It’s Labour Day and the final day for the Ex. It means that the un-official end to summer is here, the Midway will be rolling out of town shortly, some of us will be heading back to school and we’ll be stuck trying to find to find creative ways to get our deep-fried fix.
I was reminded this year of how huge the Exhibition is and that you truly can’t do it in a day. I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit the CNE a number of times during the run and get to check out almost all of it. It’s mind boggling how they manage to get so many food vendors and attractions, performers and artists, and even all those rides!
The highlight for me was some of the great offerings at the Food Building this year; you’ve likely read many of us wax on about the deep fried mac and cheese, the cherry-aide and cola and the extreme donut burger. While these enticing dishes helped lure many in, I think many visitors realized that the Ex is more than just out of this world food.
Of note, the ‘Ghosts of the CNE’ exhibit was chilling after learning about the spirited history of the CNE. The International Stage was amazing, every performer or group that performed on that stage was incredible; especially the Mzansi Youth Choir. Seeing Duff Goldman and Kevin Bosch on the Food Network stage was a total treat and great to see them off of the television.
Huge thanks to the staff and volunteers at the CNE for another spectacular summer, and to the great people at Rogers and RIM who outfitted us with BlackBerry smartphones to capture the essence of the Ex.
See you next year!
Written by: Andrew Gayman
