| THE FORT ERIE TIMES FRI.DEC.9, 2011 Two nations will come together and the flames will fly high as part of the War of 1812 celebrations.Bonfires will be lit on both sides of the Niagara River in Fort Erie and Buffalo — each fire will be lit directly across from each site at the exact same moment tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. The fires will be lit at the Jarvis Street coal docks in Fort Erie and the Sqaw Island in Buffalo, beside the International Railway Bridge to celebrate 200 years of peace between the two borders. It will also commemorate the burnings that occurred in Niagara-on-the-Lake and several nearby Canadian communities which were destroyed by fire as a result of an American decision during one of the worse winters on record. To retaliate, both British and Canadian forces captured Fort Niagara in Lewiston, NY and set fire to every community on the US side of the Niagara River. |
The Second Lincoln Artillery 1812 Re-enactors and the Fort Erie 1812 Bicentennial Committee and their American counter-parts, the Historic Preservation Committee of the Black Rock and Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Alliance, along with the Grant-Amherst Business Association are co-hosting the event and it is the only bi-national coordinated event that will be held during the entire commemorative period.
The goal is for every community on both sides of the Niagara River to host their own bonfire by 2013 in a coordinated event, so the entire length of the Niagara River will be on fire. The war was an important milestone for Canadians to form their own nation and for Americans to confirm their independence from foreign rule. As the bicentennial period is about to begin, many communities around Canada and in the United States are preparing some form of commemoration for a famous battle site, an interesting building, a local hero, or some other special moment in time. |
Flames across Niagara to light up coal docks
