Sign Language

Sign outside church on Fitch Street in Welland, Ont. (Sign Language is a recurring feature on the blog. Photo by Joe Barkovich)

Final Regular Season Home Game Wednesday

Calling all fishheads! The Welland Jackfish are in the middle of a hunt for fourth place for postseason home field advantage. We are calling all fans to join us Wednesday, July 31st at the Pond to cheer on the boys towards the postseason. Remember a fourth place finish guarantees more Jackfish baseball at the Pond.

Wednesday is Country Night presented by Country 89.1 as Ryan Langdon performs in the concourse from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Also Wednesday is another $3 Beer Night, enjoy ice cold Molson products from 6:30 p.m. until the end of the third inning!

Season ticket holders can use their ticket from the Saturday, July 6th rained out game.

For tickets, call 905-736-1346

(Source: Welland Jackfish release)

Heritage Lives: Columnist-Turned-Sleuth Challenges Authenticity of Photo’s Date

Dismissed from Class circa 1909

Passenger Boat at Wainfleet Village and Swing Bridge circa 1840s

By Terry Hughes

Two photos that came from last year’s calendar published by the Wainfleet Historical Society deserve attention. Both show the Feeder Canal crossing in Wainfleet. One dated 1909 shows the channel at the end of its career while the other is dated in the 1840’s. What is evident when closely viewed is that these photos were shot at the same time and by the same photographer!

First let’s look at the dates. Photography first was invented and developed in Europe in the 1850’s and did not become a process that was used here until sometime later. The Civil War was the event where photography was extensively used in North America. By the late 1800’s many localities were looking for postcards that highlighted their communities. The photo dated in the 1840’s, therefore, is incorrect.

Another clue shows up in the background in the form of hydro-electric poles. Electricity did not come to rural communities until after the turn of the 20th century. Notice that these power or possibly telephone lines appear in both photographs complete with a transformer on the post nearest the bridge.

Now, let’s examine the people and children in both pictures. In the 1909 photo notice that some of the children are wearing white aprons and light coloured clothing. A magnifying glass shows these children in the 1840 photo and the head gear worn by the taller individuals on the centre of the span. The photographer simply moved his camera to the east of the bridge and captured the vessel docked nearby.

The vessel shown was the government cutter that shows up in a number of postcards on the canal. The literature on the Feeder Canal shows that among other stories mentioned here in the calendar, visitation to canal communities was common. One incident mentions how the two Anglican churches in Port Robinson and Wainfleet took turns hosting a picnic at their respective parishes. Could these people standing on the bridge be preparing to board the cutter for an adventure?

(Terry Hughes is a Wellander who is passionate about heritage, history and model railroading. His opinion column, Heritage Lives, appears on the blog once or twice monthly.)

Next column: Heading Off To School In Another Time And Place

Welland Major Peewee Mustangs Win Peewee Tournament Championship

Front, William Wales; first row, left to right: Liam Seguin (bat boy), Mason Saxton, Roland Wearing, Kaleb Seguin; middle row, left to right: Riley Coles, Evan Deri, Keagon Slade; back row, left to right: Norm Bergeron (coach), Dave Brown (coach), Zachary Robichaud, Trent Bruzzese (coach), Spencer Brown, Steve DesRoches (coach), Jaxson Bruzzese, Colby DesRoches. Photo Credit: Pierre Seguin.

The Welland Major Peewee Mustangs were the hosts with the most this weekend, running the table to win the Welland Minor Baseball Association (WMBA) Peewee Major Rep Tournament July 26-28.
Wins against their regional rivals from St. Catharines bookended the weekend for the Major Peewee Mustangs, who opened the tournament Friday afternoon with a 5-1 win over the St. Catharines Cobras. On Saturday, the Major Peewee Mustangs posted convincing wins over two Toronto teams, including Annette (21-4) and Royal York (17-4). A 9-0 win over East York in the semi final Sunday morning put the Mustangs in the championship game in a rematch against the Cobras. The final was the tightest game of the weekend for the Mustangs, who found themselves down by four runs early, before battling back to edge the Cobras 10-8.
The Welland Minor Peewee Mustangs also had a strong showing in the tournament, advancing to the semi finals before falling to St. Catharines 9-3.
The win marks the first tournament championship of the season for the Major Peewee Mustangs, who were semi finalists in the Pelham tournament, and finalists in tournaments in Waterloo and Simcoe. The Major Peewee Mustangs will compete in the CNE Tournament starting August 20, before defending their 2018 OBA Provincial Championship on their home diamond in Welland Aug. 30 – Sept. 1.
The Major Peewee Mustangs include Jaxson Bruzzese, Spencer Brown, Riley Coles, Evan Deri, Colby DesRoches, Zachary Robichaud, Mason Saxton, Kaleb Seguin, Keagon Slade, William Wales and Roland Wearing. Coaches include Steve DesRoches, Trent Bruzzese, Norm Bergeron and Dave Brown.
Full tournament results are available online at http://www.wellandminorbaseball.ca/tournament/554/games.

(Source: News release)

Jackfish Release Postseason Information

WELLAND – The Welland Jackfish announced today that individual game tickets for the 2019 playoff games will go on sale on Friday, August 2 at 10:00 a.m. Tickets can be purchased online at WellandJackfish.com under “Playoff Tickets”, in-person at the box office or over-the-phone by calling 905-736-1346.
The Jackfish first postseason home date is scheduled for Thursday, August 8th at 7:30 p.m.
Season ticket holders can redeem their same seats until Monday, August 5th at 12:00 p.m. before they open to the public.
An opponent will be determined following the end of the regular season. Additional 2019 playoff tickets for other game dates will become available as soon as they are scheduled.
Advanced sale single game ticket pricing ranges from $7 to $8. Day of game ticket pricing will be an additional $2 per ticket.
For questions on purchasing single-game playoff tickets, fans can email info@wellandjackfish.com or call 905-736-1346.

(Source: Welland Jackfish)

Welland High Reunion Beckons Tigers

Volunteer Fran Hardy tends the Welland High Reunion booth at Welland market Saturday morning. More than 600 tickets have already been sold, and tickets must be purchased in advance as none will be sold at the door. The Aug. 10 event includes a teacher/staff meet and greet in the afternoon and buffet dinner with live entertainment in the evening. (Photos by Joe Barkovich)

Epic Concert

Eagles tribute band, Epic Eagles, wowed the crowd at Friday evening’s Concert on the Canal in Merritt Park, Welland. The Port Colborne-based band performed on the floating stage before a packed amphitheatre, with several hundred other spectators on lawn chairs and blankets on the west side. This shot, from the west side of the canal, shows the band and a portion of the audience. Hotel California and several other pieces, garnered loud ovations and choruses of whistles from the appreciative audience. (Photo by Joe Barkovich)

Canal Bank Street Re-Opened To The Public

WELLAND – The City of Welland has re-opened the temporary road closure on Canal Bank Street, between Sixth and Seventh Streets. The closure was due to a vehicular accident which left the Canal Bank Rail Bridge with potential structural damage.

The closure was issued at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 17, 2019, and was in effect until 1:30 p.m. while CN Rail conducted a full investigation. CN Rail deemed the Canal Rail Bridge safe and commenced train traffic. Canal Bank Street is now open and safe for public usage.

For more information on City of Welland road closures, visit welland.ca.

(Source: City of Welland news release)

Canal Bank Street Road Closure Due To Structural Damage Of Rail Bridge

WELLAND – The City of Welland initiated a temporary road closure this morning on Canal Bank Street, between Sixth and Seventh Streets. The closure was due to a vehicular accident which left the Canal Bank Rail Bridge with structural damage. Welland Fire and Emergency Services are happy to report that the accident did not cause any human injuries; however, damage to the Canal Bank Rail Bridge is awaiting a review from CN Rail.

City staff are currently working with CN Rail to assess the situation, estimate the damage, and address any safety issues.

“We’re meeting with the appropriate people to discuss a plan of action this afternoon,” said Deputy Fire Chief Adam Eckhart. “Public safety is first and foremost to the department and city staff.”

CN Rail is aware of the incident and has made adjustments to any schedules that include the Canal Bank Rail Bridge. The bridge is now out of service, and absolutely no trains will cross over the Canal Bank Rail Bridge until it is safe to do so. The City of Welland is creating road detours that will redirect traffic to the quickest and easiest alternate route. More information will be made available on the city’s website after CN Rail, Welland Fire and Emergency Services, and the City’s Engineering Department review the damage and create a plan of action.

For more information on City of Welland road closures, visit welland.ca

(Source: City of Welland news release)

Chris Rao New Head Coach Of Niagara Knights Women’s Basketball

Chris Rao, like father, like son: “I’m extremely proud of my Dad and what he has done with the Brock women’s basketball program and we will continue to support each other as we have all along.”

WELLAND – Niagara College Athletics and Recreation is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Rao as the Knights Women’s basketball head coach.

Rao takes over for former head coach Mike Beccaria, who retired after the 2018-2019 season.

Rao is a born and raised Wellander, attending Notre Dame College School before heading to the east coast to Cape Breton University. While working towards his degree in education, Rao became an assistant coach with the Cape Breton University Capers from 2014-2017. From there, he moved to Acadia University as an assistant coach with the men’s program for one season before returning to his alma mater in 2018-19 as lead assistant coach for the Capers.

Rao has also been involved in the provincial sport realm coaching with Basketball Nova Scotia. Since 2017 he has been an assistant with both the under-14 and under-17 boys programs, and is currently at the helm of the boys 15 and under program.

Although Rao’s resume weighs heavily on the men’s game, he’s confident the transition to the female game will be a good one.

“Coaching is coaching. At the end of the day, it’s about connecting and working with individuals” he says. “If you’re able to do that, success and positive culture will follow.”

The name Rao may strike a chord of familiarity with those in the Niagara region basketball scene. Brock University’s women’s basketball program recently inked a three-year deal with Rao’s father, Mike. With the father-son duo reunited in the Niagara region, Rao is hoping collaborate with the elder Rao to provide the best experience for both Brock and Niagara student-athletes.

“Being back home and near family is obviously very exciting” says Rao. “I’m extremely proud of my Dad and what he has done with the Brock women’s basketball program and we will continue to support each other as we have all along.”

The Knights will begin their quest for an Ontario Colleges Athletic Conference Championship under Rao on November 1st at home against Sheridan.

Rao will officially begin August 15th, with women’s basketball tryouts and training camp set to begin September 9th. Full training camp schedule.

For full 2019-2020 women’s basketball schedule, please visit goknights.ca

(Source: Niagara College news release)