Niagara Falls Blog – Travel and Tourism News

Collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge, January 27th, 1938

Media Release

First-ever title sponsorship for WFOL renames event ‘CAA Winter Festival of Lights’

Niagara Falls, ON – The Winter Festival of Lights and CAA Niagara announced today they are joining forces in an alliance designed both to drive increased visitation to Canada’s premier illumination festival and to spread the CAA’s message of winter road safety.

The agreement makes CAA the first title sponsor in the Festival’s 28-year history and officially renames the popular event the ‘CAA Winter Festival of Lights.’

A key component of the deal is the creation of the ‘Slow Down and See the Lights” program, a public-awareness campaign designed to encourage drivers to lower their speed on wet, snowy or icy roads and during poor-visibility conditions such as snowstorms and winter fogs. The campaign will include print, radio, television and online public-service announcements featuring 12 different CAA safe winter driving tips – one for each week of the Festival.

“I can’t think of a better fit with the Winter Festival of Lights than CAA Niagara,” said Joe Miszk, Chair, Winter Festival of Lights. “The majority of our visitors arrive by car or motorcoach; we certainly want to see more of them arriving, but we also want to see them travelling safely. This partnership is designed to achieve both.”

The sponsorship allows CAA Niagara to offer its members exclusive discounts on Festival events and attractions as well as chances to enter Festival-themed contests – including one that will give five lucky CAA members VIP access to the Festival’s opening ceremonies on November 6.

CAA Niagara members are also invited to attend CAA Family Day at the Festival’s incredible new winter attraction, the Rink at the Brink. On Saturday, January 8, 2011, families with a valid CAA Niagara membership card will receive free admission to the Rink and free skate rentals.

“Safer roads are the foundation upon which CAA Niagara was built,” said Pat Nielsen, President and CEO of CAA Niagara. “Our partnership with the Winter Festival of Lights allows us to deliver our safe driving message to more than one million visitors, most of whom are motorists, over a three-month period during the winter driving season.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Niagara Falls, Ontario Hosts Canada’s Largest Skateboarding Competition
World-class skateboarders, Clifton Hill’s famous Street of Fun by the Falls and DJ duo LA Riots combine for the best in fall entertainment.

September 23, 2010 (Niagara Falls, ON) No stranger to showcasing the talents of daredevils, Niagara Falls welcomes a new generation of thrill-seekers for the West 49 Take the Cake skateboarding competition presented by Schick Xtreme3.

The open-air competition takes place at the foot of Clifton Hill in the Oakes Garden Theatre. It has attracted 14 of the world’s best skaters and will award $100,000 in prize money — the largest cash purse in Canadian skateboarding history. The fun kicks off on Friday, October 1st with the Axe Twist Amateur Open Qualifiers, with the final taking place on Saturday, October 2nd. Afterwards, the pros take center stage in the grand finale West 49 Take the Cake contest.

The event is expected to attract over 7,000 spectators, who will be treated to expert street riding from top skaters such as Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez, who beat out stiff competition to claim victory at this year’s Tampa Pro competition. Joining him will be teen sensation Chaz Ortiz who won his first tournament at just 14 years old two years ago at the AST Dew Tour, as well as Torey Pudwill who placed third at the Street League DC Pro Tour competition last August.

Young Canadian rap artist, SHAD and DJ New Money from Montreal will treat attendees to live performances on Saturday between finals. The fun continues along Clifton Hill’s world-famous Street of Fun by the Falls, which features many exciting Niagara Falls attractions like the 175-foot tall Niagara SkyWheel, Casino Niagara, Maid of the Mist, Niagara Parks, and the Great Canadian Midway—a 70,000 square-foot entertainment complex featuring over 300 games.

Clifton Hill also offers some of the best Niagara Falls restaurants, including the Boston Pizza/Strike Rock N’ Bowl entertainment centre, where attendees can sample great cuisine and relax before heading out to the official West 49 Take the Cake AfterParty hosted by Coors Light. It takes place at Rumours Night Club, located just up the hill from the Take the Cake competition.

The after party will feature the deejay duo LA Riots who have produced and remixed for high-profile artists such as Kylie Minogue and DJ Tiësto. LA Riots is fast becoming known for their live DJ sets that showcase a fusion of house, techno and indie electro. Doors to the Coors Light AfterParty open at 9 p.m.

from the Niagara Falls Review

Local future brides are among contestants vying for a $20,000 wedding prize in the Niagara Convention and Civic Centre Design Your Day Contest.

The competition will take place Saturday from noon until 2 p.m. at the Loretto Christian Life centre on Stanley Avenue.

Ten contestants will battle it out using nothing more than cake icing, spatulas and their creativity for a chance to win a dream wedding package.

In addition to the cake decorating contest, there will be a series of presentations, activities and seminars. The event is free and open to the public.

from the Niagara Falls Review

Niagara Falls has shown it cares for veterans.

Highway 420, which is used by more than 44,000 drivers a day during the summer, has been renamed Niagara Veterans Memorial Highway.

A special ceremony was held Thursday morning, near Highway 420 on the south side of Roberts St. The highlight was the unveiling of a new sign featuring a red poppy with the name Niagara Veterans Memorial Highway.

Coun. Victor Pietrangelo first suggested the idea. Council passed a motion and worked with the transportation ministry to make it happen.

Pietrangelo, who was the master of ceremony, said he wanted to bring more recognition to veterans. He said they are the reason Canadians have the freedoms they enjoy. (more…)

from the Niagara Falls Review

Like a carefully choreographed assembly line, the crews worked in unison at a quick pace, each aware that team-work and timing were vital to a positive outcome.

“This is well-planned out,” said Reg Coates as concrete truck after concrete truck drove into the cavernous exhibition hall at the Niagara Convention and Civic Centre Thursday.

The trucks discharged their loads and a long, flexible hose was used to direct the mixture onto a 15,000-square-foot section of floor.

The concrete is being poured in large sections to ensure a flat, even floor surface for the 80,000-square-foot hall, said Coates, project manager at MHPM Project Managers Inc., which is overseeing the $105 million project.

The first section was poured several weeks ago, and in a few weeks time, the third section will be poured and so on until the entire surface is completed.

The first slab was covered with damp burlap, so that the concrete could cure slowly as crews worked on the second section.

“This is a critical part of the building,” said Coates as he watched the activity from the second floor. (more…)

Rumours Presents:
Coors Light “West 49′s Take the Cake” After Party featuring LA RIOTS!
The only party worth checking out!!!

Saturday Oct 2nd, 2010

Featuring: LA RIOTS

West 49 Take the Cake presented by Schick Xtreme3 and the Axe Twist Amateur Open is Canada’s largest cash purse event in Canadian skateboarding history with $100,000.00 CDN in prize money being awarded.

Thirteen of the worlds best international skaters will descend on Niagara Falls Oct 1-2, 2010 to showcase their best tricks!

Rumours Nightclub is proud to be hosting the Official Wrap Up Party Saturday October 2nd.

Cover is $10.00 CAD
Doors open @ 9pm

Dress Code in effect: No baggy attire, sports wear or cut off sleeves. Runners are allowed.
Only those 19 years of age and over will be admitted. (No exceptions) Government photo I.D. required (Passport, drivers license, BYID card, Military card, photo health card).

from the Niagara Falls Review

It’s one thing to volunteer for something on a pleasant summer day. Try doing it during a snow storm, at night, with the temperature dropping.

It’s a special breed that volunteers with the Winter Festival of Lights every year.  Among other things, you have to love winter.

Just ask Sharon Gazley, who has pitched in for the last 11 years. Among her annual workload is about 40 hours collecting donations and taking surveys in chilly Dufferin Islands. While most people enjoy the displays from the warmth of their car, she’s braving the elements.

Bundling up is par for the course for the festival’s 200 volunteers, but the challenge this year isn’t keeping warm — it’s getting more warm bodies. With the festival expanding its schedule to Jan. 31, becoming nearly a three-month event, the pool of volunteers needs to grow as well. (more…)

© Winter Festival of Lights

Pres Release

Winter Festival of Light and Niagara Parks Commission reach agreement on iconic skating rink at Falls

Niagara Falls, ON – Thousands of visitors to Niagara Falls will once again be able to experience the thrill of skating just steps from the Horseshoe Falls, thanks to the decision taken today by The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) Board.

During its regularly scheduled Commission meeting, the NPC Board voted to rescind their August decision to terminate the agreement between Niagara Parks and Winter Festival of Lights (WFOL) organizers concerning the operation of the Festival’s iconic Rink at the Brink ice skating attraction near Table Rock Complex.

Ongoing meetings among staff members at both organizations have allayed concerns expressed by NPC and have resulted in plans and commitments to alleviate operational concerns and expedite future on-site rehabilitation once the skating season is complete.

“Obviously, we are extremely happy that we were able to come to an understanding that met with the support of the Commissioners,” said Dino Fazio, Winter Festival of Lights General Manager. “As the guardians of the Niagara Parks, they are necessarily very protective of the area around the Falls. The members of our Board and our staff are proud to be able to meet their stringent standards and honored to have earned back their trust.”

The Rink at the Brink is a portable, artificially refrigerated skating facility with an ice surface measuring 37 metres (120 feet) long and 18 metres (60 feet) wide erected on Niagara Parks land along the Niagara Parkway adjacent to Table Rock Centre. Created in 2009 by WFOL at a cost of $700,000, the facility also includes professional ice resurfacing equipment, skate and helmet rentals, skate sharpening equipment and lockers for guests. The Rink is designed to be erected each autumn, operated during the coldest months of winter and removed each spring.

The Rink was created to augment the Festival and to drive visitation to the Falls during the winter months – particularly the slower months of January and February – all while creating a truly one-of-a-kind skating experience on par with the famed outdoor skating rinks at Rockefeller Centre in New York and Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.

About the Winter Festival of Lights

The Winter Festival of Lights attracts more than one million people annually to Niagara Falls, Ontario, and has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Internationally Known Events in North America by the American Bus Association. Festivals and Events Ontario has also ranked the Winter Festival of Lights among Ontario’s Festivals and Events of Distinction and one of the Top 100 festivals in the Province. The Festival includes over three million sparkling lights and more than 120 spectacular lighting displays, including the world-famous Enchantment of Disney® displays.  The Festival also hosts many other attractions and events, including the iconic Rink at the Brink, the breathtaking Fireworks over the Falls, the CYTEC Candy Cane Lane 5k Race & Fun Run, a Christmas concert series, and so much more. The 28^th Annual Winter Festival of Lights takes place from November 6, 2010 to January 31, 2011. For more information on the Festival, visit www.WFOL.com.

For more information contact:

Dino Fazio, General Manager

905-374-1616, extension 46 or dino@WFOL.com

© Winter Festival of Lights

from the Niagara Falls Review

Fate of winter attraction to be determined Tuesday

The Rink at the Brink could get a new lease on life Tuesday after the Niagara Parks Commission threatened to kill the attraction after logistical problems in its first year.

Commissioners are expected to vote during Tuesday’s board meeting on a report that would allow the Winter Festival of Lights to run the outdoor skating rink near the Horseshoe Falls again, but impose some new conditions about clean up at the end of the season.

The commission voted at a closed-door meeting in August to put the festival on notice it planned to terminate the lease that allows the rink to operate on NPC land across from the Table Rock Complex.

Commissioners and staff were upset by how long it took to dismantle the temporary ice-making equipment in the spring. Chairwoman Fay Booker and festival manager Dino Fazio worked out an arrangement over a lunch meeting earlier in September that would give the festival another chance.

That vote is scheduled to take place Tuesday morning at the parks commission’s meeting.