Ontario, sanitized for your protection
The Toronto Sun newspapers had an opinion piece recently about Ontario, and how the government is trying to “protect us” (they called it a Nanny State). At one point, it uses Niagara Falls as an example:
These days, the architects of our bubble-wrapped, peanut-free society have their sights set on the daredevil community.
The nattering nabobs of nannyism at the Niagara Parks Commission won’t give permission to highwire walker Ken Wallenda to walk a tightrope across the Falls. Wallenda wants to start in Niagara Falls, N.Y., enter the mist, and re-emerge on the Canadian side. Fantastic!
Stateside, politicians who want to help the economically depressed city of Niagara Falls, N.Y. have championed Wallenda’s proposal, and lawmakers in Albany have approved the stunt.
But a snag has been encountered in — where else? — Nanny State Central. You see, Wallenda’s stunt isn’t being embraced by the testicular-challenged bureaucrats at the Niagara Parks Commission. Officials are frowning on what they deem to be a Falls folly.
Doubling down
Apparently, “risky business” in Niagara Falls, Ont. these days is confined to the rubes doubling down at the government-run blackjack tables.
When Wallenda first proposed the stunt, the Commission’s Janice Thomson remarked: “Doing something for one day doesn’t seem like sustainable tourism. It harkens back to those early days when Niagara Falls was a carnival-like atmosphere. We have come so far away from that.”
Egad! Has Thomson ever strolled up Clifton Hill, home to House of Frankenstein, Castle Dracula, and numerous other wax museums and freak shows?
Niagara Falls isn’t exactly Vienna on the Rhine. Actually, it can be cheesier than a bucket of Bulgarian feta.
Isn’t it disheartening that in our increasingly sissified culture the safety mavens are now turning their sights on daredevils?
So much for Dalton McGuinty’s oft-repeated boast that Ontario is “open for business” — Wallenda’s stunt stands, or stood, to rake-in millions for the region.
But that’s sanitized-for-your-protection Ontario — a province that wants bread, not circuses.
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Ripley’s attractions within a half tank of gas of more than 50% of the U.S. population
A couple of weeks ago I received the following press release from Ripley’s Entertainment…
Driving to a Ripley’s Attraction is Within a Half Tank of Gas of 53% of the U.S. Population
Company has Diverse Offering of Aquariums, Odditoriums, Miniature Golf, Wax Museums, Fun Zones, Haunted Adventures, Mirror Mazes, Motion-Based Theaters and MORE!
ORLANDO, Fla. (April 25, 2011) – Summer travelers looking for some fun without having to go too far take note: 53% of the U.S. population is within a half tank of gas of one of the 45-plus Ripley family attractions in the United States
Whether it’s oddities at the Believe It or Not! Odditorium in Orlando (Fla.) or Jackson Hole (Wyo.), a 12 foot shark at Ripley’s world-class aquariums in Gatlinburg (Tenn.) and Myrtle Beach (S.C.) or an action-packed movie at the 4D Moving Theater in San Antonio (Texas) or Williamsburg (Va.), there’s a Ripley family attraction for everyone – and you can get to one without having to break the bank or even stopping for gas along the way!
The Believe It or Not! Odditorium in Branson, Mo., is shown above. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg is shown below.
“We’re convenient, fun for the whole family and proud of the value that we offer our guests,” said Jim Pattison Jr., President of Ripley Entertainment. “The geographical diversity of our attractions puts us within an easy drive of more than half of America’s population.”
Domestically, Ripley Entertainment Inc. offers 45-plus attractions in 13 states, as well as in Niagara Falls, Canada. Most of the attractions offer discounts and value added deals for online ticket purchase.
Highlights for Summer 2011 include daily mermaid shows at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach; the Weeki Wachee Mermaids at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Aug. 5-7; new Vampire room and exhibit at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Wisconsin Dells; a full size Hummer made out of 39,000 non-winning lottery tickets in the lobby of the newly renovated Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in San Francisco; state of the art technology at Ripley’s 4D Theaters in San Antonio and Gatlinburg; world famous Lizardman unveils a wax likeness of himself on June 24 at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square in New York City; the world’s largest ping pong paddle at the Guinness World Records Museum in San Antonio; and the annual Face-Off competition for the funniest (ugliest) face at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! in Atlantic City.
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VAMOSSSSSSS!!!: Ontario Lake and Niagara Falls
Someone with a Blogger blog posted about a recent trip to Niagara Falls (including pictures):
I left to Niagara in an unexpected hot journey. The temperature in computer indicated 33 Celcius degrees, so I took a bath on the Ontario lake. I arrived to the city of niagara falls and went down through Clifton hill st and it looks like Vegas to me. It is all about gift shops, wax museums, fast food, and exuberant shows.
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Dani’s Wonderful Things: Day 4 Clifton Hill Amusements
Someone with a Blogger blog posted about a recent trip to Niagara Falls (including lots of pictures):
Clifton Hill is the street where all the amusements are. The Wax Museums, the Horror Houses, Guiness Book of World Records, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not and on and on. There are so many places to see and visit. Gerry and I decided on The Movieland Wax Museum of Stars and The Guiness Book of World Records Museum. Honestly, it would take a few days to visit everything!
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Residents fell in love with Niagara Falls
From the Simcoe Reformer:
When people got married in the 1940s and ’50s, their honeymoon was far more humble than the post-ceremony vacations today’s newlyweds take.
There were no Mexican or Caribbean resorts or flying out west to see the mountains. Holiday entitlements were different then. It wasn’t unusual to be married on a weekend and be back at work on the Monday. Typically, you looked for something close by and quick.
For people in Norfolk County, Niagara Falls became the likely destination for that first night of holy matrimony.
As a result, our area has a special relationship with the “Falls,” which is home to a wondrous natural phenomenon — Lake Erie emptying into Lake Ontario off a cliff — and a centre of unbridled commercialism: wax museums, souvenir shops, casinos, and hotels.
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The New Niagara
From enRoute (the Air Canada magazine):
t used to be a trip to Niagara Falls meant all-you–can-eat buffets, wax museums and daredevil attractions. In fact, the Honeymoon Capital of the World was always been a bit more kitsch than class. Until now. Thanks to an infusion of cash and fresh ideas, a more sophisticated Niagara Falls is on the rise.
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