permission by the authority of Joe Wallace, Managing Editor of the Niagara Falls Review
