By Mark Scheer
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
The City of Niagara Falls is putting the finishing touches on a new marketing video.
City Administrator Donna Owens told council members last week that she and communications director Kevin Ormsby recently provided assistance to staffers from a Rochester-based communications company as they toured the city looking for points of interest to include in a new promotional video they are creating for Niagara Falls, USA.
Owens said the company, CGI Communications, expects to have the video package completed by the end of the year. Once it is ready to be aired, Owens said the finished product will be made available to the public at the city’s Web site. She said the company has done similar work on promotional videos in other municipalities and is providing its services on this project at no charge to the City of Niagara Falls.
“We looked at all the different things and aspects and wonderments of our city and shared that,” Owens said. “It should come out by the end of the year in a video that will be placed online. Then, anybody can go online and look at it on our webpage and see all the quality things that makes Niagara Falls Niagara Falls.”
Worst ... basketball ... game ... ever
During last week’s city council meeting, Highland Avenue resident and Niagara Gazette contributor Ken Hamilton thanked lawmakers for their support of a plan to build new basketball courts off 11th Street behind Harry F. Abate elementary school.
During his address to the council, Hamilton said that as a younger man he really enjoyed the game of basketball, but admitted that he’s lost nearly all of his moves over the years.
Local historian Paul Gromosiak told Hamilton he shouldn’t feel so bad because, even as a child, Gromosiak couldn’t so much as shoot a free throw.
“I couldn't do anything — dribble, shoot. Forget it,” he said.
Hamilton offered to take Gromosiak out on the new courts to show him a few moves as part of a little game of one-on-one.
A second or two later, Hamilton admitted that probably wasn't such a good idea.
“A game between you and I would be like the world soccer cup — at the end of about three hours it would be 1-0,” Hamilton quipped.
All star reference
Speaking of sporting events, Niagara Falls got a little free publicity during last week’s broadcast of the Major League Baseball All-Star game.
Announcer Joe Buck referenced the city a couple of times when talking about Toronto Blue Jays catcher John Buck who was named to the American League team as a last-minute injury replacement.
It seems the Blue Jays catcher had different plans for the All-Star weekend.
He originally planned to take his family on a trip to see Niagara Falls and admitted to having to break the news to his wife that they’d be going to the All-Star game in Los Angeles instead.
The thought occurred to me that there might be a marketing opportunity here for Niagara Falls.
Maybe John Buck and his family would still be interested in taking that trip to our area after the season ends.
Couldn’t hurt to ask, could it?
