Niagara Falls Fun - Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls Canada

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Falls to go rosy for breast cancer

NIAGARA FALLS — As if Niagara Falls needed anything else to make it a more spectacular landmark, the city’s world famous cataract, along with other world landmarks, will be bathed in pink light in an effort to bring awareness to the battle against breast cancer.

Niagara Falls will be pink plunging over the escarpment Sept. 30, and so will the Empire State Building in New York City, Kensington Palace in London, and other prominent global sites. The pink lights are part of the Estée Lauder Companies’ seventh annual Global Landmarks Illumination.

It will take two pink gels on each of the 21 xenon lights which illuminate the falls every night to give it a vivid and rich hue of pink to impress passersby. It will be the sixth time the Niagara Parks Commission, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board and the Estée Lauder Companies have teamed up for the event to raise awareness.

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Printed from Niagara this Week

NIAGARA FALLS — While consultants, developers, the city’s planners and its elected officials chart a course to rebuild downtown Niagara Falls, a new community group is trying to do a little bit of rebuilding of its own.Niagara Falls People for Progress announced Monday it will be organizing Nostalgiafest ’07, a new two-day festival in early June celebrating the “glory days” of the city’s downtown. The group, made up of professionals from across the city who are promoting downtown revitalization, believe while the renovations are taking place it needs to sell the idea downtown can be a bustling place again, like it was 30 or 40 years ago. The festival is intended to give residents reason to spend the day downtown while revitalization work moves forward.

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Courtesy of the Niagara Falls Public Library

Origins of Queen Victoria Park in Niagara Falls

On April 23rd 1887, “the Queen Victoria Niagara Parks Act” was passed by the Government of the Province of Ontario. The recommendations by the founding Commission were adopted. The first Park Superintendent was James Wilson.

The Queen Victoria Niagara Parks was officially opened to the public on Victoria Day – May 24th 1888.

The original park was comprised of 154 acres which included the area between present day Clifton Hill and Cynthia Islands (presently known as Dufferin Islands). The width of the park was extended beyond the original chain length to approximately 300 yards west from the Niagara River to the glacial moraine which rises approximately 100 feet above the plain. Nineteen private properties were expropriated and the cost of parks creation was estimated at $436,813.24.
Source: NiagaraFrontier.com

Photos of Queen Victoria Park were recently added to our Niagara Falls Picture Gallery Click on the thumbnails below to see more.

Click here for more information on Queen Victoria Park

The Niagara Parks Commission Greenhouses

The Niagara Parks Commission Greenhouses and Artist’s Garden are located approximately ¼ mile south of the Table Rock Pavilion and the Horseshoe Falls and is situated across from the former Toronto Power Station.

Photos of the Niagara Falls Greenhouse were recently added to our Niagara Falls Picture Gallery Click on the thumbnails below to see more.

The Commissioners of the Queen Victoria Park required a large amount of numerous high quality plant species for development of Queen Victoria Park. This plant/flower supply was not commercially available.

In 1894, two small wood framed greenhouses were built directly opposite the Toronto Power House. In 1897, a sixty feet wide by twenty feet long public conservatory was added onto the original greenhouse structure along with a plant propagation house and fernery.

In 1909, the Greenhouse was again expanded.
In the early 1940′s the oldest section of the greenhouse collapsed injuring one of the gardeners.

In 1945, following WW2, a modern 11,000 square foot conservatory was build with adjoining growing houses.

In June of 1980, a new reception center and garden shop featuring a centralized 40 foot tall glass dome was built.

Today, the Niagara parks Commission greenhouse provides approximately 175,000 annual and perennial plants for transplanting within the Parks property. The greenhouse features nearly 6,000 plants on exhibition.

At the beginning of the 2003 tourist season, the Niagara Parks Commission discontinued a two acre experimental outdoor Mosaiculture Garden at the Greenhouse facilities and gardens.

The one million dollar ($1,000,000) project was not a financial success during its first year (2002). The garden area that once housed the mosaiculture exhibit has been turned into an Artist’s Garden. Here, local artists display their works of arts on specific dates throughout the season. There is no charge.

Source: NiagaraFrontier.com

U.S. lawmakers may extend the deadline for border ID requirements

The Chamber of Commerce has learned this afternoon U.S. lawmakers may extend the deadline for border identification requirements by seventeen (17) months to June 2009.
While this still needs to be approved by Congress there is optimism that the extension will pass.  The vote on this important issue could come as soon this Thursday.

The Chamber of Commerce Niagara Falls, Canada has actively represented you on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative proposed by the U.S. government.  We are on record with the Department of Homeland Security as being opposed to a passport requirement.  The Chamber has also met with representatives of the U.S. Congress, Senate, and Department of Homeland Security to present our case for a more affordable and readily available alternative to the passport requirement.  Recently we submitted comment on the Department of Homeland Security, Proposed Rulemaking for Documents Required for Travelers in the United States from Within the Western Hemisphere.  To read our comments visit us online at www.niagarafallschamber.com and click Letters of Interest on the left side of the homepage.

Today’s announcement that a seventeen (17) month extension of the WHTI border identification requirement is good news.  We will continue to represent you on this important issue.  As more information becomes available, we will continue to keep you informed.

Source: Chamber of Commerce Niagara Falls, Canada

Photos of the Niagara Botanical Gardens were recently added to our Niagara Falls Picture Gallery
Click on the thumbnails below to see more.

Pioneer days in Jordan

September 30, 2006 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Main Street in Jordan Station will go back in time Sept. 30, for the 40th annual celebration of Pioneer Day. Visitors can experience authentic Pennsylvania German Mennonite food and early settler demonstrations overlooking the Twenty Valley. A shuttle bus will move patrons from the parking area to Jordan’s Main Street. It runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.