To start out our month of Niagara Falls postcards, I felt there would be no better option than this vintage piece from the Niagara Falls Festival of Lights.

The city of Niagara Falls, NY started off the Festival of Lights in 1980. That makes it older than the Canadian version, so yes, we are the original!

I grew up past the era of the Festival of Lights. My memories of it are from archive pictures, and the newer Hyde Park version. That’s probably why I was so shocked that it was “A Festival of Lights”, not “The Festival of Lights” as I had always heard growing up.

Of course, anybody that went to it in its heyday knows that it was the definitive Christmas festival. From the Convention Center to the Falls, downtown was a glimmering, animated wonder. Truly something to behold.

The Festival of Lights also brought this city together. When it left, piece of the city left with it.

That’s why everyone is excited that this year, there is a major push to have a city-wide festival of lights. We want to bring it back, and we want show our pride in our city.

If you would like to sign up to volunteer for this year’s Festival (work is already beginning), you can do so here.

Next week, we have a postcard from another high-point in the Urban Renewal era….