Military museum fires up new year’s levee
The new year is already a week old, but it begins for many people in Niagara Falls with the annual levee at the Niagara Military Museum.
Without an official city levee, it is the only such event to kick off the year. Sunday’s ceremony, held at the historic former armoury on Victoria Avenue, included cannon fire, salutes to the Queen and country, and speeches on the value of being Canadian.
But as always, the main function was to re-affirm an oath to the sovereign, said Lt. Col. Bernard Nehring, past commanding officer of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
Nehring was an officer at the armoury for many past levees, until the tradition came to an end in 1999, when the building was decommissioned by the federal government and put up for sale. The original asking price was $360,000, until it was discovered the building contained asbestos and the price came down to $2. Wayne Thomson, the city’s mayor at the time, memorably pulled out a toonie at a council meeting and purchased it on behalf of the city.
The building was saved through the efforts of volunteers, and now contains the Niagara Military Museum. With the armoury’s demise averted, the building again started hosting a new year’s levee in 2016.
Mayor Jim Diodati praised Thomson for his efforts saving the building during his remarks, saying it would have been a “travesty” losing such a historic Niagara Falls landmark.
In addition to toasts to the Queen, Canada, the U.S. president, the Canadian Armed Forces and fallen comrades, the levee was a chance for Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates to praise the Niagara Falls spirit during the recent cold spell. He recently visited some of the city’s warming centres to see an abundance of food and blankets.
“We help those who need help, that’s why we’re the country we are,” he said. “We started 2018 showing the best of Canada. The best of Niagara Falls.”
The levee is not held Jan. 1 in order to avoid conflict with the area’s official military levee on New Year’s Day in St. Catharines.