Wagner Building 1921

The Wagner Building 4/15/1921 - Purina Feed
(20th and Pine?) This photo must've been taken hours before it collapsed!

Main Street - Then & Now

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Looking south down Main Street From Ontario May 26th, 1904


And now, 104 years later...


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Silberbergs on Main Street

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Silberbergs on Main Street after fire at Grant's Store (far left) 10:45am, February 17, 1936

Click here for a Bob Kostoff's article from the Niagara Falls Reporter.

Fireworks Over the Falls

(photo by Neil Gates)

Great night photo of downtown Niagara Falls from a higher elevation. Thanks to contributor Neil Gates for the snapshot.

Here Comes the Sun

(photo by Ian W.)

This photo (taken for iWitnessNiagara by on-the-scene photographer Ian W.), proves the theory that behind the dark rain clouds that have been haunting the Niagara region this entire Summer, there actually is a sun. Just about to peek out... and hopefully stay awhile. There is still a month of Summer! As much as I want football games and football weather, I can be patient and enjoy what little warmth we can get around here every year.

The above image makes a great desktop background. Just click on the above image, once displayed (large) - right click on it, then choose "save as background."

Kathy Griffin: Hilarious D-Lister

Best known For her role on the NBC sitcom "Suddenly Susan, " Kathy Griffin has also appeared in over 25 films and 40 television shows including her own stand-up comedy specials on HBO and the Emmy award-winning TV show on the Bravo Channel, "Kathy Griffin: My life on the D-List." Kathy performed Saturday night in the Events Center at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel.

Evident in her introduction video (which was shown on the giant side-screens next to the stage before Kathy took the mic), Kathy has been seen in A LOT of television and movie roles over the last twenty years... most of them being one or two sentence cameos (Pulp Fiction anyone?). Although her celebrity status is of the self proclaimed D-List variety, her stage act Saturday night was a very funny A+.

I have to admit that I have never been much of a "Life on the D-List" fan, but after listening to Kathy rant about her celebrity "friends" (celebrity targets) and offer her take on her semi/quasi-celebrity culture, I will be giving the Bravo show another look. She isn't afraid to give the dish about the fake appearances of Hollywood, so-called friends, sex and drugs, and is in no way afraid of inserting an F-Bomb in every other sentence - my kinda gal!

For an hour and half, Kathy dished the dirt on everybody from Pamela Anderson to Oprah (and everybody within that spectrum of celebrity), only pausing long enough to have a sip of water, then moving quickly on to the next spoonful of celebrity gossip. Her performance was like reading an issue of Entertainment Weekly with a little bit of grit and grime smeared in for good measure. I am sure along her ladder climb up the fame scale, she has burned a lot of bridges and has pissed off more than her fair share of those who reside in Hollywood, but after listening to Kathy's take, it sounds like they all deserve it!

The show on Saturday night was sold out, and Kathy was very proud to exclaim while flipping off the crowd, "SOLD OUT F#$&ERS! TAKE THAT RYAN SEACREST!" to the cheers of an audience filled with screaming fans. It looks like life on the D-List ain't so bad after all.

Check out Kathy's website at: http://www.kathygriffin.net/

Be sure to visit http://www.senecaniagaracasino.com/seneca-events-center.cfm for more details on upcoming shows and attractions at the Seneca Niagara Events Center.

One Man, Many Voices - Frank Caliendo

Frank Caliendo Performed Friday Night
(8/1) at the Seneca Niagara Events Center

Eighty years ago, versatile actor Lon Chaney was known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces" - it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for comedian/impressionist Frank Caliendo to adapt that moniker for his own stage act and call himself "The Man of a Thousand Voices." Now, a thousand voices might be a bit of an exaggeration, but in the time Frank spent on stage Friday night at the Seneca Niagara Events Center, he defintely made it seem possible that if he had another couple of hours to spend talking to the crowd, we might've heard that many... or more.

Known mostly for his uncanny impression of NFL broadcaster John Madden, Frank is the writer, actor and star of his own show on TBS called FrankTV. He was also a cast member of MadTV, appears regularly on the Fox NFL pregame shows, and makes the rounds on several late-night talk shows.

In the hour and a half he was on stage, Frank was a whirlwind of different characters, barely stopping to catch his breath before moving on to the next voice in his arsenal with rapid fire succession. Frank, the man himself, disappeared after the first few minutes of his act and basically left the stand-up routine to his act's mainstay - George W. Bush. Every chance he had, and with every change of thought, there was the "W" spitting out nonsense words like "talkified" and "pronouncification." His impression of the President is perfect and served as his go-to joke whenever he needed to segway into the next bit. Frank made the transitions effortless, bouncing like Cybil from one persona to the next. The crowd loved it.

Here is the complete list of every impression Frank did on stage Friday night in order:
George W. Bush
Bill Clinton
Charles Barkley
Bill Walton
Jay Leno
Dr. Phil
Al Gore
Jeff Goldblum
Adam Sandler
Nathan Lane
Robin Williams
Dr.Evil
Dick Cheney
Al Pacino
Yoda
Michael Richards
Jerry Seinfeld
Andy Rooney
John Madden
Kermit the Frog
Miss Piggy
Shaggy
Scooby
Chris Rock
Casey Kasem
Ted Knight
Jim Rome
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Mike Tyson
Sean Connery
Robert DeNiro
Keanu Reeves
Rick Moranis
Terry Bradshaw
David Letterman
Paul Schaffer
Marv Albert
Donald Trump
Chris Farley
Paulie Shore

Frank Caliendo is one of the "everyman" type comedians, and although some of his punchlines and impressions might need a little tweaking (they all can't be dead-on!), his "aww shucks" personality makes it hard for anyone to criticize his stage act. He looks like your brother-in-law and doesn't take his rising popularity too seriously at all. What other headliner makes himself available to every single fan for pictures and autographs after the show?

Check out Frank's website http://www.frankcaliendo.com/ which includes his tour dates, videos, merchandise and blog.

Be sure to visit http://www.senecaniagaracasino.com/seneca-events-center.cfm for more details on upcoming shows and attractions at the Seneca Niagara Events Center.