Life in Niagara Falls

Niagara Homecoming

2009-05-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

OH MY I realized that I haven't been on this in a while. I've been very busy, working like a little bee on Niagara Homecoming. We will have a Brunch at the Aqaurium of Niagara on June 28, 2009. That is what I am in charge of. I need to fill 150 places (75 per seating) so if interested contact us at niagararises@yahoo.com
or check us out at www.niagararises.com

Charity Challenge

2008-11-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

From www.niagararises.com

We all know that this year has been fiscally hard for many people. There are more people then ever in need. Many of us are stretching the dimes as far into dollars as we can. As a group, we plan on donating proceeds from the Niagara Homecoming to different charities (TBA). What I challenge you to do is find a creative way (not just writing a check, although that’s REALLY nice too) to donate to a local charity.
Maybe you give up your daily trip to TimHo’s and put the money aside.
Maybe packing a lunch once or twice a week
Maybe you collect your change each day for a week, month, year
Maybe you have a Christmas Exchange, but ask everyone to also bring in gloves or hats to donate
At my place of work, we have a snack machine that raised their prices this year (due to the high cost of fuel, etc). We decided that it wasn’t worth a dollar to have that snack fix. What I do now (because none of us were planning ahead and bringing in the chocolate) is purchase items from the store such as 12 packs of cookies, single serve bags of chips, candy bars and then I sell them to the at only a small profit (maybe a nickel or a dime on each item-we sell the cookies, candy bars and chips at 50 cents). We have chosen Community Missions for our “Chips for Charity” and since the inception in July, we year to date have $100.00 to donate. We will be donating the money shortly so that it can be used for Christmas.
It wasn’t hard, but it took thinking outside the box. We plan to continue this into the new year, and I will donate the money collected to one of the charities we choose for Niagara Homecoming.
I challenge everyone who reads this: WHAT can YOU do and can you beat US?!

2008-11-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

Rhys finally decided to be a "good guy" and went as Batman. Bethany had a couple of choices thanks to Samantha's hand me downs. She wanted to be the GHOOOOOST. Jason was missing the proton pack for his costume.

Bethany went to a few houses and then helped me hand out the candy. We had close to 300 kids... Rhys also was in his first parade at school.

A great time:)

Niagara Homecoming

2008-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

For 2009, Niagara Rises will be going with Buffalo Homecoming to present a "Niagara Homecoming". The event will be held June 25-28, 2009.
Why would we want to do this?
We want to show everyone whose left that Niagara County is a great place to live. We want to remind everyone that we are working toward a renaissance. This has been a long time in coming.
Let's keep our friends and family here instead of watching them move away. Can an event like this matter? YES if we all put our best foot forward.
Planned events will include a Job Fair (to show there are actually jobs out there!), a brunch at the Aquarium and tours of the city.
Interested in attending? Check out http://www.buffalohomecoming.com/ We hope to have the Niagara Falls Portion loaded soon.
Interested in helping? Come to a Niagara Rises Meeting (Every Third Tuesday of the month), or email us at niagararises@yahoo.com
We are searching for ways to help the city and county. Can you help? Do you have a great idea? Are you willing to donate your time? Contact US!

The Maize

2008-10-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the maize on Niagara Falls Blvd yesterday. Silly us started with the third maze and it took almost an hour. There was another family there that we wound up wandering around lost with. Regardless, we finally found our way out. It sure was a test of patience. IF you go wear old shoes (and old clothes), it was really muddy this weekend. Price wasn't so bad, $12.00 included all three mazes, a soda (just because I live in Western NY does not mean I will call it a POP), popcorn and three tickets for the rides. Bethany was free. They allowed us to use the tickets for the kids to go on the rides (Rhys just loves that giant tiger slide).
We go every year and every year I yell at my husband for dragging me there (we seem to always get lost), but it all turns out okay and we have a good time

http://www.cornfieldmaze.com/sites.php?ID=&username=nybuffalo

Rising Above Negativity

2008-09-19T06:03:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, Sept 16, 2008 GMA came to Niagara Falls as part of their "whistle stop" tour. They showed me why there is such a need for the group Niagara Rises... When Dianne Sawyer did her "tale of two cities" Niagara Falls, NY was shown in the light that it is. While I do not fault this, as I think that it is correct in that there is such a disparity between us and the other side, I did notice that her report about the occupancy in Canada made it seem like we weren't doing as well on the US side. I didn't see her go into any US Hotel and ask what their occupancy was that night. Had she, she would have received pretty close to the same answer. What they did do was show a full hotel on the Canadian side and then walk down Main street at 9 p.m. on our side. It wouldn't have mattered if they had done that at 2 in the afternoon, the buildings are still boarded up and vacant.
Why I mention this is because this is one of the things we need to fix, we will never be able to rise up and become a prosperous city again if we have a Main street that looks like a war zone. Great we have a new court house, but what else?
As a people we need to start being POSITIVE! What will we be 5 years from now? Do we want more closed businesses or can we rise above the petty politics that have hampered our city for too long?
Later Tuesday night we had a Niagara Rises meeting and everyone who saw the broadcast couldn't stop talking about it. We already have tourists telling other tourists to by-pass the US side for the Canadian, and now we had GMA doing the same. Will this be the bottom of the barrel, can we pull ourselves out? Maybe we can use this broadcast as the catalyst that is needed to jump start this city.

Pre-K

2008-09-09T18:05:00.001-07:00

My 4 year old started pre-k yesterday. He had never gone to day care and I can count on one hand probably how many times in a year he was babysat. My husband and I agreed to give the program at Maple Ave school a try. Our biggest issue is that the Niagara Falls School system runs the program as a full day class just like all their other classes. Although we know that he needs to start with the formal learning, as kindergarten is not what it use to be, we both had hoped for a more gentle introduction. If we lived just a few miles north in Lewiston we could have him in a half day class. I know that it is going to take a while for him to adjust. Today he told me he doesn't want to go to school Wed because he misses me.

Is it normal for him to come home and tell us that he can't remember anything that he did that day? He's been in school two days and doesn't know any other kids names. I know he is outgoing because when we would go to the playground this summer, he would introduce himself to any kids that were there and ask them to play. I worry though. He's not smiling when we pick him up. Is it too much?

Getting interested in the local

2008-09-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

For about two years now I have been involved in a local Niagara Falls group that has gone through numerous names but is now officially Niagara Rises. We are hoping to start a grassroots movement for the improvement of the city of Niagara Falls, NY.
Why I joined the group was that I was tired of complaining about the way things were and felt it was time that I stopped the talking and started with the actions.
We have started planning for the war of 1812 bicentennial (yes it is a few years off) because we all felt like the bicentennial of the county was done very haphazardly. How many of us even knew about it before it was mentioned in one of our meetings?!
I also love the idea of doing a Walk of Fame but am afraid that this will get bogged down in the bureaucracy.
I think that one of the greatest things about our group is that we are more than happy to have many different ideas and try to see what will work.
I happen to work in the tourist industry and feel that anything that can be accomplished will help.

Rude people

2008-07-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

When did "UH" or "Yep" replace Hello? When I go to the Niagara Falls Public Library there is one guy who answers with "Yep" when I say "Hello" or "thank you" . Before you ask, he is not a young man, he is an older gentleman who should have some semblance of being polite. The younger guy that works there always is so nice and polite. I am usually in the library once a week. This has been going on for months. I just wonder why a quick Hi can't be said.

And speaking of rude, yesterday I answered a knock on my door (not a ring of the doorbell right near the door) and expecting to see my niece, I instead see a salesperson (4 p.m. on a Friday after a VERY long and busy day at work). Although he tried to convince me he wasn't a sales manager and was giving away wireless security systems for "FREE" I told him I wasn't interested. When he asked me why and I answered him that I have a security system and that I don't buy things from door to door salesman. HE started to argue with me that he wasn't a door to door salesman and the system is FREE. I did finally just close the door on him...I hate pushy salespeople and I really dislike people who think because I look young they can talk to me like I'm stupid.

What Fun

2008-07-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that we go to my Aunt Sue's for 4th of July parties every year. This year was no different. Beth enjoyed the trampoline so much she was on it for over an hour. First she just wanted to sit and be bounced. Then she realized she could jump and run on it. Her laughter was sweet music. Rhys enjoyed himself although he wasn't all that happy when he went under in the pool.
Congrats to Cousin Danny for graduating
AND A REALLY BIG WOW and best wishes to my sister-in-law Dawn on her engagement to her guy Mark.
All in all a fun day

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T08:02:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th of July

Although 4th is a day of national pride, I always think of it as a family day. My Aunt Sue has held a 4th party for as long as I can remember. It's time to see the extended family and EAT! The cook-out food is fine, but I am a dessert kind of a girl. Very easy to be in our family as there is usually a very large table of desserts.
Enjoy your day and God Bless

Nickel and Dimes

2008-06-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else tired of banks and their fees? After an issue with my direct deposit check not being directly deposited and automatic deductions coming out of my bank account, I have had it with banks. Although I know that it wasn't there fault and I know that they have the line of credit that you can pay for to cover overdrafts, I am simply sick of the traditional banks.
I switched my accounts over to my local credit union. Well after numerous requests to my bank to close my accounts, I got a statement that said I had overdrafted my account. Was I LIVID. I called the 800 # and started getting the run around including the thought that I would go to the branch and pay the overcharge to have my account closed. After demanding to speak to a supervisor and being left on hold for well over 5 minutes - I think that they thought I would hang up, the guy comes back on and says that since it's a weekend they can't close my account. Now don't most banks advertise 24 hour banking nowadays. Wasn't he in working on the weekend?
I did finally get my account closed and do not have to pay the overdraft fee, but what a waste of a 15+year relationship

Have you done something local lately?

2008-06-24T15:02:00.001-07:00

When was the last time you went on the Maid of the Mist?
Have you ever checked out the Cave of the Winds?
Have you gone to see the Fireworks over the Falls on Fridays and Sundays during the summer?

I am shocked that so many native Western NYers can say that they have never done these things. When I was a child, we lived in NJ and my father brought us here to visit family. We always made a trip to the Falls. As an adult, my husband & I lived in an apartment for years on 3rd street and made at least weekly trips to walk around the falls during the warmer weather.
With the natural beauty of the Falls it is simply a great place to take a break from the hustle and bustle. I wrote a couple of papers when in college sitting by Three Sisters Island just listening to the water rush by.
I recently participated in a Tour of the Falls organized by the Niagara Rises group. It was our 4 year olds first time on the Maid of the Mist, and I'm sure not the last.