Grab Your Popcorn, Folks!
There’s a new show coming to Niagara, and The Brown Homestead is going to be part of it. Historical Niagara is an upcoming documentary series featuring many of Niagara’s hidden historic gems.
Produced and hosted by local tv and radio personality, and McMaster University professor, Peter Sacco, and co-hosted by the gifted local artisan, amateur archaeologist, and consummate Niagara history buff, Dave Bennison, the show is sure to be a fascinating watch!
We were privileged to meet Peter, Dave and Dave’s wife Vicky for a first visit to The Brown Homestead last week. They are hoping to film an episode profiling The Homestead sometime this year.
Peter Sacco and Dave Bennison
Dave and Peter first worked together when Dave was brought in as the historian for two episodes of Peter’s show Paranormal Profilers, a follow-up to his CogecoTV show Niagara’s Most Haunted.
“When our viewers would come up and talk to me, at the Comic-Con’s or a Paracon, it turned out that most of them were more interested in the historical places - the history,” Peter told us. So, after Paranormal Profilers ended, Peter and Dave joined forces with the idea to film a purely historical documentary series.
Dave’s enthusiasm is evident when he talks about their plans. “A lot of people, when they ‘do’ the history of Niagara or Niagara Falls, they do the big War of 1812 places, right? And it’s not that we couldn’t or wouldn’t include those – but we’re most excited to film some of the places that people who live outside of the region might know nothing about - like the story of Erie Beach and Waverly Beach –the precursors to Crystal Beach. That story has to be told! I mean, Erie Beach was essentially the ‘Canada’s Wonderland’ of the late 1800’s and early 20th century! And a lot of people don’t know that.”
The show is currently in pre-production filming and the two men are hoping to have the first episodes online by mid to late spring. A lot of their work is outside, so they are waiting for mother nature to cooperate. We are thrilled that they’re going to be profiling The Brown Homestead. We promise to let you know when the first episodes are online, and of course, when The Brown Homestead episode is available!
When discussing the transition from Paranormal Profilers to Historical Niagara, Peter’s remarks hit home.
“When people would come up to me to ask – because, of course, you always get asked - do you really see ghosts? I would tell them: it’s the history. That’s where the real ghosts are. It’s the ancestors. It’s their stories, their legacies, the things that they created, and the buildings that they built that live on. Those are the voices of the past that can still speak to us.”
Well said, Peter. We couldn’t agree more.
