The sun is rising over Niagara College's teaching winery, where dozens of students are huddled among the vineyards, readying for their first harvest of the year: icewine grapes.
In the second half of 2025, development pressures, the Royal George Theatre rebuild and the Parliament Oak hotel project dominated the headlines in Niagara-on-the-Lake. But there also was plenty to celebrate.
The NOTL Icewine Village runs Jan. 17 to 18 and Jan. 24 to 25 on Queen Street. Admission is free, with opportunities to taste wine and enjoy culinary pairings with a variety of icewines.
From a town council perspective, Coun. Erwin Wiens called the announcement “super exciting” and praised the province for recognizing Niagara as a tourist destination, funding the Shaw Festival and exploring improvements to the Niagara District Airport.
The StopGap ramps have arrived in Niagara-on-the-Lake, marking, for some, a turning point in improving the accessibility of heritage district shops for people with mobility issues.
The Holiday House Tour has raised more than $1.5 million since it began, including $260,000 in ticket sales last year, with $230,000 going directly to charity.
A month before Christmas, a lost painting at Toronto Pearson Airport set off an unexpected chain of events involving technology, a well-known artist and a link to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The theatre was built long before modern municipal parking rules existed and was never required to provide general parking. As long as it remains a theatre, that zero-parking requirement is legally grandfathered under the Ontario Planning Act.
Stories of war, migration and peach orchards took centre stage as the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum launched its Mennonites of Niagara oral history project Saturday.
A boy from Niagara-on-the-Lake who later found himself in Kensington Palace returned home Saturday, now a man, to tell Willowbank guests how three remarkable women showed him the human stories hidden inside great jewels.
With the Royal George's not-yet-approved demolition scheduled for early next year, these models may soon serve as lasting reminders of the 110-year-old building's first life.
"Why is this production so satisfying? Irving Berlin's songs are pure genius. The orchestra sweeps and swirls us along. We unabashedly sing on request," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
"The proposed size, massing and form of the building, considered within the context of the surrounding buildings, completely dwarfs everything else in the heritage district," writes Brian Marshall.
