It is a beautiful, sunny weekend and the day just screams out for a full roster of CNE activities. I head down to the GO/TTC gates where a friendly volunteer offers me a program along with a warm greeting to the Ex. I decide that today I’ll focus on some of the wonderful shows and entertainers that truly help set the fair apart from any other attraction in the world.
There is much to see but where to start? Thankfully the organizers have perfected the free guidebooks so that they’ve become an invaluable tool when it comes to organizing your time. The daily inserts let you know where and when to find your favourite shows. I quickly scan the listings and see that a ventriloquist named Michael Harrison is up soon. It sounds like fun so I head over to check out his act. Wow! The stuff he does with his voice is hilarious and soon has the crowd in stitches. He gets a little boy to volunteer from the audience and soon has him up on stage. Once there the kid becomes the “puppet” by way of an add-on bow tie, hat and mouth. Michael has his new puppet saying all kinds of funny things in a voice that has to be heard to be believed.
Next it is off to Ricoh Coliseum for a performance of Hippike: A Gypsy Legend. I had seen some of these performers warming up backstage but to actually witness them in the show is something else entirely. Their act creates a beautiful blend of horse based stunts and acrobatics that left us gasping in amazement. Each trick seemed more death-defying than the last and by the end the crowd was blown away by the caliber of the show.
These are just a sampling of what the Ex has to offer and help to further solidify its reputation as one of the premier attractions in Southern Ontario.
