Barbara Worthy Special to The Lake Report While February can sometimes be the coldest month of the year, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum is offering the warmest of welcomes with "Free February" – no admission the entire month for all Niagara residents. This is the perfect opportunity to experience not only the beautiful heritage building at 43 Castlereagh St., but also to learn about Niagara’s unique history.  Check out the current exhibit "All Along the Waterfront," which highlights the massive noisy, smelly and lucrative industries that dominated this town for more than 150 years. Or find some hidden gems of local lore, Indigenous artifacts that...

Height, character and traffic are among residents' concerns   Residents of a Niagara-on-the-Lake neighbourhood say they are alarmed to see a development proposal being reconsidered after it was last rejected by town council in 2016. The owners of the lots at 223 and 227 Mary St. have submitted an application to rezone the properties and allow for a 41-unit, 18-metre tall apartment building. Residents are worried about increased traffic, environmental impact and changes to the existing character of the neighbourhood.  “This is an enormous building for such a small piece of land and it will indeed tower over absolutely everything,” said Alan Gordon, a...

Sparkling, ice and everything nice. Friday night's Sparkle & Ice Gala at the old Court House in Niagara-on-the-Lake kicked off the Icewine Festival in true NOTL fashion – some good food, delicious wine, dancing and fireworks. After two years of pandemic restrictions, the Icewine Festival has returned for two weekends in January to celebrate all things icewine. The party continues this weekend. “It’s our first time in the old Court House and it’s an absolutely beautiful building to come to,” said Peter Chapman, who was at the gala with Raelene Stockmans from London, Ont. In two separate rooms, tables were stacked with a variety...