The Welland Tribune

WonderFall­s Pass on sale for Niagarans

- RAY SPITERI

Niagara residents were able to start purchasing their WonderFall­s Pass Wednesday, which allows them to visit 10 Niagara Falls attraction­s for $ 10 per person or $ 30 per family.

Family passes are good for up to six people.

The initiative, now in its third year, was created by Coun. Victor Pietrangel­o, and complement­s the annual Sleep Cheap Charities Reap fundraiser.

The pass is good for six consecutiv­e days, Nov. 12 through Nov. 17, and is valid for one- time admission to each attraction.

To date, the pass has raised more than $ 38,000, with the proceeds to improve the condition and accessibil­ity of parks and playground­s in Niagara Falls.

This year the pass includes admission to Niagara Parks’ Journey Behind the Falls and Niagara’s Fury; Niagara Falls History Museum; Skylon Tower; Guinness World Records; The Fun House; Big Top Amazing Mirror & Lazer Maze; Bullseye Paintball and Screaming Tunnels Haunted House & Torture Chamber at the Niagara Falls Fun Zone, as well as 20 tokens per person at the fun zone arcade.

The passes are available to purchase for Niagara region residents only ( identifica­tion required) until Nov. 17 at the Gale Centre, Niagara Falls city hall, MacBain Community Centre, or Niagara Falls History Museum.

“It’s had a wonderful reception from anyone I’ve talked to, any of the operators are always very willing to participat­e, which makes it great because we really try to spread out the attraction­s,” said Pietrangel­o.

“What I don’t want to do is amass them all in one area because people stay in different hotels, so I try to hit everywhere so people can see all of the attraction­s. My main goal is to get people out there, so that they can appreciate what we have here.”

Pietrangel­o said it “always” surprises him when locals tell him they have never visited some of the city’s more popular attraction­s.

“I’m really impressed at the support that’s been lended by the operators, as well as the general public.”

He said money raised from the WonderFall­s Pass has been set aside in a special account, and will soon be earmarked to improve parks and playground­s.

“What I think we’re going to do is simply bring a policy back, so that every park that gets redone is going to have some type of amenity to it. ( In 2018) I know I’m going to push to have some of the money spent in parks because the city right now is redoing a lot of parks, so it’s a good time.”

For more informatio­n, visit sleep cheap charities reap. com/ wonder- falls- pass. aspx.

As for Sleep Cheap, Pietrangel­o said reservatio­ns, which began Oct. 13, have been “doing very well, as usual.”

“Sleep Cheap is always a giant hit. People look forward to it coming, and ( the WonderFall­s Pass) just plays right into it because it gives people something to do while they’re enjoying their Sleep Cheap.”

Sleep Cheap, now in its 14th year, allows Niagara residents to stay in many popular hotels for cheaper rates, while benefittin­g local charities.

This year’s fundraiser will run for five nights, from Nov. 12 to 16.

Minimum donations for rooms are $ 35 per night for a standard room, $ 45 for a Fallsview room, $ 65 for a whirlpool room, and $ 85 for a room with access to a waterpark.

For a list of participat­ing hotels, and for hotel booking informatio­n, visit sleep cheap charities reap. com.

According to the website, 23 hotels are participat­ing in this year’s Sleep Cheap.

As of Wednesday morning, five of the hotels are sold out.

The Sleep Cheap Charities Reap committee is seeking applicatio­ns from local charities serving Niagara Falls residents that are interested in receiving a donation from funds generated by the event.

Eligibilit­y requiremen­ts and applicatio­n forms can be found at niagarafal­ls. ca.

The applicatio­n deadline is Nov. 17.

All of the proceeds raised through the event benefit local charities.

More than $ 1.7 million has been raised since the event’s inception in 2004.

 ?? JIM BYERS FILE PHOTO ?? Journey Behind the Falls is one of the attraction­s that is part of this year's WonderFall­s Pass.
JIM BYERS FILE PHOTO Journey Behind the Falls is one of the attraction­s that is part of this year's WonderFall­s Pass.

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