Wallenda making pitch to Canada for tightrope walk
From the Niagara Gazette:
Nik Wallenda’s lifelong dream may be coming closer to reality.
The tightrope walker and his team met with Canadian officials Thursday in continuing efforts to convince that side of the border to allow a wire walk next year above Niagara Falls. Wallenda said he wasn’t expecting anything but a continuation of the dialogue his group has had with elected officials.
“I don’t perceive a 100 percent go-ahead,” he said during a press conference Thursday. “We’re just discussing the next step. But we’ve gotten great support from Mayor Jim Diodati and the other officials”
I saw several other articles about this:
- WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo – Wallenda Visits Niagara Falls For Gorge Walk
- Buffalo News – Wallenda meets Canadian officials
- Niagara Falls Review – Wirewalker has ‘plan B’ ready if Canada says no
Related posts:
- Wallenda makes pitch to Canadians From the Tonawanda News: After his first meeting with officials...
- Daredevil Nik Wallenda discusses proposed Falls stunt From the Niagara Gazette: Nik Wallenda’s motto in life is...
- Governor OKs tightrope walk over falls From the Buffalo News: The Flying Wallenda who wants to...
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Stanley Cup takes a ride on the Maid of the Mist
From the Niagara Gazette:
The Stanley Cup sure gets around.
It has been in strip clubs, bedrooms, showers, the bottom of swimming pools and on television shows such as Letterman, Leno and Howard Stern, but on Wednesday it was in Niagara Falls playing tourist by taking a ride on the world-famous Maid of the Mist boat.
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- Tours4Fun Announces “Maid of the Mist” Tours in the Boat Ride’s Finale Month – October 2010 From a press release seen on BusinessWire: Los Angeles based...
- Maid of the Mist’s future uncertain From Buffalo Business First: The 2011 season for the Maid...
- Maid of Mist soon to set sail From the Welland Tribune: The Maid of the Mist will...
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Fixing the Falls: Downtown still under development
From the Niagara Gazette:
The DiCienzio family has been doing hotel business on both sides of the border in Niagara Falls for years.
In 2007, the family business, Canadian Niagara Hotels, sold the old Holiday Inn at the corner of Third Street and Rainbow Boulevard to make way for its demolition as part of the expansion of the footprint for the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel.
Three years later, the Dicienzios, who own several hotel properties in Niagara Falls, Ontario, returned to the American side with an investment in the former Crowne Plaza Hotel. The Third Street property has since been renovated and re-opened under the Sheraton flagship. Last month, the company opened a TGI Friday’s restaurant inside the hotel on the side facing Old Falls Street.
Michael DiCienzio says favorable Canadian currency rates and other market factors played a role in the family’s decision to invest downtown. He said improvements to the appeal of the area helped as well.
“It’s better since they took out the Wintergarden and developed the Old Falls Street promenade,” DiCienzio said. “You have the anchors at each end with the casino and the park and now everything else can line up in between. It’s absolutely moving in the right direction. There’s no doubt about that.”
Related posts:
- New downtown Sheraton celebrates official opening From the Niagara Gazette: A family with a long history...
- FIXING THE FALLS: Inspiration is right across the border From the Niagara Gazette: Credit the idea for this week’s...
- Bankruptcy Filings Drop From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo: A popular Niagara Falls,...
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Tourist season kicks off
From the Niagara Gazette:
This weekend the prime tourist season started with most visitors likely arriving from the Canadian side of the river.
Over there, the long Victoria Day weekend celebrates the birthday of Queen Victoria of England. Banks, schools and government offices will be closed in Ontario on Monday.
Traffic should be backed up at the international bridges as Canadians hop across to shop with their higher-valued currency. On Friday, that dollar was worth $1.03 (U.S.).
That hurts, if you happened to be stuck in Canada with your American buck. Chances are an Ontario merchant smugly told you that your Yankee dollar was worth 90 cents. (It’s called payback time.)
Next weekend, many of us will be off Monday to observe our Memorial Day holiday.
Related posts:
- Craitor kicks off Tourism Week in Falls From Niagara This Week: Niagara Falls’ economic bread and butter...
- Improving tourist signs in city becomes priority From the Buffalo News: The generations- old debate over the...
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New downtown Sheraton celebrates official opening
From the Niagara Gazette:
A family with a long history in Niagara Falls hotels is expanding back into the Cataract City and putting a new face and name on a familiar Third Street fixture.
Under the kind of sunny skies that herald the return of tourist season to the Falls, the DiCienzo family, the owners of Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc., cut the ribbon on their newest New York property, the newly rechristened Sheraton at the Falls.
Also see New Hotel Brings New Life To The Falls from WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo.
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- DiCienzos buy two hotels From the Niagara Falls Review: Niagara’s DiCienzo family has picked...
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It’s a strange way to observe ‘Family Day’
From the Niagara Gazette:
If you were driving anywhere near the border Monday, there’s a chance you observed the traffic lines waiting to cross the international bridges.
It was, of course , the day for U.S. residents to honor their presidents.
Meanwhile, in Ontario, it was a holiday called Family Day.
Canadians seem to have a problem with how to spend their day while Americans can’t agree on how to spell it.
Supposedly the Ontario holiday was designed for families to spend more time together, either at the Fashions Outlets, Military Road, Town of Niagara, or perhaps sitting in the car for more than an hour to pass through customs.
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- Family Day ‘spectacular’ for tourism From the Niagara Falls Review: It was designated as a...
- Report: Niagara is family fun From the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal: A Philadelphia TV reporter...
- TWO NEW PRIMARY INSPECTION LANES ADDED TO THE LEWISTON QUEENSTON BRIDGE TO ALLEVIATE CONGESTION This is a press release I received from the Niagara...
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FIXING THE FALLS: Inspiration is right across the border
From the Niagara Gazette:
Credit the idea for this week’s Sunday centerpiece to Frank Croisdale, founder of the group Niagara Rises.
I was chatting with him about our plans for the ongoing series on economic development when he mentioned Queen Street in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Frank described it as a street not unlike, say, Main Street, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. The strip had lost a lot of its luster and had more empty storefronts than filled ones.
As Frank told it, some people came along with an idea to rebuild Queen Street’s vitality by, well, basically giving away some of the empty space.
Related posts:
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- Dedication to mark Falls park’s anniversary From the Buffalo News: The yearlong celebration of the 125th...
- New Saturday rock concert series announced in Falls From the Buffalo News: The family-oriented free concerts on Saturday...
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Economic development: How could this happen?
From the Niagara Gazette:
It almost defies logic.
Niagara Falls, N.Y. sits on the edge of one of the great wonders of the world.
It boasts some of the highest-profile developers in America.
The local governments have an array of economic development agencies and programs and assistance packages at the ready.
Millions of visitors arrive each year, bringing with them millions of dollars in disposal income.
And yet, the community as a whole continues to languish behind its more prosperous cross-border neighbor — Niagara Falls, Ontario, a city that is literally walking distance away.
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- Online reservation booking becomes increasingly popular From the Buffalo News: The online booking of tourism reservations...
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Rough road ahead for Robert Moses?
From the Niagara Gazette:
More than 50 years ago, the Robert Moses Parkway served as a modern arterial shuttling motorists along the Niagara River offering sweeping views of the gorge rim and a direct road to the brink of the American Falls.
It was built in a time when Niagara Falls was bustling, small villages and towns to the north were growing and residents desired direct routes to all points in between.
However, in the years since a mounting charge has been led calling for change of the once iconic by-way — and now people are listening.
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Sea Lions Receive Unique Eye Surgery, Aquarium trying for Pepsi grant
I heard about this originally this morning on the Buffalo NPR station.
From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo (includes a video):
In Niagara Falls, the term “Cataract City’ takes on new meaning after two sea lions become the first in the area to receive a unique eye surgery.
Thousands of guests come to the Aquarium of Niagara every year to see the sea lions. The problem was, the sea lions couldn’t see them.
Although not mentioned in either story, this got me thinking about the news a couple of weeks ago about the Aquarium being in the running for a Pepsi grant. Someone emailed me a link to a Niagara Gazette article:
The Aquarium of Niagara is hoping a boost in public support will help it win a competitive $50,000 grant to create a living coral reef.
The grant being administered through the Pepsi Refresh project allocates funding to different organizations, individuals or ideas based on the number of votes the project receives in a one-month period.
Aquarium Director of Development Gay B. Molnar said the aquarium hosts 235,000 visitors annually and is in dire need of votes from residents across Niagara and Eric counties.
If awarded, the grant would aid in educating visitors about environmental and economic importance of reefs, establish a coral research and propagation/reproduction program and educate visitors about how recent climate changes are a severe threat to the existence of coral reefs — all in an 800-gallon living reef exhibit.
The person who emailed me this went on to say:
I wanted to make you aware of an issue/store happening on the USA side of the Falls. I think it would be worthwhile to post it to your blog…in an effort to get as many people aware of it as possible.
I just thought it would be very beneficial for readers to be made aware of this. As you can see from the story, 10 attractions will be getting $50,000 grant based on the number of votes. To have readers in Buffalo/Niagara be made aware of this and try to push the NF aquarium up to get one of the grants would be a good idea.
Any funding/money that comes into our area for attractions can be nothing but a good thing.
Related posts:
- Aquarium of Niagara bubbling up for expansion From the Buffalo News: The Aquarium of Niagara is wading...
- Field Trip: Aquarium of Niagara From WKBW Channel 7 in Buffalo: It’s time for another...
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