Lockport: History Center celebrates Doors Open Niagara 2012

Area residents and visitors are invited to tour all four sites operated by Niagara County History Center in a binational tourism event known as "Doors Open Niagara 2012." This is the 11th annual "Doors Open" event; it showcases U.S. and Canadian heritage sites, which will open their doors to allow free admission for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 15 through 17.

The event is organized by the Binational Tourism Alliance and promises to provide a new appreciation for shared heritage and architecture on both sides of the border in the Niagara region.

Doors will be open without admission charge at the History Center (Niagara County Historical Society) headquarters campus, The Col. Wm. Bond-Jesse Hawley House, and The Erie Canal Discovery Center and Penney Gallery, all in Lockport. An 80-page event guide is available at all participating sites and highlights each of the participating venues.

The themes for this year's events are "Discover the Story Behind Every Door," and "Defending a Nation," as organizations in both countries celebrate their shared heritage during this bicentennial year for the War of 1812. The History Center's open house hours are shown by location below.

• The History Center Headquarters Campus, 215 Niagara St.: June 15 and 16 doors open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• The Erie Canal Discovery Center, 24 Church St. Doors open all three days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The Penney Gallery, 24 Church St. Doors open all three days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• The National Register Col. Wm. Bond-Jesse Hawley House, 143 Ontario St. Doors open all three days from 1 to 4 p.m.

For additional information about Doors Open Niagara 2012, call the History Center at 716-434-7433.