Despite those seemingly never-ending rains -- not to mention the high water conditions on area waterways -- summer is very much here in the busy River Region.

Anthropology students from SUNY Buffalo State College are spending time at Old Fort Niagara this month. They are participating in an archaeological field school that is actively excavating Building 428, a barracks spanning the years 1756-1813 near the North Redoubt. Built by the French in 1756, it disappears from maps and plans in 1814 without records of why or how. The barracks housed soldiers while they were garrisoned at the fort.

The Village of Lewiston Department of Public Works has been replacing water meter heads since the beginning of this year. With summer projects about to begin, the DPW is looking to finish the water meter head replacement project.

On Tuesday, the Niagara Greenway Commission determined the refurbishment of the U.S. Military Post Theater at Fort Niagara State Park was in keeping with the Greenway Plan's goals, principles and vision. Niagara Post Theater Inc. (NPT) is requesting $120,000 to repair the theater's ailing roof. The nonprofit group is slated to go before the Host Community Standing Committee in September for final approval.

Jason Myers recently announced his candidacy for a seat on the Lewiston Town Council.

Youngsters are invited to see trucks, electric cars, heavy equipment - even an armored assault vehicle and "Pinky" the pink concrete mixer - at the New York Power Authority's family safety fair and touch-a-truck event on Saturday, June 15, at the Niagara Power Vista.

Though he's been out of office for almost a decade, people still call Richard Soluri the "Mayor."

Having toured the grounds, analyzed the topography - and even watched Sammy Hagar in concert - Artpark & Company's master plan team took the next step in creating a map of the venue's future when it hosted a public listening session on Wednesday.

Lewiston Town Supervisor Steve Broderick and Councilman William E. Geiben have announced they will be seeking re-election this fall.

KemperSports has hired Brady Clendening to serve as general manager for Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course in Lewiston. In this role, Clendening is responsible for all facets of operations and the guest experiences at the premium course.

The Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics will kick-off at noon on Tuesday, June 11. A group will run from The Kiernan Center at Niagara University to the Red Brick Municipal Building in the Village of Lewiston.

Newly elected Lions Club District Gov. Regina Cecconi is shown presenting a $2,000 check from the Brandel Murphy Foundation to Lewiston Community Lions President Sheila Zuhlke. The check, along with matched funds, will go toward the inclusive playground expected to be built this summer in the Village of Lewiston.

Newly appointed commissioners of the International Joint Commission spent Tuesday in Western New York, learning more about the IJC's Plan 2014 and its shoreline impacts from the high water levels on Lake Ontario in New York state and on the St. Lawrence River system in Canada.

Festival season is now underway in the River Region. Next up for many is a visit out to Ransomville.

Thank you to all who voted in the Lewiston-Porter Board of Education election and budget vote. Anne Orr, Betty Warrick and I were each elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education and the budget passed with a decisive margin - 480-150.

On Saturday, June 1, several hundred local residents will join together at Reservoir State Park for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Greater Niagara. The event starts at 2 p.m. with a goal to raise funds and awareness toward a world without cancer. All are welcome to join in this community fun day, which has a superhero theme, entertainment, and a special appearance by Buster Bison.

Ransomville Garden Club members marked the club's 50th anniversary last Saturday with its annual planting of spring flowers. The event took place on the "four corners" in the hamlet where club members formally dedicated four new concrete planters that were installed last summer. 

With the prospect of Lake Ontario water levels going ever higher, Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order Monday, declaring a state of emergency for all shoreline areas from Youngstown to Watertown

Jamie Symmonds and Willow Consulting will return to Academy Park this summer for a second season of the Lewiston Artisan Farmers Market.

United Way of Greater Niagara will host its annual "Day of Caring" from 8:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday, June 26. The communitywide event, sponsored by National Grid, will host over 200 volunteers who will come together to work on projects benefiting dozens of nonprofit agencies throughout Niagara County. 

With the district's budget vote and Board of Education election on Tuesday, May 21, this week will be busy at Lewiston-Porter.

When the lights dim on the final Artpark Amphitheater show of the season, and the band is walking off stage, patrons take a moment to reflect; they savor the experience; and, about five minutes later, they ask, "Who's coming next summer?"

Those who have walked past Hennepin Park (Fourth and Center streets) this past week may have seen La Rosa Landscape Management cleaning up, building footpads, trimming the wisteria, adding mulch, and planting bushes. This is being done through the generous donation of the Lewiston Garden Club with funds from the GardenFest.

When the Village of Lewiston Board voted to raise taxes last month, trustees pledged to look for ways to lower expenses and increase revenue in the next budget.

Attending Lewiston-Porter residents learned more Tuesday on what the $48.487 million district budget for 2019-20 entails - its goals, district concerns, what went into its development, and what Lew-Port students and the community can look forward to over the next year.

St. Peter R.C. Church Rev. Monsignor David LiPuma had a special message for parishioners on Saturday: School Principal Maureen Ingham was promoted.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce celebrated the community at the annual Chamber Gala awards dinner. Its board of directors partnered with elected leaders and business associations to recognize the following (click to read the profile):

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center announced Family Medicine physician John G. Dyster, M.D., will join the medical staff and will become the medical director of Memorial's Lewiston Primary Care Center.

The Kiwanis Club of Lewiston announced its newly elected club officers: President Lee Allan, President-Elect Marty Pauly, Vice President Dean Beltrano and board members Jan Mathews, Erica Bellonte, Cameron Fitch and John Coulter.

A dedication ceremony will take place as part of the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 26. The statue will be part of a newly landscaped area.

After a lengthy application process, the First Presbyterian Church, and the cemetery beside it, are one step closer to achieving a coveted milestone: Designation to the National Register of Historic Places.

Thanks to higher-than-normal precipitation over the past few months in the Midwest, coupled with a melting snow pack throughout much of the Great Lakes, water levels across the system are above their long-term averages - and expected to remain that way for some time. Additionally, threats of lakeshore flooding are becoming more likely.

Efforts to rehabilitate and reopen the historic Frontier House began last weekend, when a team of five men from Blooms Relax Landscaping manicured the green space in front of and around the 195-year-old building, and cleaned up the children's' play area once used by McDonald's Restaurant.

A large crowd gathered at the Red Brick Municipal Building on Saturday to participate in the annual Earth Day spring cleanup. People spruced up neighboring roads and public areas. Refreshment were provided.

Warm weather has finally arrived in Lewiston and with it the Lewiston Family Spring Fling. This event is a way to celebrate winter's end, and the chance to renew old friendships and make new ones.

While 2018 was the year in which The Silo Restaurant looked to its past, 2019 is all about looking to - and preserving - the future.

As we enter into spring, it is a great time to reflect on what the Lewiston Kiwanis has been up to and take a look into the near future.

Trustees in the Village of Lewiston begrudgingly adopted the fiscal year 2019-20 budget at a special meeting on Monday. They lauded the number-crunchers - Clerk/Treasurer Amy Salada and Deputy Treasurer Stephanie Myers - but lashed out at the line items.