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.

For Lewiston concertgoers, Tuesday night was, well, a "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy," as Bad Company with Paul Rodgers headlined a concert at Artpark. The show was one of only two-dozen live dates for the band in 2019.

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.

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

This Friday night, Ransomville Speedway will salute the fans in the stands on Fan Appreciation Night presented by Firth Jewelers and Relco Systems.

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

At the Village of Youngstown Board of Trustees regular board meeting and subsequent work session on Thursday night, Kristine Ripson and Wendy Shaw thanked Youngstown Chief of Police Mike Schuey and officer John Emmons for Emmons's quick response to a medical emergency and saving the life of Ripson's cousin.

On Saturday, Aug. 3, Lower Niagara Moose Lodge No. 584 proudly presented "Moose's Mission," a benefit for Lewiston's all-inclusive playground project set to be built in Marilyn Toohey Park.

VFW Downriver Post No. 7487 will sell old-fashioned pizza and deep-friend cheesecake by Favorites Pizzeria at the Lewiston Art Festival. All proceeds will help benefit the new "Circle of Honor," which will be dedicated to those who have served the country. The monument is set to be built in Academy Park, on the corner of Center Street and Portage Road.

The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce hosted an open house Friday to debut its new look.

The Town of Lewiston's independent outside auditing firm, Drescher & Malecki LLP, delivered an overall positive report to the Town Board last week regarding the 2018 fiscal year - albeit with some cautionary advice for the future.

What could be better than enjoying a glass of wine on a warm summer evening overlooking the lover Niagara River? How about skipping along the water's surface in a state-of-the-art jet boat featuring three marine power Cadillac CTSV engines totaling over 1,650 horsepower?

Prior to the start of Monday's Village of Lewiston Board meeting, three organizations presented funds for the inclusive playground project.

As July happenings pile up, Western New Yorkers are out and about enjoying the summer weather. Coming up, though, hype is building for the 61st tee off of the Porter Cup golf tournament at Niagara Falls Country Club. 

The Mount St. Mary's Hospital Foundation has announced its board of director members for the 2019-20 year. Joseph A. Ieraci, president at Aries Transportation, will continue to serve as chairman.

Both local veterans and officials participated Friday in a groundbreaking ceremony for the "Circle of Honor," the new Lewiston veterans memorial at Academy Park.

Earth, Wind & Fire (Tuesday) will kick-off a string of marquee performances at the Lewiston venue. The upcoming schedule includes The Flaming Lips (July 27), JoJo Siwa (July 28), Chris Isaak (July 30), Rick Springfield (Aug. 13), Paul Rodgers and Bad Company (Aug. 20), and Foreigner (Aug. 27).

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott visited Lewiston last weekend, and made a stop at The Silo Restaurant. He is shown outside the Water Street eatery with Ciara McGrane.

Mount St. Mary's Hospital, a member of Catholic Health, has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines Target: Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This recognizes the hospital's commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Boating slipholders in Lewiston are once again out of luck.

On Tuesday, the Youngstown Yacht Club announced the 2019 edition of the Can Am Challenge has been cancelled. It was originally scheduled to run July 26-28.

I recently took a little tour of the launch ramp at Wilson Harbor, searching for a safe place to launch a boat. I knew the lower river launches were a mess except for Lewiston, but Lewiston is a long way from the lake.

Signs, utility wires and the notion of visual clutter in a historic village have been the talk of the town in Lewiston over the past three weeks. Lee Simonson's report was featured in The Sentinel on June 22 and, since then, "All the feedback I'm getting is positive on the sign/wire report."

The Village of Lewiston Board of Trustees held its reorganizational meeting on Monday. Mayor Anne Welch announced the following appointments for the new fiscal year:

The Lewiston Council on the Arts has a full docket of events and activities slated for 2019.

As usual, The Town of Lewiston's seal was prominently featured on the wall directly behind Town Board members during Monday's meeting. At the bottom of the seal, of course, the year 1823 is listed as the inaugural date of the town's formation.

A 6 p.m. concert will be held by musician composers Keely Mackey (cello with looping station and effects) and Max Buckholtz (violin) at St. John's Episcopal Church, 110 Chestnut St., Youngstown, on Thursday, July 11.

Artpark & Company's first Strawberry Moon Festival served as a means to educate the community on the Tuscarora and Cayuga nations through Native American singing, dancing, crafts, fare and even a parade. Culture and customs were defined, explained and then presented to hundreds of onlookers - onlookers who were invited to become participants.

In a recently compiled report, the former Niagara County legislator said Lewiston is choking on a hodgepodge of signs, utility poles and wires, and it needs to be saved.

The Village of Lewiston Board recently learned it's the recipient of an unexpected gift.

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.