Niagara Parks Blog

Wondering what to do with the kids this March Break?

The Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory is pleased to announce Explore Your World: a Celebration of the Biodiversity of our Planet, a brand new exhibit from March 13 – 21, 2010.

Grade 2 students from Victoria School meet a python.

This educational family exhibit will showcase an interesting collection of spiders, snakes, reptiles, amphibians, carnivorous plants and a variety of unique insects.

Mike London, owner of London Reptiles will make special presentations to visitors on March 13, 14, 17 & 20 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. Mr. London will bring in a number of additional surprise species to teach visitors about the origin and habitat of these misunderstood creatures. He will also discuss the issue of endangered species while putting an emphasis on conservation.

Grade 2 students from Victoria School meet an iguana.

Throughout the week, interpreters will also be on site to provide interesting facts and answers to visitor questions.

Admission to the Butterfly Conservatory: $11.75 for Adults 13+, $7.65 for Children 6 – 12 years and Children 5 and under are admitted FREE (prices in Cdn plus tax). Free parking on-site. March Break hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last visitors admitted at 4:30 p.m.

Meet a baby alligator at the Butterfly Conservatory!

The fully accessible Butterfly Conservatory is located at 2405 Niagara Parkway on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture. The Butterfly Conservatory is owned and operated by The Niagara Parks Commission, an agency of the Government of Ontario that has preserved and maintained the parklands and attractions surrounding the Falls without tax dollars since 1885.
Remember that your purchases at Niagara Parks help great things happen. Every dollar you spend with us helps preserve the nature and heritage of the Falls and the Niagara Parkway.

Did you know that February 25 is National Chili Day?

When it comes to Chili, the Niagara Parks Culinary team is certainly a heavy hitter. This year’s accolades include:

“People’s Choice” for the Third Year in a Row at the 2010 Niagara Falls Mayor’s Chili Cook-Off on February 2, 2010,
&
Third Place “People’s Choice” Award and “Best Booth” Award at the 2010 St. Catharines Downtown Chili Cook-off on February 19, 2010.

Want the recipe? Dowload Chef Sidney Krick’s
Award-Winning Chili Recipe here!

Niagara Parks Culinary Team

The Niagara Parks Culinary Team will represent Niagara Falls TOMORROW (Friday, February 19) at the Downtown Chili Cook-off at Market Square, Downtown St. Catharines from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

This annual event is held in support of Community Care. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door.

The Niagara Parks Culinary Team continues to make us proud! The team recently brought home their third consecutive People’s Choice Award from the Niagara Falls Mayor and Council’s Chili Cook-off with a winning recipe created by Mike Deroche of Edgewaters Tap & Grill.

Shortly after the competition, St. Catharines Mayor, Brian McMullan, challenged Mayor Ted Salci’s Chili Cook-off winners to their own Chili Cook-off to be held tomorrow. Mayor Salci personally invited the Niagara Parks and Great Wolf Lodge teams to represent Niagara Falls, and they gladly accepted the challenge.

GOOD LUCK!

Niagara Parks Culinary Team

Congratulations to Niagara Parks Staff for raising $16,677.09 in donations to the Red Cross for charities aiding relief efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Staff were invited to make donations between February 2-10, and were given the option of making cash donations, automatic payroll deductions, or the donation of unused vacation credits.

This incredible generosity will be matched by The Niagara Parks Commission, thereby realizing a total donation of $33,354.18, which in turn will be then matched by the Canadian Government, bringing the overall contribution up to $66,008.36!

We are also pleased that the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture Student Association made a separate contribution of $700 to the Red Cross.

The generosity of Parks Staff is to be commended, and simply is…amazing!!

As the 2010 Winter Olympics kick off tonight in Vancouver, Niagara Falls will be showcasing the start of a brand new type of special illumination.

During the 17 days of the Winter Olympic Games, visitors to the Ontario Pavilion in Vancouver, over 3,000 kilometres away, will have the unique opportunity to change the colour of the lights on Niagara Falls using the power of their minds!

The Illumination of Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls Illumination Board and The Niagara Parks Commission are pleased to be part of this exciting Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture initiative at the Ontario Pavilion, which is designed to feature Ontario’s cutting edge technology, all while highlighting the beauty and stature of three of the Province’s most recognizable sites: Niagara Falls, The CN Tower and the Parliament Buildings.

While visiting the Pavilion, guests will be invited to don special headsets at the InteraXon “Bright Ideas” attraction and then they will be taught to use their thoughts to in turn control the three light shows taking place in Ontario, thousands of kilometres away.

For more information on InteraXon, click here.

Background on Niagara Falls Illumination
Established in 1925, The Niagara Falls Illumination Board is made up of representatives from the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Ontario Power Generation Inc., the City of Niagara Falls, New York, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Niagara Parks Commission. It is the Illumination Board’s responsibility and mandate to finance and maintain the nightly illumination of both the Horseshoe and American Falls. The world-renowned cataracts will be lit every evening between the hours of 6 and 11 p.m. during the Winter Olympics.

Tempt your taste buds with a variety of insects, including crickets, scorpions, grasshoppers, ants and stinkbugs prepared right before your eyes! Visit the Butterfly Conservatory over Ontario’s Family Day (or U.S., President’s Day) long weekend, February 13 – 15, 2010 for the 5th annual International ‘Bug-a-licious’ Insect Food Festival.

Linda Keeping Enjoys a Scorpion

Visitors will be able to sample delectable insect recipes created by Chef Jeff Stewart and guest chefs daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chef Stewart and his colleagues will be conducting cooking demonstrations with insects, and a new addition this year will be a friendly cooking competition – the Insect Battle Show Down – where visitors can cast their votes for the most delicious insect dish!

The event will feature two cooking battles each day at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. This annual event challenges us to consider insects as a beneficial nutrition source, a practice common to cultures from around the world for thousands of years.

Sampling the Scorpion Soup

Admission to the Butterfly Conservatory will include insect menu samplings: $11.75 for Adults 13+, $7.65 for Children 6 – 12 years and Children 5 and under are admitted FREE (prices in Cdn plus tax). Free parking on-site. Holiday weekend hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last visitors admitted at 5:30 p.m.

The fully accessible Butterfly Conservatory is located at 2405 Niagara Parkway on the grounds of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens and School of Horticulture. The Butterfly Conservatory is owned and operated by The

Niagara Parks Commission, an agency of the Government of Ontario that has preserved and maintained the parklands and attractions surrounding the Falls without tax dollars since 1885. Remember that your purchases at Niagara Parks help great things happen. Every dollar you spend with us helps preserve the nature and heritage of the Falls and the Niagara Parkway.

The Winter Festival of Lights and the Meridian Credit Union have announced another FREE Sk8 Date for locals on Monday, February 8, 2010 in support of local community agencies.

Skaters Enjoy the Rink at the Brink

Residents of The Niagara Region may bring food or cash donations to the Rink at the Brink on Monday, February 8 for free skating admission between 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Free skate rentals and parking at The Niagara Parks Commission’s Falls parking lot will be also offered throughout the day.

Proof of residency must be shown and a food or cash donation made to Project SHARE, Community Care or The Hope Centre.

Free SK8 Dates are presented by Meridian Credit Union and supported by The Niagara Parks Commission, Sun Media and Giant FM.

The rink boasts a great view of both the American and Horseshoe Falls, and is a great place to see the evening illumination of the Falls. The Rink at the Brink is located across from Table Rock Centre along the Niagara Parkway.

There is one more free FREE Sk8 date scheduled for March 8. The Rink at the Brink will be open until March 21.

Please Note:  Hours are subject to change.

For more information, click here.

Niagara and the Underground Railroad

Many do not realize that Niagara was the major terminus of the Underground Railroad. The Anti-slavery Act of 1793’s ban on slave imports made American blacks free as soon as they crossed Niagara River. A woman named Chloe Cooley’s brave actions inspired change that would ultimately lead to the end of slavery in this country.

Plaque Honouring Chloe Cooley

In 2007, The Niagara Parks Commission and the Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a provincial plaque in Niagara-on-the-Lake to commemorate Chloe Cooley and the 1793 Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada.

Chloe Cooley’s Story:

On March 14, 1793 Chloe Cooley, an enslaved Black woman in Queenston, was bound, thrown in a boat and sold across the river to a new owner in the United States. Her screams and violent resistance were brought to the attention of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe by Peter Martin, a free Black and former soldier in Butler’s Rangers, and William Grisley, a neighbour who witnessed the event. Simcoe immediately moved to abolish slavery in the new province.

He was met with opposition in the House of Assembly, some of whose members owned slaves. A compromise was reached and on July 9, 1793 an Act was passed that prevented the further introduction of slaves into Upper Canada and allowed for the gradual abolition of slavery although no slaves already residing in the province were freed outright. It was the first piece of legislation in the British Empire to limit slavery and set the stage for the great freedom movement of enslaved African Americans known as the Underground Railway.

To read more about Black History in Niagara, visit the Niagara Falls Museum Website.

Congratulations to the Niagara Parks Culinary Team for bringing home their third consecutive People’s Choice Award at the 6th Annual Mayor and Council’s Chili Cook-off today at the Optimist Hall in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The winning recipe was created by Mike Deroche of Edgewaters Tap & Grill.

After the announcement, Brian McMullan, Mayor of St. Catharines challenged Niagara Falls Mayor Ted Salci’s Chili Cook-off winners to their own Chili Cook-off in St. Catharines next Tuesday. Mayor Salci invited Chef Sidney Krick’s team to represent the City of Niagara Falls, and they gladly accepted the challenge.

Thanks to everyone who showed their support for the Niagara Parks team as well as Project S.H.A.R.E. and Raising the Roof. Details to follow on the next round of competition!

Niagara Parks Culinary Team

As part of The Niagara Parks Commission’s (NPC) commitment to openness and transparency, a new website, community.niagaraparks.com was officially launched today.

The agenda for NPC’s first public meeting is now available on the site, and minutes and updates will be posted regularly.

Visit the Niagara Parks Commission’s Community Website

Read the Official Media Release