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Minister of Tourism, Peter Fonseca, joins the Boys and Girls Club of Canada to officially open The Niagara Parks Commission’s Niagara’s Fury(TM)
One of the most dramatic and immersive attractions arrives in Niagara Falls
NIAGARA FALLS, ON, June 22 /CNW/ – After years in the making, months of
speculation and interest from around the globe, The Niagara Parks Commission
(NPC) today officially celebrated the opening of its newest attraction
Niagara’s Fury. Ontario Minister of Tourism, Peter Fonseca, was joined by NPC
Chairman Jim Williams, Niagara MPP Kim Craitor, Niagara Falls Mayor Ted Salci
and children from the Boys and Girls Club of Canada to help mark the grand
opening of this spectacular, new attraction that allows you to experience the
extreme, violent and beautiful birth of Niagara Falls in a way you’ve never
dreamed possible.
According to NPC Chairman Jim Williams “We’re confident Niagara’s Fury
will provide that exciting, educational and interactive experience our
visitors have been looking for when they visit Niagara today. And who better
to tell the dramatic story of Niagara than NPC, an agency dedicated to the
preservation and enhancement of the Falls and the entire Niagara River
Corridor for future generations.”
Niagara’s Fury is the cornerstone of the highly anticipated renovations
at Table Rock. Table Rock is Niagara’s “signature” facility and destination
for shopping, dining and entertainment. The major renovation and state-of-the
art additions include Elements on the Falls Restaurant(TM), Pop & Lolly’s
Candy Shop(TM), a Grand Hall with a year-round viewing Gallery and a Bridge of
Flowers with a distinctive Clock Tower, which will provide covered pedestrian
access to the Falls from the Fallsview Tourist Area.
“The redeveloped Table Rock complex and Niagara’s Fury are the result of
thinking big, bold and outside the box, and that’s what it takes to succeed in
today’s tourism market,” said Tourism Minister Peter Fonseca after viewing the
facility and attraction. “This will create a lot of buzz, and will provide a
real economic boost to the Niagara Region.”
Niagara’s Fury begins with a captivating, family friendly pre-show that
tells the story of Niagara’s momentous creation. Following the pre-show,
visitors enter an immersive environment to see and actually feel the sights,
sounds and sensations of Niagara’s birth. For more information on the Fury,
please go to www.niagarasfury.com.
Niagara’s Fury was unveiled this morning to members of the media during a
technical briefing on the making of the attraction. Minister Fonseca and
Niagara Parks’ officials were joined by the team that created the Fury
including the architects, designers and special effects and animation experts
that explained the technology and science used to create the Fury. Following
that, members of the media joined the Boys and Girls Club of Canada to
experience the Fury for the first time.
“We are very pleased to be working with the Niagara Parks Commission to
provide children from the Boys and Girls Club with the opportunity to
experience such a uniquely educational and exciting attraction as Niagara’s
Fury,” said Pam Jolliffe, President and CEO, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada.
In addition to treating the Boys and Girls Club to Niagara’s Fury, Grand
Opening festivities also included an evening celebration with community
stakeholders and tourism representatives at Table Rock, where guests tried the
Fury and enjoyed a spectacular fireworks show over the Falls.
Employing 1,488 seasonal and 297 year-round staff, The Niagara Parks
Commission is an Operational Enterprise Agency of the Ministry of Tourism.
NPC’s mission is to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Falls and
the Niagara River corridor for the enjoyment of visitors, all while
maintaining financial self-sufficiency.
For more information on the Fury, please go to www.niagarasfury.com.
Backgrounder – Niagara’s Fury
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Niagara Parks has recreated the amazing sights and sounds of the Creation
of Niagara Falls. Incredible images developed with technology used previously
only in satellites and medicine, will immerse you in a “4-D”, Universal
Studios-style attraction.
Before entering the Attraction, an 8-minute animated show features
characters that explain how the Ice Age formed Niagara Falls. Then, you enter
a specially designed, 360-degree theatre for a 6-minute experience that will
make you feel like you were actually there for the Creation of the Falls.
After, when you step outside and look over the brink, you will see the Falls
through new eyes. Or better yet, feel the thunder of this wonder of the world
from the observation decks at Journey Behind the Falls. You will never look at
the Falls in the same way after experiencing the Fury.
The pre-show animation was created by Blur Studio in California. The show
stars a cheeky beaver named Chip Flattail who goes back in time to watch the
evolution of the Falls. Blur created the opening spot for last season’s Super
Bowl and also contributed to projects like “The Simpsons Movie,” “Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Charlotte’s Web” and a number of Nickelodeon’s
Kids Choice Awards shows.
Technifex, Inc. is another California-based company that is part of
Fury’s creative team – they were involved with popular attractions like the
3-D Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios theme park in Orlando, as well as
shows at Disney’s Epcot Centre, Las Vegas resorts and projects for the
Discovery Channel.
PGAV Destination Consulting is one of the world’s leading tourism and
attraction development firms. Along with the Niagara Parks Commission, PGAV
oversaw the development and creation of the Fury and assembled the team of
experts to design and build the attraction.
The general contractor involved in the Table Rock redevelopment project
is Charter Building. Charter’s principal fields of activity involve
commercial, industrial, pre-engineered buildings, project managers and
design/build: specializing in hotels, shopping centres, corporate
headquarters, restaurants, retail stores, office buildings, financial
institutions, mini-storage buildings, car dealerships, and golf course
clubhouses. Charter has worked on several projects with The Niagara Parks
Commission over the years, including its work on the highly acclaimed
Clubhouse at Legends on the Niagara.
With Niagara’s Fury, The Niagara Parks Commission continues to fulfill
its mandate to promote the beauty and history of the Falls. Providing a mix of
education and entertainment, Niagara’s Fury tells the story of the evolution
of the thundering Niagara Falls while providing a thrill like no other.
/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
members of the media/
For further information: Tony Baldinelli, Communication Manager, The Niagara Parks Commission, T: (905) 371-0837, [email protected]