NIAGARA – The best of today and yesterday are coming together at The Niagara Parks Commission during Ontario’s Family Day (or U.S. President’s Day) long weekend.
Over its short history, Family Day has quickly become the ideal time for a quick mid-winter escape. This year, with the holiday falling on the same day as National Heritage Day, there is no better time to visit Niagara Parks.
“A large part of the intrigue and excitement to Niagara Parks is our rich and deep history, and we work hard to ensure that this is properly showcased,” said Janice Thomson, NPC chairwoman.
“We are the perfect mix of heritage and popular attractions that will help you see Niagara Parks and the surrounding area in a whole new light,” Thomson went on to add.
Come to Niagara during the Family Day weekend and experience three great Niagara Parks attractions — Journey Behind the Falls, Niagara’s Fury and the Butterfly Conservatory — for a single price with the Niagara Magic Pass. As an added bonus, the Butterfly Conservatory is currently hosting a unique and educational exhibit, Under the Canopy: Animals of the Rainforest.
The heritage focus for this year’s holiday celebration is on two key pieces of Niagara’s history: the War of 1812 and hydro-electric power generation.
The Ontario Heritage Trust is kicking off its Heritage Week celebrations with Defending a Nation, featuring the upcoming bicentennial of the War of 1812, a defining event in Canadian history.
A celebration of Canada’s power generation is the chosen theme of the Heritage Canada Foundation. Canada is the world’s second-largest producer of hydro-electric power, and the power of Niagara Falls has been fundamental in helping to shape that legacy and the history of Niagara Parks.
“Niagara Parks is one of the few, if not only organizations that has elements of both a rich military history and links to the importance of power generation to this province,” stated NPC’s chairwoman.
“During this upcoming Family Day weekend, our heritage focus will be very much on these two unique parts of Niagara Parks’ history, as we reflect on our past.”
Niagara Parks’ heritage staff, in period costume, will be at Niagara Square Shopping Centre on Friday and Saturday to share more information about the upcoming bicentennial.
On Sunday and Monday, the heritage team will move their display to Table Rock Complex, alongside the recently updated Ontario Power Generation (OPG) interpretive board and information related to power production in the province.
The heritage display will give a sneak peek at the events planned to commemorate 200 years of lasting peace and a friendship that was forged in fire, while the OPG board has recently been updated with new videos documenting the Big Becky tunnel project.
Central to Niagara Parks’ plans for the bicentennial celebrations is the promotion of Heroes & Legends: The Niagara Heritage Trail Pass. This Pass takes you on a 53-kilometre historic journey, allowing you to explore the battlefields, sites and more than 100 plaques and monuments erected in honour of those brave soldiers and native warriors who helped establish the enduring peace that now exists between two great nations, Canada and the Unites States. The Pass goes on sale this spring and is a natural for those looking for more information on the vibrant history of Niagara and all that took place on the lands now protected by The Niagara Parks Commission.
(Submitted by Niagara Parks Commission)
