Celebrating Mildred Morrison's 80th Birthday

Mayor Badawey gathered with friends and family of Mildred Morrison on September 15, 2012 to help celebrate her 80th Birthday.

 
 
 

Flying high

 On top of the world

Niagara Windriders teach mayor a few tricks 

Mayor Badawey was given a lesson in kite-flying by members of the Niagara Windriders, coordinators and hosts of the Canal Days International Kite Festival held all day Sunday on the August long weekend in HH Knoll Lakeview Park. The wind came from all directions Sunday, and actually diminished just about the time the kitefliers planned to present their grand acension, when hundreds of kites are launched to fly over the park simultaneously. A breeze from the lake picked up about 3:30, and kiters from across Canada and the US were flying high with kites of all shapes and sizes. "It's one of our most popular venues," the mayor noted of Lakeview Park, where hundreds and kites and hundreds of cars draw thousands of Canal Days attendees from dawn 'til dusk.

Photos contributed by Fred Taylor

 

 

 

Mayor Vance Badawey with members of the Windjammers kite crew from Detroit Michigan, and with the team shirt of Canal Days Kite Festival volunteers from the Niagara Windriders kite fliers.

 

 

 
 
 

Canada cake, anyone?

 

Happy birthday 143 Canada

 

Gabriella Foster, 3, serves Canada Day cake
with Mayor Vance Badawey and a host
of maple-leaf-decked helpers in HH Knoll Lakeview Park July 1. It was the 43rd gathering of its kind in Port Colborne, coordinated annually by city volunteers and the Folk Arts Council since Canada's centennial in 1967.

Photo courtesy Eddie Chau, The Leader
 
 
 

Mayor cheers Port Cares' Reach Out 'n Ride

 

Mayor Vance Badawey joined organizers and participants in Port Cares first ever Reach Out 'n Ride event June 12.

From left are Marnie Lambie, Port Cares volunteer, organizer and volunteer Brenda Harvey, Port Cares Executive Director Lynda Reinhart, Mayor Badawey, organizer and volunteer Pam Swick-Janjac, and Jamie Lee, organizer, participant and volunteer.

Participants rode motorcycles in a rally across the Region on a glorious June Saturday to raise money and awareness for Port Cares' Reach Out Centre on Nickel Street.

Photo courtesy Roy Norgrove
 
 
 

A horse, of course

 

 

It was a bit of a surprise to see at the junction of Hwy. 3 (Main Street West) and Hwy. 58 (West Side Road) one recent afternoon, but it was just a regular day of patrol for Niagara Regional Police Constable Paul Lewis and his NRP mount Brock.

Brock is a Percheron, a breed of draft horses that originated in the Perche valley in northern France. Percherons are usually gray or black in color. They are well-muscled, and known for their intelligence and willingness to work. Although their exact origins are unknown, the ancestors of the breed were present in the valley by the 1600s. They were originally bred for use as a war horse. Over time, they began to be used for pulling stage coaches, and later for agriculture and hauling heavy goods. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Arabian blood was added to the breed. In the late 1800s, exports of Percherons from France to the United States and other countries rose exponentially. (source: Wikipedia)
 

According to the Niagara Regional Police Service, mounted officers were introduced to its ceremonial Colour Guard in the Spring of 2003. In addition to regular police patrol duties, the officers attend parades, ceremonies, fairs, and special events.

Niagara Region is the perfect venue for mounted police officers. With a peninsula full of tourist attractions, parks, and an ever-growing list of festivals and parades, the region’s citizens and visitors benefit immensely from a mounted police presence. And, of course, who doesn’t love horses! 

The NRPS has always been proud of its ability to offer a versatile range of police services, and the Mounted Unit carries on this commitment through friendly, traditional-style community policing that combines high police visibility, nostalgia, and a new approachability to the police.

In June 2008, the two new police horses were finally named after the successful completion of the Name the Police Horse contest held in Niagara Region schools.  The horses are:

  • Brock - Named after Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, Niagara's famous War of 1812 hero.  "The name Brock represents leadership, courage, and fortitude in the face of adversity."
  • Juno - Named after the infamous French beach where Canadian troops landed in World War II.  The name Juno pays homage to the brave Canadian soldiers whose courage and sacrifice contributed to the freedoms we enjoy today.

 

 
 
 

Museum schmooze

 

 

Guests mingled with Port Colborne pageantry at the Port Colborne Historical Museum May 30 where a number of special events took place to kick-off the museum's summer season, incoluding a Salute to the Naval Centennial,
the Saracino Exhibit, an Antiques Road Show, and the ever-popular Pie Social in Arabella's Tea Room. The queue for pie was about 90 minutes long by mid-afternoon, but worth the wait, noted museum patrons Jean Heils, at left, and Ruth Faris, second from right, next to host Arabella, portrayed by Sarah Maloney.