When I first read this I thought this sounds really cool. Then a little bit later I wondered how long it will stay open or if it ever will. I'm not from "the falls" so I don't know all the goings on up there. But every so often there is news of this great idea and for some reason they never happen. There was a water park that went out of Business so don't even get me started, how did that happen. I hope it works out and gets lots of people and stays open for years and gets other things in the falls so that NF USA is more like the Canada side, but different and still with that nice park.

Updated: 05/29/09 07:41 AM
Snow gets extended run
New Falls attraction to offer visitors taste of winter year-round
By Denise Jewell Gee
NEWS NIAGARA REPORTER


After failing to make money by redeveloping the Wintergarden, Joseph Anderson is giving winter in Niagara Falls another try.

Anderson, the Tuscarora cigarette and gasoline magnate, is building a 49-foot snow tubing hill on Main Street in the Falls. Scheduled to open next month, it would operate year-round. The city's newest attraction also includes a regulation-sized synthetic skating rink that requires no refrigeration.

Both are designed to capitalize on the region's chilly reputation, serve warm-and cold-weather visitors and do something scores of developers and entrepreneurs have been unable to accomplish: keep tourists on this side of the border for more than a few hours.

"That's the first new attraction here in a while that is family oriented," said Steven Fleck, co-owner of the Howard Johnson Closest to the Falls, across the street from the snow park. "Of course, you've got the Maid of the Mist and the Cave of the Winds and all that, but once people see the falls, there's really not a whole lot to keep them down in this end of the city."

The snow park has been under construction on a vacant parcel two blocks from the Rainbow Bridge since late last year, after Anderson's teenage son came up with the idea to build a snow tubing hill on land Anderson already held in the Falls.

Anderson, the entrepreneur behind the Smokin Joe's gasoline and cigarette chain, as well as the failed Smokin Joe's Family Fun Center in the Wintergarden, hired Snow Magic, a New Jersey company, to help develop a snow-covered tubing hill.

The company has built similar hills in Saudi Arabia and Japan.

"The beauty is, we can always make the snow regardless of the temperature," said Al Bronander, president of Snow Magic.

Unlike traditional snow-making machines-which rely on at-or below-freezing temperatures to produce artificial snow - Snow Magic's units freeze water into thin sheets of ice inside the machines before pulverizing the ice and shooting it out as small flakes.

The result is tiny crystals of ice - about 0.3 millimeters in diameter-that are about three times the size of artificial snow typically made at ski resorts.

Bronander said the company's artificial snow can be groomed like other snow and can be used for snowboarding but is not as fine as snow that is used at ski resorts.

"As the sun heats it up and it warms it up, it becomes a little bit more granular, just like anywhere," Bronander said. "For snow tubing, snow play, it's fantastic."

The hill will operate in all but extremely hot weather - if temperatures peak at more than 100 degrees for several days - or in extremely heavy rain or thunderstorms, said Jennifer Pauly, marketing coordinator for Smokin Joe's Trading Post and Snow Park Niagara Falls.

The synthetic skating rink is made of a polymer material produced by Super-Glide of Clearwater, Fla. The rink includes penalty boxes and a scoreboard.

Snow Park Niagara Falls is scheduled to open to the public June 15. Tickets will be $30 for two hours on the tubing hill and unlimited access to the snow play area and rink.

The tubing hill - which has removable lanes for tubes - will host the Red Bull Buttercup snowboarding event July 9, Pauly said.

Fleck and other hotel owners hope the snow park will give visitors a reason to stay in Niagara Falls longer.

Three attractions - a tethered helium balloon ride, the Niagara Aerospace Museum and Anderson's Smokin Joe's Family Fun Center - all closed in downtown Niagara Falls before last year's tourist season. The snow park is the first new attraction to open since then.

Anderson has had mixed success in Niagara Falls development deals. He owns two hotels and controls more than 20 properties in the downtown commercial area. In 2005, he opened a children's playground and arcade in the former Wintergarden building but closed it three years later.

He recently sold the Wintergarden to the state, which plans to raze the structure to create a roadway between Niagara Falls State Park and the Seneca Niagara Casino.

A no-bid concession license Anderson struck with the city in 2004 for an outdoor pedestrian mall was largely considered a failure.

Anderson pleaded guilty in November to a federal charge of devising a scheme to deprive citizens of "the intangible right of the honest services of a public official" in connection with a series of loans totaling $40,000 to former Mayor Vince Anello. Anderson has yet to be sentenced.

Despite all of that, city officials and tourism leaders say they believe the snow park will be a success.

The project, which received a 10-year tax break through the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency, was estimated to cost $5.2 million, according to information given to the agency.

Aside from the tax break, the project is privately funded by Anderson.

"We're just excited that there's anything going on, to tell you the truth," Fleck said. "And it's good to see someone with their own money coming in."

djgee@buffnews.com

So last night I watched two episodes of this new Tattoo show, on A&E . Some of you who like reality shows, Tattoos, or maybe even have them may know that A&E had a show on Called Inked. Well that was about a Tattoo shop in the palms and that show was pretty good. One of the guys from that shop, Thomas is the star of this show. He has a bus and it has a Tattoo shop in it and he goes along and gives Tattoos. Not all of them are on the bus. So far I think it is a pretty good show. On the website they have some videos of stuff I haven't seen on the show yet. Here are some pictures that I found online.















The Tattoo shop

So (e:Paul) just Put up a blog about the Holiday together. I think he did a good job talking about it. I don't know how to describe it other then it was a good time and it was nice to see (e:leetee) (lee) and (e:uncutsaniflush) (walt) it has been some time. Sorry I don't know enough about music to answer all your questions. That being said I did look at my pictures and one of the time differences between bands was about 14 minutes. I don't' know one was at the end and the next was at the beginning of the set but the change overs where pretty quick. (e:tinypliny) was fun as all ways (when she leaves her axe at home that is, HA). Of course it was nice to see (e:southernyanke) again. Well here are the pictures:







































Two things I should ad before I forget.
1) No Photos where posed for they are candid shots
2) Backyards are often shady, I would have no idea how to take a picture with out shadows so hopefully they all look ok

























































































































Well I think that is all of them. I think (e:tinypliny) took a couple pictures in there, I think there are two pictures that face the wrong way that I forgot about. It was nice to see everyone who was there and it was a really nice time. I would like to thank (e:PMT) for having that and for their hospitality.

First of all I need to post some pictures of Moe's for (e:ladycroft). I don't know if this is the same Moe's that you know about but hopefully these pictures might help.

If there is anyone who is reading this and didn't see my previous post you might want to check out those pictures as well.
















Around the time of the Bisons game I took some pictures of Buffalo here are some of them, don't worry no baseball pictures.





































Hey I had to include some Buster Bison shots.

So some time back I read some article about how the people who control elmwood, sorry forget what they are called. Decided they wanted to make some new rules about what can and can't be built and signs and stuff. That got me thinking about how many places on Elmwood use Canopies . Well a lot of places do. But for my little informal study I was wondering how many places used them as there sign. But before I could take Pictures I had to decide what "The strip" was. I decided that it was from forest to Allen. That being said there are two bonus pictures. We never close I decided to include because even though the sign is metal and attached it looks like a canopy. I also took a picture of Pano's since I don't have a picture of it all New. Besides that if Pano didn't let the house fall apart and then tear it down and protests erupted I don't know as Elmwood Village Asocation might not have voted on new places with signs. I thought the ruling was that no new places can have a canopy as there sign. You will see some great examples of how they are used and some bad examples and maybe some just bad pictures as well.



































































































I do have two other photo projects I do want to do but the third one I don't know what the best way to go about it is or even If I can. I would like to take pictures of people walking dogs and doing other things. It is tough to catch the essence and unlike buildings people move. I'm wondering if maybe there is someplace to hang out or sit and get pictures. The Next photo project I want to do is taking pictures of Places that have regular signs. Yes some places like Neo and Town have more then one kind of sign for their name so would I repeat? Not sure. But this last one I just did wasn't really political I don't really have a side I'm on. Then again Pride is soon and I want to take pictures of the March and I have an interesting Idea that I hope works.

On Thursday Before the Bisons game I did take some Pictures of the AUD. So if you don't care about random Pictures of the AUD this would be a good time to leave.










































I hope everyone Has or Had a great Holiday Weekend. Tough to believe it is back to work on Tuesday but for a lot of people they work today or have to work weekends, hey it is great to BBQ but if no one worked where would people buy all the stuff?

Well Saturday was a fun day. I started out by going to see the newest Terminator movie. My take on it is this If that is the type of movie you like you will really enjoy it like I did. I also saw a couple previews for some movies that look pretty good there is a Sherlock Holmes movie that looks great and a movie I think called 9 it is a Tim Burton movie.

After the movie I got off the Bus at Forest I started my Photo Project. Hey it was a nice day for a nice walk. Yes there where people out but not as many as I thought would be out. There was this really cute/sexy lady walking two dogs, not really a fan of dogs but her little killers looked cute. Plus there where some people out looking like they where sunbathing. Oh yeah my photo project is that I wanted to take pictures of places that use Awnings as there sign. Yes there are lots of places that have them but I only wanted ones that used them with information on them. It was a good time and hopefully after the holiday weekend some pictures will get posted.

From the end of "The Strip" I walked down to the Town Ballroom and waited in line to get tickets for As Summer Dies and Mushroomhead. It turned out to be a pretty good show. I had no idea there would be that many bands. There is no way to even remember them all and some of them I wouldn't be able to remember. But it was a great time. Well unless of course you are my camera trying to figure out the lighting. Oh yeah or unless you are my right ear that got smashed by sound from about 4pm to 1am.