Come back to Niagara Falls

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, June 20, 2009

Niagara Rises, a grassroots organization started in 2007, has organized “Niagara Homecoming Weekend,” slated for June 25 to 28 in Niagara Falls.

The goal is to have an annual citywide reunion on the last weekend of June and to invite everyone who has moved away from the Falls back home to celebrate both the past and the future for the city.

This year, the four-day event will feature a host of free and low-cost entertainment for the entire family.  The centerpiece of the event will be the Positively Main Street Festival, organized by the Main Street Business and Professional Association. The festival will run Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28, and feature the best local food, music and art from the area. Performers include: Dale Campbell’s “Toast and Jam” show, Addictive Tragedy, The Vacancy, The Junk Yard Dogs and Disco Duck on Saturday; The Niagara Experience Players, Country Line Dancers, The 441 Band, The Blackstar Project, Jama Jama African Drum Group and Free Henry! on Sunday. Local wineries and food vendors, along with arts and craft tents will also be featured.  For the children, there will be a bounce house, a fire safety house, and a children’s activity tent that will be run by the Niagara Arts and Cultural Center’s after-school program.

The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday on the corner of Orchard Parkway and Main Street in Niagara Falls.  The event is free and open to the public.  Beeton’s Cyclery and Capitol Cleaners will be celebrating anniversaries of their local businesses that will include a bicycle raffle to benefit the Heart and Soul Food Bank.  For details, call Main Street Niagara at 285-1318.

Other activities for Niagara Homecoming Weekend include a kick-off reception at the Crowne Plaza on Thursday; “Empower Your Future” job fair at the Power Vista, an art show at the NACC (Niagara Arts and Cultural Center), a Niagara Power baseball game at Sal Maglie Stadium, all held on Friday; Niagara Tour Extravaganza with tours of the falls, the Wine Trail, Mob Tours, a real estate expo and Lewiston Garden Walk on Saturday; a Niagara Falls sunrise worship event on Goat Island, a brunch at the Niagara Falls Aquarium and real estate open houses on Sunday.

For details on all of the Niagara Homecoming events, visit www.NiagaraHomecoming.com. Most events are free or have a minimal admission fee.