Tony Chisholm is president of the Friends of Fort George.

Tony Chisholm

Special to The Lake Report

The Friends of Fort George is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with Parks Canada to preserve, promote and protect the heritage of Niagara National Historic Sites.  T

hrough special events and the operation of a gift shop, the Friends of Fort George generate awareness and funds to support student summer employment opportunities at Fort George and Brock’s Monument.

The Friends of Fort George Gift Shop at the fort entrance contains a wonderful collection of heritage items, books, souvenirs and more. 

Through fundraising events, the Friends hire additional high school and university students for the summer to enhance the visitor experience at the fort. Last year, we provided money for an additional 16 students who worked on-site all summer. This has been a very tough year for all charities with so many fundraising events cancelled.

Currently the fort and the gift shop are open Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 4 p.m. These hours remain in effect till Jan. 6.

The Friends and Parks Canada are planning some interesting events in October.

GIFT SHOP: The gift store has put together some special Halloween craft bags that include crafts, a historic recipe, a ghost story and more for $20. Order: https://friendsoffortgeorge.square.site.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS: There will be a virtual commemoration of the Battle of Queenston Heights on Oct. 13. This is the 208th anniversary of the death of Maj.-Gen. Sir Isaac Brock and the Friends of Fort George will be sharing a few videos that help tell the story of the battle. Follow us on social media.

TOURS: Ghost Tours of the fort are back as of Oct. 16 till the 31st. Limited to nine guests, these are sure to be sold out. Masks are mandatory. Tickets are on sale now at https://friendsoffortgeorge.square.site.

HALLOWEEN: Bring the kids to the fort in costume on Oct. 31 for an afternoon of history and fun including musket demonstrations, a scavenger hunt and more. A special thanks to Hendrik’s Valu-mart for contributing candy for the event.