After losing to the Niagara-Wheatfield Falcons early in the season, 5-0, the Lewiston-Porter Lancers boys soccer team chances of winning the Niagara Frontier League finals Wednesday night may have seemed slim to some. The Lancers were quick to prove the doubters wrong, though, as Lewiston-Porter defeated the Falcons, 1-0, to clinch the program's first NFL title since 2010.

At the foot of the Tuscarora Heroes Monument, the Historical Association of Lewiston awarded a $500 scholarship to Devin Napoleon on Monday - Indigenous Peoples' Day.

A special celebration took place Sunday afternoon on the Village of Lewiston waterfront. The Freedom Crossing Monument's 10th anniversary was celebrated with speeches, historical reenactments, choral performances, a documentary screening and reception.

With The Silo and Water Street Landing closed for winter, and other eateries looking to scale back as the days grow shorter and the temperature decreases, the Lewiston Event Center is expanding its culinary offerings. The family-fun center recently began serving lunch.

The Academy of International Business & Finance in 2019 is marking its 10th year as part of the Lewiston-Porter High School educational experience.

High water levels wreaked havoc with the Niagara County boating season, and led some to skip out on visiting the villages of Lewiston and Wilson this summer. Not wanting a repeat of this in 2020 - and seeking to reinforce the idea local stores are open for business - Village of Wilson Mayor Arthur Lawson and Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch held a "Lake Ontario 2020 Preparedness Meeting" Thursday at the Red Brick Municipal Building.

The Niagara County Peach Festival will likely get another year at Academy Park - if not more.

At its session earlier this month, the Youngstown Business and Professional Association reviewed recent developments as well as plans for events entering into this fall.

The Griffon House owners on Thursday officially declared they are coming to Youngstown and plan to move into the old grocery store that left the village with an empty storefront in 2018. The only questions remaining is how much will be invested and when.

The Lewiston-based Home Assistance Referral Team held its seventh annual dinner and awards celebration Thursday night at the Niagara Falls Country Club.

Staff and family Members of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services gathered Wednesday outside THE Center Street office in Lewiston for presentation of a $600 check to Chris Kreiger of WNY Heroes Inc. The annual presentation goes to assist WNY Heroes in its numerous endeavors on behalf of area veterans and their families.

The New York Power Authority is installing 78 new trash racks at the Niagara Power Project's main generating facility in Lewiston.

For more than 20 years, Tin Pan Alley has been a culinary institution in Lewiston. On Saturday, the Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed a new owner, William Castiglione, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The future of Academy Park - and, by association, the Niagara County Peach Festival - will be decided by a group of people Mayor Anne Welch assembled together this week.

Lewiston-Porter announced the opening of the Gary Raby Sr. Cross Country Course this week on the Creek Road campus. The course was dedicated at a Tuesday afternoon ceremony, with the Raby family present to cut the ribbon and open the 1.7-mile course. The Lew-Port cross country team, now coached by Gary's daughter, Jenn, was joined by alumni, administrators and board members to honor Gary and his vision, and then explore the course.

Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch recently received a check in the amount of $1,000 from Modern Disposal for the inclusive playground. The recreational area will be built in Marilyn Toohey Park, behind the Red Brick Municipal Building.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Downriver Post 7487's "Circle of Honor" started to be assembled on Wednesday morning. Patrol cars from the Lewiston Police Department and Niagara County Sheriff's Office escorted stone pillars down Center Street and into Academy Park. Project manager Rocco DelGrosso and his team then began to install the monument pieces.

The Lower Niagara Community Survivors group held its second annual "Rockout Cancer" event Sunday at the Lewiston Stone House. People came out to support the organization that is now offering financial and manpower services to those battling the disease.

Victoria Skrlin-Kozak was crowned Peach Queen Sunday night, capping off the 62nd annual Niagara County Peach Festival at Academy Park in Lewiston.

For a few shining moments Saturday, it appeared as if Town of Lewiston Supervisor Steve Broderick had been dethroned as peach shortcake eating champion. Alas, the reigning and defending titleholder would walk away with his fourth-straight victory - after it was discovered Kiwanian Dean Beltrano cheated!

Arthur Lawson, mayor of the Village of Wilson, met recently with the Porter Town Board to express his thanks to the town on behalf of the New York State Division of Veterans Services.

On July 16, Historical Association of Lewiston Executive Director Patricia Mahoney and I received an email from Village of Lewiston Mayor Anne Welch. The mayor asked if we could assist a woman named Jane Brogan from York, Nebraska. Jane's mother was an avid collector of books that she would collect from library sales around the state.

Tens of thousands of people will visit the Niagara County Peach Festival this weekend. It's a safe bet more than a few will wonder if this is the event's final ride at Academy Park.

Village of Lewiston Deputy Mayor Vic Eydt joined with Ashley Olds, Bill Kilmer and Linda Fleck in presenting the municipality with $10,201 on Monday for the new inclusive playground project. The funds were generated at last month's "Moose's Mission" fundraiser, which was presented by Lower Niagara Moose Lodge No. 584 and Women of the Moose Chapter 1940.

In what could only be described as a sight straight out of a Food Network kitchen, The Stone House was filled with delicious desserts of every shape, size, texture and taste on Thursday night. The occasion was a ribbon-cutting for Just Desserts by Aimee - which is kitty-corner to the Lewiston wine bar. Friends and family looked on with awe at the picturesque pastries, precisely piled on serving plates.

A naturalization ceremony took place Wednesday morning at Old Fort Niagara for 20 new U.S. citizens. Individuals from 11 different countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Canada, China, Congo (Kinshasa), Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia and Vietnam, took their oaths of allegiance from U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael J. Roemer, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.

Some people smirk when Northwest Jazz Festival in Historic Lewiston organizers state the event annually draws upward of 40,000 people. Those doubters were converted this past weekend, as people were elbow-to-elbow across Center Street, and cars were stacked all the way back to Oxbow Lane at the Lewiston event.

The Silo Restaurant is concluding a successful summer at the end of September.

Michael Hibbard's development plan, to transform the plaza at Center and North Fourth streets into a new, larger Gallo Coal Fire Kitchen, received approval at Monday's Village of Lewiston Board meeting.

Visitors and residents of the River Region are certainly fortunate when it comes to the number and variety of experiences available in the area. From the arts to fantastic fishing, jet boats to wine trails, the living history of Old Fort Niagara to the high-caliber entertainment at Artpark, the countless festivals and so much more, nary a day goes by without something new, exciting and enjoyable for visitors as well as locals to partake in.

Tens of thousands of people have watched one or more shows at Artpark this summer. Few have had an opportunity to actually be in one - that was until Thursday night. Plasticiens Volants' "Pearl: Secrets of the Sea" made its U.S. debut at Artpark in Lewiston.

This is not a drill. We repeat: This is not a drill! Dr. Giant Eyeball has returned to Lewiston - and this time he's brought his Sinister Quartet Under Ill-Fated Direction, or S.Q.U.I.D.

The 2019 Niagara County Peach Festival could be the last one held in Academy Park.

Village Mayor Anne Welch assembled a group of artists in mid-July with the intent of promoting Lewiston as an arts destination. They met again on Wednesday - this time with some notable additions - looking to implement strategies to increase public awareness.

Two summers ago, the French street theater group Plasticiens Volants wowed people when it debuted "Big Bang" Lewiston. The troupe told a story of creation through a dazzling mix of floating inflatables, videos, lights and music. Its colorful creations filled the night sky, and were manned by performers weaving in and out of the crowd.

Fine art will meet coal-fired pizza when Michael Hibbard makes over the corner of Center and North Fourth streets in Lewiston.

"Tuesdays in the Park" boasted a triple-bill with Tommy Tutone, Loverboy and headliner Rick Springfield. The "Best in Show" tour offered more than three hours of high-energy performances, complete with a smorgasbord of hit songs and some unexpected fan interactions.

Old Fort Niagara is hosting its final reenactment of the season, the "War of 1812 Encampment," on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, at the National Historic Landmark in Youngstown. This encampment portrays the British attack on Fort Niagara during the American occupation in December 1813, and includes a special evening battle and daily activities for all.

The Lewiston Council on the Arts has revealed the winners of the 2019 Lewiston Art Festival.

A new school year is around the corner and excitement is starting to build around the Lewiston-Porter School District.