Based on an original painting by Peter Rindlisbacher, the card is a project of the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council, a non-profit organization coordinating the War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration in the Niagara/Hamilton region, in partnership with Canadian Art Cards.

“I think it’s fantastic and I think right now is a perfect time for us to be talking about the bicentennial; it’s coming up soon, this is a great way to launch it,” said park curator Sonia Mrva. “The cards are beautiful. A lot of people may have seen the images of the Battle of Stoney Creek and the Hamilton and Scourge. We’re happy to be promoting that and we’re happy to be working with the council as well.”

The council also launched its new, interactive Web site featuring 125 points of interest in the Niagara Region related to the War of 1812 ( www.discover1812.com).

Developed by Toronto’s Salt and Pepper Design, the Web site is for all students of the war and tourists coming to the area and includes an overview of the history of the war, a list of bicentennial events and an innovative virtual museum. To promote the Web site, the council has also produced a series of television (with WNED) and radio public service announcements.

“It’s a fantastic Web site and it’s only growing, so expect to see our Battlefield Museum events showing up on that Web site, as we get closer to 2013,” said Mrva. “We’re looking at 2012 to launch all of our events.”

Mrva says the bicentennial is not necessarily about commemorating war.

“It’s really about commemorating the peace,” she said. “That’s really what the council has been talking about and that’s really what we’re looking at is 200 years of peace.”

To view the Niagara 1812 Legacy Council’s new, interactive Web site, visit www.discover1812.com .