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|  |  | | |  | | | | Illumination of Niagara Falls |
Featured in the Niagara County section of the March-May 2013 issue of Explore New York, is information about Niagara Falls, Lewiston, Lockport, Sanborn, North Tonawanda, Ransomville, Youngstown, Tonawanda and Town of Niagara.
Advertisers include: Aquarium of Niagara, New York State Power Authority's Power Vista, Riviera Theatre, Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum, Niagara River Region, Erie Canal Discovery Center and Penney Gallery, Niagara History Center including Niagara Historical Society and Col. William Bond/Jesse Hawley House, The Giacomo Boutique Hotel, Fashion Outlets, Rainbow Air, Niagara Tourism & Convention Corporation's (NTCC) Official Niagara Falls Visitor Center, Old Fort Niagara, Anchor Spirits, Seneca Niagara Casino, New York State Power Authority, An American Country Store, Newfane Olcott Fishing Derbies, Seneca Poker Room, Niagara Falls Culinary Center and Foley's Pub.
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Explore Niagara USA!
As Niagara USA sheds the snow covering its tree limbs, and its icy terrain begins to melt, visitors and residents start to book their calendars with events. When the region welcomes spring it offers plenty of family friendly activities to go along with it. Just as the tulips start to pop and leaf buds begin to show, Niagara USA also starts to bustle with activity.
Take advantage of the final days of winter by participating in one of the many events at Niagara Falls State Park like snowshoeing, or tour this oldest state park in the United States on a trolley ride. Of course there are educational programs held regularly.
Special events and exciting exhibits at museums around the area offer something for everyone. The Erie Canal Discovery Center is a multi-media interactive museum that is open year-round, where patrons travel back to the 1820s and the early days of the Erie Canal. Visit one of the local art museums including the Castellani Museum at Niagara University and the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center. Plan a stop at the Aquarium of Niagara where you can experience sea life of all kinds. There are daily sea lion shows, seal presentations and penguin feedings. On March 7, partake in the original “Taste of Niagara” at the Aquarium’s SEAsonings. Enjoy local food samples along with New York State wines and entertainment throughout the exhibit areas.
Stop by the Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration at the Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum on March 9 and take part in a scavenger hunt for a pot of gold, entertainment, treats and crafts for all or take a ride on the 1916 Herschell Carrousel. Immerse yourself in Irish culture with a special performance by The McCarthy School of Irish Dance at 2pm. Get a taste of the Niagara Wine Trail April 12 – 14 and sample wines and foods from a progressive dinner specially prepared at each winery. Old Fort Niagara has special events planned throughout the spring, including a Sugar Maple Walk March 16. Sugar maple trees have been used for hundreds of years by the Haudenosaunee people to collect maple sap for the production of sugar and syrup. Come enjoy an evening walk and learn about various trees and their uses. End the evening by enjoying some native storytelling and sample traditional native foods.
Don’t miss the annual Lewiston Smelt Festival on May 3. Gather at the Lewiston Waterfront (115 N. Water St.) where the Niagara River Region Anglers will be battering and frying hundreds of pounds of smelt and the Silo Restaurant (featured on the Food Network’s “Man v. Food”) will be serving more to eat and drink. There will be plenty of FREE smelt and live music to welcome the start of spring in Niagara USA.
Visit www.niagara-usa.com for a complete list of attractions and events this spring or to book your Niagara USA package for special savings. For the very latest on everything Niagara USA, follow us on Twitter or Facebook @NiagaraFallsUSA.
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Aquarium Penguins Have Their Days
Come celebrate with the Peruvian penguins at the Aquarium of Niagara from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 23rd and March 24th.
These loveable flightless birds are among the Aquarium’s most popular residents and this weekend you can participate in a penguin “meet and greet” encounter. Of course, they will be dressed formally for the occasion, but Aquarium guests can dress casually. The 22nd Annual Penguin Days is supported by Niagara Frontier Publications, Niagara Gazette, and Wal-mart.
Experienced Exhibit Department staff members will answer all questions about these fun and fascinating birds during regular penguin encounters in the second floor Community Room. “Beaker”, the Aquarium’s penguin mascot, will also be greeting visitors from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m in the “Who Do You Sea” area.
Challenge your artistic skills by participating in the NEW penguin drawing contest with a “plethora of penguin prizes” for the winner. Children can make their own penguin colony of finger puppets, visit the “Sea N Do” Shack and learn more about penguin conservation while exploring the penguin lab. There will be penguin gifts, including original penguin art, available for purchase. Adopt-a-Penguin certificates can be purchased by anyone wishing to sponsor an Aquarium penguin for one year.
Don’t forget to stop by our other exhibits including seahorses, poison dart frogs, ”Twister” the octopus, sharks, and display of large shells on loan from collector Mike Fisher of Amherst.
The Aquarium’s regular schedule of California sea lion demonstrations and harbor seal feedings will continue as usual throughout the weekend. Penguin encounters are included in regular admission of $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for seniors, $6.00 for children, and free for 2 and under. Members are free. Admission to penguin encounters will be determined by availability of tickets and space.
For more information, call 285-3575, Ext. 206.
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Zoey’s found a home for life!
And it’s here at the Aquarium of Niagara’s Rescue Cove, the outdoor harbor seal exhibit just inside the front gate. Zoey is a 3-year old Atlantic harbor seal who was found stranded on a Massachusetts beach in 2009.
After being rescued by the New England Aquarium, she was later transferred to the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center at the University of New England for the duration of her recovery. While at MARC, Zoey had surgery for a severe middle ear infection. She was the first seal to have this procedure; in the past seals with this problem would have been euthanized because they could not be healed with antibiotics. The surgery was similar to putting tubes in a human ear to drain out any fluid. The seriousness of the infection and surgery made her unable to return to the wild. Sea lions have to dive to normal depths to hunt for food and Zoey no longer has that ability.
When the National Marine Fisheries Service offered the chance to give Zoey a permanent home, the Aquarium didn’t hesitate to bring her to Niagara Falls. A staff team of Nancy Chapin, executive director, Jenn Humphrey, marine mammal supervisor and Dr. Ed Latson, attending veterinarian, took a road trip to pick up the Aquarium’s latest addition to its growing family. “Providing a permanent home for Zoey brought the incredible efforts and dedication of the team at MARC to completion. The Aquarium’s willingness and ability to welcome her to our facility and share her story with our guests made their work a true success,” added Chapin.
After being quarantined for 30 days in the hospital pool here, Zoey was introduced to the other four harbor seals. Senior trainers had already begun training basic behaviors while she was quarantined. This helps to build a positive and strong relationship with the trainers before they go on exhibit, said Humphrey.
Visit Zoey and all of the other animals at the Aquarium of Niagara. The Aquarium is open at 9am daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information call 716-285-3575 or visit www.aquariumofniagara.com
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Newest Niagara Falls Boutique Hotel
The former United Office Building has been given new life as a luxury boutique hotel and no detail has been overlooked. Now called the Giacomo, as a tribute to one of the owners’ father, this gem of a lodging property is something you would expect to see in San Francisco or another chic metropolitan area. The 1929 structure even has a residential component- 24 apartments that have access to all of the hotels amenities. The Giacomo is within walking distance of Niagara Falls, the Seneca Niagara Casino and other attractions.
Local artist Donna Wojcik has been selected to institute her design talents into the decor of the building.
The bar in the lounge and desk in the reception area have casts of the foyer banister incorporated into their motif. Replicas of the Indian statues on the outer building that welcome you are also present on either side of the fireplace mantle in the front sitting area. Wojcik also created every painting adorning each room. The letter G (for Giacomo) is found somewhere in each piece of artwork. The color scheme and patterns in the wallpaper and paint also tie into the marble in the floor and bring the entire building together as one.
The art deco-themed spacious rooms have high ceilings, large bathrooms, mini refrigerators and some include fireplaces and Jacuzzis. Complimentary extended breakfasts, a fitness center, free Internet access are just some of the amenities available to Giacomo guests. The Giacomo offers butler service and complimentary valet parking for your entire stay. Although you can walk to most destinations around the Giacomo, transportation is included to and from the Buffalo Niagara International and Niagara Falls airports and within a 3-mile radius of the hotel.
For pampering and a restful stay in Niagara Falls, make your reservations at The Giacomo. They are located at 222 First Street, Niagara Falls USA. They can be reached at 716.299.0200 or go online to www.thegiacomo.com . | | |  | | | | | | | | Fireplace in the Sitting Area |
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Aquarium of Niagara Creature Feature
They’re called hermit crabs because they keep pretty much to themselves except when they need a bigger shell to live in. Then, they rely on larger hermit crabs to shed their shells so they can move in. These crustaceans are one of the most popular residents of the Aquarium of Niagara.
Hermit crabs don’t start out with a shell of their own. After a final larval stage, they find a small shell that will keep them from being someone’s lunch. The hermit crab usually moves into a sea snail shell where its soft, vulnerable abdomen is protected from predators. When the shell is big enough and the crab small enough, they are able to retract so far into their shells that it is sometimes impossible to know they’re in there. As a result, the crabs sometimes find themselves “collected” and taken home as a souvenir. One Florida-vacationing family did just that, but when they found the shells had moved overnight, they returned them to the cove where they were found and the crabs quickly crawled off into deeper water.
These fun crabs live in varying depths of salt water, from shallow reefs and shorelines to deep sea bottoms. Tropical waters host some terrestrial species. There are only a few hermit crabs that don’t occupy “mobile homes;” however they too head for a place to hide, often crawling into immobile structures left by sea worms, gastropods (sea snails, slugs, etc.), corals and sponges.
If you haven’t been to the Aquarium or at least not in awhile, there is so much more to see at sea level. There’s Twister, a Pacific ocean octopus, two young sea lions in the main pool and rare yellow lobsters.
The Aquarium opens at 9 a.m. daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, call 716-285-3575.
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