An evening with the captain will raise money for Parks Canada summer students

An inaugural event about the War of 1812 and its naval history will also help local students make sure their ship is sailing in the right direction as they look for employment during the summer months.  

On Jan. 20, Friends of Fort George will host an inaugural fundraiser to  raise money to fill and potentially increase the number of youth summer staff positions at Fort George, one of Niagara’s best-known sites tied to the War of 1812.  

The Naval Dinner will feature Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa as the evening’s “captain,” leading a program that will centre on the off-land action that took place on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie.  

Parks Canada will be bringing artifacts and sharing information about the activity that took place on Niagara waters.  

“Some of these exhibits have not been out in the public before,” said Zalepa, noting his office is delighted to be involved with the event as an effort to raise money for local student employment positions, ones that could lead to extensive careers with Parks Canada.  

Summer student positions are funded solely by the work of Friends of Fort George, who is the lead on the upcoming dinner at Navy Hall.  

While Zalepa is also an avid sailor in his free time, he’s also interested in the naval history of Niagara, he said, adding that ‘Lord of the Lake’ authored by Robert Malcomson is possibly the most informative read available about how the war was fought on Lake Ontario.  

“it’s a pretty unknown feeder of action,” he said, adding that everybody “always seems to focus on the ground campaign of 1812” when discussing the war.  

Zalepa has sailed recreationally for about 20 years and his family is involved with Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club, an organization that also pays great attention to supporting youth.  

The work of Friends of Fort George to help young people get involved with Parks Canada is “vital for setting up and creating future leaders,” he said.  

Friends of Fort George executive director Amanda Gamble said the fundraiser, new this year, will hopefully provide for additional youth staffing in the summer, returning to pre-COVID-19 numbers of about 15 to 20 students for the season, as opposed to less than a dozen put to work since COVID.  

The students hired will work at Fort George as well as Brock’s Monument.  

“This will be helpful for that – getting back to those pre-pandemic numbers,” she said.  

Summer 2024 will also see a return of a full schedule of re-enactments and other fort activities, which has been shortened since the 2020 season.  

“This is the first year we’ve been able to dive back into those events,” said Gamble.  

Tickets to the naval dinner are $160 and will include a charitable receipt for the donation portion of the ticket. Tickets must be reserved in advance as space is limited. For more information, contact the Friends of Fort George at 905-468-6621 or email [email protected].