I feel like some champagne, er, sparkling wine after ushering this edition out the door. That is the thought that runs through my mind as I scan the menu of editorial content in this Christmas edition.
‘Tis the season for shopping and readers will get a host of ideas browsing through our pages. We offer a fully stocked Shopping Bag feature with a bunch of bonus pages of interesting items from across Niagara, super hot fashions from Hibizcus Boutique in Niagara Falls, food and drink ideas for the party hosts in the crowd and even those looking to pick up a gift for the four-legged friends in their lives will find gift ideas.
For those who want a little different look at what goes on at this time of year, say, 200 years ago, you may find a hypothetical dinner at the home of one John McFarland in Newark (which is now Niagara-on-the-Lake) to be of interest. On the guest list to discuss the affairs of the day on the eve of the War of 1812 were Maj. Gen Isaac Brock; Peter Porter, a man who would become U.S. Secretary of War; Joseph Willcocks, a newspaper publisher and member of the Legislative Assembly who would later commit treason against the Crown; Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, the first doctor in Buffalo and leader of 50 mounted marauders, and; John Bearfoot, a noted Iroquois chief who was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and led his men into the fray at the Battle of Queenston Heights. The dinner never happened, but the facts and information were meticulously researched over several weeks, so you may find it educational and, hopefully, enjoyable reading. The opinions of facts surrounding their comments are all accurate. For that, I must thank Niagara Parks historian Jim Hill for his fact-checking on my work. The man is a walking encyclopedia of information and a resource for our region all on his own.
And that just scratches the surface. We've got the jazz scene covered, personality profiles, literature, Niagara events, holiday fiscal management (a fancy way of saying managing Christmas-created debt) and lots more.
As I said in the previous edition, we would update the progress of the quartet involved in the Changing Gears venture to better health. To date things have gone very well, at times, for me. On occasion, I must say, a cheeseburger gets the best of me, but we are on a long road and still travelling along, so we expect a bump her here and there.
Keep the feedback rolling in. We can never get enough of that, both good and bad. If you like something, let me know. If you want to see a topic covered, let me know that as well.
Happy Shopping