Tag: City of Niagara Falls

A Tribute to George Seibel by Alan Tustin

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Portrait of George Seibel

George Seibel set a standard for service to his town
And for his contributions he gained his cap and gown.

For he chronicled Niagara with a zeal quite unsurpassed
And left us with anthologies that will forever last.

He served us as an airman when the foe was at the gate
And shared a long and happy life with his beloved mate.

George repaired fine furniture for many, many years
And was esteemed by those he met, by all his friends and peers.

He did not sit in idleness when retirement days came round
But made Niagara his career, and his efforts knew no bound.

George’s books and articles have won him lasting fame
For our knowledge of Niagara now rests largely on his name.

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George Seibel Article: Only God Knows More About the Falls Than Upholsterer George Seibel. by Anthony Bannon (undated)

George and Olive’s family was extended to embrace
Several chosen children of a different tongue and race.

They formed a close-knit loving group yet still they found the time
To work for local causes – and produce book number nine!

George has now been called to fill a greater role on high
Yet still he lives in all our hearts – we serve his watchful eye.

He left us all a legacy we never can repay —
Now may he rest in peace at last, forever and a day.

September 25, 1992

Source: Niagara Falls Public Library. Biography – George Seibel [vertical file]

Poem read at George Seibel’s funeral.

Link to George Seibel’s plaque on the Niagara Falls Arts & Culture Wall of Fame

SCA Chemical Waste Services Speak to the People of Niagara, Regarding Run-Off From the Love Canal by Kevin McCabe

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Love Canal Hazardous Waste Site

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Not shy, but loath to cause upset,
Your present outrage we regret;
But, though your fears have touched our heart,
We feel we’ve chose the better part.
‘Tis indiscreet to smite the pate
Of one who may retaliate;
And international law decrees
Against abuse of enemies—
But law and profit each commends
The peaceful poisoning of friends.

Source: Kevin McCabe. Canadian Topics: Poems About Canada, 1967-2017. St. Catharines: Blarney Stone Books, 2017
“In honour of our sesquicentennial”

Read about the Love Canal disaster here

A Most Beautiful Space on Earth by April Jones

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Wine and Niagara Falls. Photo courtesy of The Classical Association of the Middle West and South 2017

Niagara Falls to me is home, but so much more than just home.

In my time here, I’ve come to adore it like the comfort of an old childhood blanket, yet with the wonder and enthusiasm of a new love at same time.

When I walk down Queen Street in my silent reverie, I relish in its quaintness and the beautiful architecture of new memories, mixed with memories past.

As I drink in the warm rays of the sun through my skin so present to the miraculousness of all this city has to offer, I recognize that everything here has a special sort of charm.

From the way the curb wraps upward on River Road to the gorgeous endearing character homes to the old bridge on Queen with it’s wonderous, wild overgrowth.

And nothing more awing than the immensity of the gorge with it’s swirling, playful, mesmerizing currents of every sort.

Therapy and serenity live here for me and from what I observe, many others.

Not to mention a timeless sense of community.

Imagine a place where anyone can sit at a beautifully crafted instrument and engage in their own masterful creation outdoors.

Where you can experience culinary delights of every taste and culture.

Ride or walk along one of the wonders of the world and sip wine so thoughtfully created by those dedicated to producing something enjoyed by so many from wine to icewine to jams and jellies.

Festivals and faces of every sort of interesting.

The future, full of any possibility, for me remains the present as in my mind there is an almost indescribable perfection in what is exists as now.

When I stand in my silent reverie overlooking the river while the water sparkles and dances to a natural silent melody, I know I am home, but not just home, somewhere that is so much more than just home to me and I believe so many more.

Source: April Jones, 2019

A Most Beautiful Space on Earth was originally an entry in the 2019 Niagara Falls Writer’s Festival Poetry Contest. The contest was cancelled.

April Jones is a real estate agent as well as being employed with a winery, which she feel allows for her to engage in two passions of hers, and wine is obviously something this region is well known for as well as by trade, which to her is creative and fascinating. Jones loves anything creative from reading to writing to visual art of most any media. She moved to Niagara three years prior with my three children from Toronto and fell in love with the region instantly, and she feels like her love affair with it has only deepened and will continue to. She is grateful to share her experience of a place almost indescribable to her.

Niagara Falls by Mila Mancuso

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Timelapse Photo of Niagara Falls by Alex Conrath

Niagara Falls, water crystal blue,
The sound of the Falls will relax you.
Hear the waves, the birds, and
see the kindness in the air.

Go downtown and enjoy something to eat.
Meet new people and make new friends.
Discover every single person’s talent and personality.
Be inspired by people’s uniqueness.

Embrace the fresh air and the sounds of nature all around you.
Enjoy your visit and your stay, but don’t worry you’ll be back to play.
Have fun with games and activities,
Niagara Falls, that’s where you’ll be!

 

Mila Mancuso is an 11 year old Niagara Falls resident who enjoys playing soccer and baseball during her free time.  She also likes to paint and draw as a hobby.  Mila enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially swimming at her cousin’s house.

Mancuso submitted this poem as an entry in the youth category of the 2019 Niagara Falls Writer’s Festival Poetry Competition, which was cancelled.

Nickel Eclipse: Iroquois Moon: Poems and Paintings by Eric Gansworth

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Cover of Nickel Eclipse: Iroquois Moon

Although no poem or painting is included here, this book of poetry by Eric Gansworth is an important addition to the literature of Niagara. Gansworth,  who was raised on the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Niagara County, New York, just outside Niagara Falls, still resides in the area and teaches in Buffalo, NY.

Publisher supplied:

“Nickel Eclipse is a merging of personal and cultural history. Structured in part like the alternating colored beads on a wampum belt, patterns emerge from this exploration of contemporary life on an eastern Indian reservation and the sometimes tenuous persistence of a culture after centuries of survival within another, more dominant, culture. The poems, while highly personalized, reflect the tension of speakers surviving within-though never fully of-that larger culture, where lives are formed and meaning defined by their inherent separateness.
Gansworth’s paintings complement the poems, using the metaphor of the cycle of moons identified in the traditional Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) culture’s calendar. These paintings of the different lunar phases serve to organize the poems around a common image, breaking them into sections through the use of an eclipse. Additionally, the relationships indigenous communities have had with the United States-from thriving to near extinction to eventual re- emergence-are symbolized in the progression of that eclipse across the moon.
Symbols common to the culture appear throughout the cycles: the Three Sisters (Corn, Beans, and Squash), Strawberries, and Green Corn, from the ceremonies named for them, and more consistently, wampum beads-within which Haudenosaunee culture is iconographically documented-appear in various incarnations, from the earliest shell groupings, through isolated shaped beads, small strings, and full- belt formations.”

Run to your nearest library or book store to read this remarkable collection by Eric Gansworth.

Visit Eric Gansworth’s website