Bullet News: Diodati encouraged - but not surprised - by support for idea of erecting Nik Wallenda statue

by John Robbins/Bullet News

At this point, it's still little more than a concept percolating inside his head.

But Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said he's encouraged by the mostly positive response he has received since musing publicly about the idea of erecting a bronze statue somewhere in the Table Rock area commemorating Nik Wallenda's historic wirewalk across the Horseshoe Falls.

A Bullet News online poll inviting readers to weigh in on the idea garnered more than 1,100 votes.

Of those who participated, 59 percent said they're in favor of the concept, while 37 percent are opposed and just under four per cent are undecided.

While not scientific, said Diodati, the poll shows there's plenty of interest and the idea is worth exploring in more detail.

"I'm not surprised," Diodati said of the poll results and the feedback he has received first-hand from people following the June 15 event.

"People are still talking about (the event) all over the world."

The statue, if erected, would be about more than just memorializing the walk and Wallenda, the first person in more than 100 years to wirewalk across the Niagara Gorge.

It's about continued marketing of the the Falls, the city and its attractions.

Diodati envisions some kind of interactive statue depicting Wallenda walking with his long balance poles, and the falls in the background. The interactive part would be where people could join Wallenda on the make-believe wire for photos.

Thanks to the magic of social media, says Diodati, tourists would then share those photos with family and friends online, giving the city a hefty dose of free publicity.

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