Winter Festival of Lights festivities are going to be spectacular this year. Mark your calendars opening ceremonies kick off the season starting November 9th! http://www.niagarafallstourism.com/play/festivals-events/winter-festival-of-lights/
Looking for a place to stay view us on: http://www.niagara-on-the-lake-cottagerental.com/ or call is at 905-980-0346 to make a reservation.
By Corey Larocque, Niagara Falls Review
Wirewalker Jay Cochrane stands atop the Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls with the Skylon Tower in the background in this 2012 file photo. (MIKE DIBATTISTA/NIAGARA News
“Just a note aside, I had the pleasure of viewing Jay Cochrane live in Niagara Falls, what a showman”!! Maria Rekrut
Jay Cochrane, the highwire performer known as the Prince of the Air, was a great friend to Niagara Falls over the years. News of his death Wednesday saddened a town he came to love and whose people came to love him – even though, by many accounts, he was a difficult man to get to know.
Since 2002, Cochrane’s blue, sequined jumpsuit and platinum blonde hair, were fixtures in Niagara Falls. He was a colourful entertainer who constantly pushed the boundaries of his art to new heights. In the summer of 2012, he thrilled spectators daily by walking a tightrope from the top of the Skylon Tower to the rooftop of the Hilton hotel.
When news broke that he lost his battle to cancer at the age of 69, it prompted a well deserved outpouring of tributes from the thousands of people who witnessed his hundreds of highwire performances or who dealt with him through the children’s charities for whom he devotedly raised money.
Journalists at The Review who interviewed and photographed him over the years got to know him as the consummate professional. Charming, but aloof. A brilliant showman despite some eccentricities. (The trumpet fanfare from the Superman theme song announced he was about to begin his show).
He adopted us. And we embraced him. He didn’t just breeze into town for a one-night stand and then move on to the next spectacle.
He’ll always be one of the lingering “what-ifs” in Niagara Falls history. What if the Niagara Parks Commission had dropped its longstanding opposition to stunting when Cochrane asked 10 years ago, instead of when Nik Wallenda got the green light in 2012?
But Cochrane has earned a rightful place in the legion of endearing colourful characters whose exploits make Niagara Falls history the thrilling, unique place it is.
Where else but in Niagara Falls could you look 750 feet up in the sky, see a man walking a tightrope between two skyscrapers and say, “Oh yeah, that’s Jay… It must be 7 o’clock.”
He was so good you could set your watch to his performances. He often said he had to be perfect in his line of work.
Cochrane was a class act, a thrill to watch and a delight to know.
Corey Larocque
Aerial Image – Old Fort Erie
The muskets are primed and the cannons are loaded for the 27th Annual Siege Weekend at Old Fort Erie. August 10 and 11, witness a cannon-blast-from-the-past as Canada’s largest battle re-enactment weekend displays the excitement and drama of the War of 1812.
This year marks the 199th anniversary of the desperate fight for the fort and the 27th time the reenacting community will bring the events of 1814 back to life.
If you don’t like: loud noises, the roll of the drums, the smell of gun powder smoke, food cooking over an open fire, the crackle of musketry or a whiff of pipe smoke coming from a lone sentry on picket duty – this event is not for you. If you like your story telling for your kids and grandkids to be colourful, dramatic, even poignant and memorable – this is the event to attend.
Since the reenactors volunteer their time and considerable resources, the camps and battles are free for the weekend. However, the candle lit tour on Saturday night will put you in the action and regular admission to the Fort applies.
There are guided tours and demonstrations throughout the fort and the siege lines all weekend long. The serious action gets underway on Saturday morning at 11:00am when the U.S. Army takes over Fort Erie. At 2:00pm there is a battle on the south side of the Fort marking the battles of Chippawa and Lundy’s Lane. Of course at 8:00pm, the big battle of the weekend will be underway and the candle lit tours of the fort start just after 9:00pm from the new visitor centre, showing the effects of Drummond’s assault. Sunday will include the annual commemorative service at 10:30am and the weekend ends with a recreation of the battle known as the Sortie at 1:00pm.
Call us at 905-980-0346 for more information.
NIAGARA COTTAGE RENTAL
“VACATIOING RELAXED
Palette Knife with Oils Workshop
Led by Anne Reimer
Saturday, May 4 at RiverBrink Art Museum
Following a successful series of artist’s demonstrations over the fall and winter, RiverBrink is pleased to announce the second of its artist’s workshops. Under the tutelage of noted painter Anne Reimer, participants will create their own autumn landscape painting, using the techniques taught in the workshop.
Anne Reimer will conduct a mini-workshop in palette knife application of oil paint. In this “beginner” workshop, students will create their own fall landscape while learning the principles of colour and design. Anne invites you to learn the many ways you can use the palette knife, sometimes working with a full blade or with the tip to create the texture you desire. Although it would be beneficial to have some knowledge of oil paint, beginners to this medium are welcome to join the class.
Anne is known for her intuitive sense of colour, and her love and understanding of nature. Her inspirations come from the beauty of area scenes and travels, depicting barns, mills, and capturing still life from her garden. The Niagara Region offers her this wealth of resources.
Anne was born in Paraguay, South America, and immigrated to Canada in 1955 at the age of 16. Her art training from Art Instruction Schools Home Study Course has helped her gain much understanding of the fundamentals of art. Feeling a deep love for fine art, she has been inspired to perfect her technique in oil, watercolour, and mixed media.
| Date | Saturday, May 4. |
| Time: | 10:30 am to 2:30 pm (half hour lunch break in between)Please bring a bagged lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided. |
| Cost: | $45.00 ($25 fees and $20 for materials: includes stretched canvas, 11” x 14”; oil paint and palette knife). |
| Class size: | 10 students |
To register please contact RiverBrink by phone 905-262-4510 or by email to manager@riverbrink.
LOOKING TO STAY OVERNIGHT CALL US FOR YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS AT 1-866-226-4730
|
||||||
|
Peller Estates Winery
Our New Year’s Eve Dinner & After Party is almost full! With a dinner setting like this, there’s no wonder. Make your reservation today before it’s too late!
http://reservations.andrewpeller.com/events/new-year-s-eve-dinner-after-party.html
JAZZ.FM91 – Canada’s Premier Jazz Station
JAZZ.FM91, Canada’s only not-for-profit radio station dedicated to jazz and the jazz community at large. Featuring on-air and web only streams, news, program listings, playlists, and more.
Looking for accommodations call 1-866-226-4730 for the Christmas Season.
Include lunch or dinner at Terroir La Cachette – but make a reservation!