Canadian National Exhibition Blog

So Long for Now

This morning I woke up with a feeling I was missing something. Then it struck me, I had no CNE to go to.

I sat back a thought about the past 18 day, and what they meant to me personally. Although the Ex had been closed for less than 12 hours, I was struck by a deep sense of nostalgia.

When I was a little girl I would go to the Ottawa Ex with my grandmother. Grannie was legally blind, but she visited the CCE every year. When her friends said, “Why do you go, Ella? You can’t see anything.” Grannie would reply “Yes, but I can hear it, and I can smell it.” I have carried that with me my entire life.

When I moved to Toronto thirty some odd years ago, I fell in love with the CNE. Nine years ago I moved directly across the Gardiner from Exhibition Place. Heaven. Daily trips to the CNE were par for the course. This year topped them all.

Why do I love the Ex so much? A million reasons, but one stands out the most.

The people. The Ex is one of the last places in Toronto where strangers talk to each other. I met a myriad of interesting people each with their own stories about their CNE experiences. People-watching is at its best at the Ex.

Some of my favourite moments:

There was the woman who was so happy to see the Air Show. Her father had flown a Lancaster bomber in WWII and the show brought back many pleasant memories for her.

Meeting Sergeant Major Sheppard who took time to explain the Mountain Ops demonstration to me, what to look for and what went into setting it up.
 
The father dancing with his daughter before the Hula dancing show.

Watching the kids playing in the water, sprayed by a fireman on a hot afternoon.

The looks of shock and admiration from the women we shared a picnic bench with when my friend and I tried the chocolate covered bacon. We declined their offer to try one of their french fries in our chocolate.

The moment I will never forget from this year’s Ex happened on the Midway one evening.

I was standing next to the exit of the famous swing ride. A mother and grandmother were standing, waiting. Next to them was an empty wheelchair. When the ride ended the mother went into ride and came back, carrying her 12 year old daughter. I have never seen such a look of sheer exhilaration on a child’s face. I looked at the grandmother and we both had tears of joy on our faces.

That single moment summed up everything the CNE is to me. Moments of delight that take us away from our every day lives. Those moments are ephemeral and need to be cherished. Just like the CNE. It is here for a few days and then it is gone.

It will be back. Two hundred and forty seven sleeps to opening day. I will be there.

Goodbye

Today is the last day of the 2009 CNE. My last chance to see anything I had missed, and to say goodbye to friends I had made.

I made sure I was at the gate when it opened. The sun was lighting up the merry-go-round beautifully, so I snapped a few shots while waiting for the Express.

I chatted with three generations of a family as we rode over to the Direct Energy Centre. They asked where they could find the floral display. After telling them I causally mentioned that there was a sale on all the display plant today. Boy, that got them excited! It seems that the mother in the family loves houseplants and wanted lots more. They were so happy they gave me a granola bar as a thank you.

I wandered around the midway for a while, and then went to find a seat at the Maple Lodge Farms Variety Stage. Somehow I had missed seeing these shows. Just too much to see I guess. First up was ventriloquist Michael Harrison. What a fun show. Harrison was able to imbue a tennis ball with a vibrant personality. It was a fun show. I was pleased to learn that he is a Canadian.
 
The next act up was the Grand Illusion and Escape Artist Show. I had heard a lot of people talk about this act, so I was anxious to see it. I was not disappointed. Despite having to battle the Blue Angels to be heard, this was a captivating show. I have no idea how they do the water torture act, it was amazing.
 
The hypnotist was up next, but I just couldn’t sit for another hour. I wandered over to the Direct Energy Centre. There I found a lot of the booths had their wares on sale, even 50% off. While my will power firmly in tact, I arrived at the At Home Celebrity Stage just in time for the Handyperson’s Show with Shawn Monteith. I am the least handy person on the planet, but I came away from the show feeling that I could now patch a hole in the wall like a pro.

I tried to see the shows on the Pizza Pizza International Stage, but I couldn’t get anywhere near the place. There were hundreds of people crowding the stage. I was happy for the performers, but disappointed not to see the shows.
 
Time to head out to Princes’ Boulevard. I hit the sidewalk just in time to catch Juno make his final descent from the tower of the Direct Energy Centre. He certainly milked it for all he was worth.

The sun was starting to set as I wandered through the Midway for the last time. I paused for a moment to soak in the noise and the smells for a moment. Crown and Anchor wheels clicking, barkers barking, the scent of lemon, popcorn and candy filled the air. I took a mental photo to carry me through the winter.

By the time I got to the Press Building the parade was on its way. The soldier accompanying Juno seemed to really appreciate that this was the last parade for 2009. He thanked everyone he saw. I caught another set of beads, and as I bent over to put them on my neck another string was thrown at me looping perfectly on my camera lens. With that last moment of CNE magic, it was time to head home.

Usually the last time I head out of the EX for the last time, I have a moment or two of sadness. Although I did have a twinge, I knew that I left the Ex this year having done everything I wanted to. It was one amazing year.

Pacific Magic - Pizza Pizza International Stage

Another glorious day for the CNE. I don’t remember a year where the weather was as nice for the entire run as it was this year. I guess Toronto got the rain out of its system earlier this summer.

I arrived shortly after the Air Show started. I managed to snap a photo of the Blue Angels passing the CN Tower. I tried a smoothie sample from the Europe’s Best van.  Not far from there, I receive a snack sample from Dunkaroos, then a Fruit to Go bag of apple chips. Practically a whole lunch, just walking into the grounds.

I wandered through to the Direct Energy Centre and grabbed a seat to see the Ethnic Press: Hawaii – Pacific Magic performance. What a great turn out they had. I got there a half hour before the show started and most of the seats were already full. The performance was wonderful. I loved the colourful costumes. There were several different sets of costumes, each more beautiful than the last. The crowd particularly liked the littlest hula dancers, four very young girls who performed a dance on their own. They were adorable.

After the Pacific Magic show I grabbed a front row seat for the Harmonicats. I have seen bits and pieces of their show for the past couple of weeks, so I was curious to see the whole show. Am I ever glad I did. The Harmonicats show is filled with charm and a gentle humour that reminds me of the performers on the Ed Sullivan Show. Corny jokes, boogie woogie, and harmonicas of all shapes and sizes are the mainstay of this act. Don’t get me wrong, their musicianship was astonishing. There is a high level of physicality to playing the larger harmonicas. It was quite something to see. The whole show was a breath of fresh air.
 
Sitting next to me was a charming couple from Manchester, England. Gillian and Grant Brackley arrived in Toronto the day before. The bellman in their hotel mentioned that they would be able to see the Air Show from the window. They decided to check out the Ex in person. Gillian said they were really enjoying their day. Prior to arriving in Canada the Brackleys had searched online for things to do during their stay in Toronto. They had seen nothing about the CNE on the Ontario tourism sites. That surprised me.

I headed out to catch the parade, where I actually caught some beads for the first time. It was a surprisingly satisfying feeling. A quick visit to the L’Oreal booth scored me a full-size set of hair care products, nice.

Wandering up Princes’ Boulevard was a challenge with huge crowds tonight. It was thrilling to see how many people were at the Ex last night.

Time to head home and rest up for the final day.

Golfern Living Statue

It was another double visit day for me today. I am trying to cram everything into the last weekend.

First stop was Kids’ World. I like to shoot the rides in the west end of the fair before the sun gets too high. I got a few shots I liked and headed to The Farm. On my way over I ran into a new living statue. This one was a golfer. It looked like he had the heaviest of all the costumes. If he was uncomfortable under the noon sun, he sure didn’t show it.

The ostriches were particularly active today, inspecting visitors as closely as we were inspecting them.  Just as l was being stared down by the female, the roar of the first fly by filled the air. I swear the ostriches tried to take off. They were very startled by the noise.

I took a peek at the piglets that were born earlier this week. In just four days they have doubled in size.

I managed to arrive in time to see the sheep shearing demonstration. The sheep was quite agitated when she was brought out of the pen. The minute the shearer sat her down the sheep seemed to completely relax. It was amazing how fast she was able to shear her.

I headed out the back of The Farm to try to catch some of the Air Show. To my delight I found a beautiful garden, hidden away behind the Better Living Centre. It was in full bloom, and filled with butterflies. There was a bit of a disconnect between the peaceful looking garden and the roar of the Blue Angels above. I want to head back when it is quieter.

After watching the Air Show for a while I headed home for a quick rest. On the way out I passed a booth handing out samples of pickles and carrot cake, a rather odd combination.

6:30 saw me heading back into the grounds for dinner and a show. Tonight I brought my neighbour Elle with me to catch the Pointer Sisters. We went straight over to the Rib Fest for dinner. That was one long line up, but certainly worth the wait. We grabbed some ribs and corn on the cob and found a place on the grass to watch the concert. There I was, sitting in the warm, evening sun, eating ribs and corn on the cob and listening to the Pointer Sisters. It doesn’t get much better than that.

EMS Day

It was a double shift day for me yesterday. My little buddy Hayden and I made a return visit to Kids’ World. This time we skipped the rides and concentrated on the free shows and exhibits. We arrived in time for the Harry & His Bucketful of Dinosaurs show. Although I had never heard of this show, Harry was a superstar in Hayden’s eyes. We really enjoyed doing all the movements along with the songs. Hayden thought that Harry looked a lot bigger in person than on television.

Once that show was over we hurried across just in time to see the Backyard Circus. No words could convince Hayden to participate, however, we did enjoy watching the lions and tigers and butterflies. Hayden was much keener on the idea of marching in the puppet parade. So off we went, around the tent, waving the giant puppet. I had watched this for years so I was thrilled to have a chance to participate.

Hayden wanted to see the Lego playroom so off we went. I was glad of the chance to just sit for a while. He had a great time playing with the creations of previous visitors. I was really impressed with the Lego sculptures that decorated the room.

We were too late for the pizza making demonstration, so it was straight to the music room. We banged on every single percussion instrument there. I really liked playing with the home made theremin, one of my favourite instruments.

The petting zoo was next on the agenda. Hayden really wanted to see some bunnies and an attendant was quick to point out where they were. We fed goats, and a llama and the three little pigs. The spotted piglets ended up as Hayden’s favourites. His mother told me later that he talked about them all day.

I took Hayden home around one. After a quick rest I headed back to catch the John Robert Columbo talk on the Spirits of Canada. Columbo has an engaging and conversational style of speaking that makes him a delight to listen to. He walked us through the various myths and legends of ghosts and spirits from coast to coast in Canada. I was expect the talk to have more retelling of ghost stories and ripping yarns, but what I heard was much more interesting. Columbo explained more about how the stories were perpetuated. Did you know that without the story of Ogopogo we may never have heard of the Loch Ness Monster? It seems they had the same PR agent. The hour flew by.

After the talk I saw that the Wheel of Thrills would be starting soon. I climbed up to the observation tower at the Canadian Forces exhibit. It was the perfect location to watch the performance.

I was so thrilled by the photos I got from that vantage point I decided to make it my go to spot for the day. Next up was the parade. It was EMS Day at the Ex so the parade included a lot of different ambulances. There were a couple of old ones and vehicles from all the regions around southwestern Ontario.

I could see the folks at the Canadian Forces exhibit setting up for the Mountain Ops demonstration. Once again, the look out gave me the perfect vantage point. One of the Mountain Ops team slid down a 300’ rope from the 120’ high tower of the Direct Energy Centre. To make it even harder, he brought a “sked” with him. A sked is a stretcher to transport the wounded down from a mountain. It was an impressive feat. The next to slide down the rope was Juno, the polar bear. Juno is the mascot of the Armed Forces. 

It had been a long day, so I headed home in time to catch the sunset through the Dufferin Gate. The Air Show starts tomorrow.

Lions and Tigers

I just made a quick visit today. I only had a couple of hours, but a day without the Exhibition is like a day without sunshine. My friend Greg and I headed over to catch the cheese tasting. It was a whole new experience, with five out of the six cheeses being different. I was able to add to my cheese diary. Greg and I checked out the Green Zone and checked out the information that TEA had about green initiatives in the city of Toronto. I was happy to find a brochure on where to find locally grown produce in the city.

We checked out the prefab home, which I had somehow missed. The entire structure is made of reclaimed or sustainable material. Being environmentally friendly certainly does not mean that you need to forgo style. The house is just a prototype. It would be great to see some of these built.

Greg hadn’t seen the FLOWRIDER demonstration so we grabbed a couple of seats in the late afternoon sun and watched the performance. One of the riders had a small, obviously waterproof, video camera, no bigger than your average webcam. He was able to stick it to the sides of the wave maker and film himself while he performed. He even affixed the camera to the middle of his surfboard for his final run. Talk about multi-tasking.

It was time to meet our friend for dinner, so we headed out.

Kids’ World tomorrow

Sunset on the Midway

It was any evening of mysteries tonight.

I met my friend Trish at the Go Train entrance around 6:30. We headed straight into the Food Building to see what we wanted for dinner. There is something about the layout of that place that gets me completely confused. It turns out I am always at the opposite end to the building that I think I am. We did a complete sweep of the place and decided on pulled pork on a bun. It was delicious. We were hankering for something sweet. An evil thought came to me: “Would you like to try the chocolate covered bacon?” Now, I was just kidding. I took Trish over to the booth to show her it was real. That was a mistake. Never one to shy from a challenge, Trish promptly ordered it, extra crispy, please.

The plate arrived and we immediately regretted our hasty decision.

In for a penny, in for a pound. We ate it. It had an interesting combination of flavours. Good idea, bad execution. It might have been better if the chocolate and the bacon were both of a higher quality. I will give them kudos for the publicity they got.

We watched folks try out the FLOWRIDER for a while then wandered up the midway to try and walk off our dessert. There was a gorgeous sunset that really set off the lights of the midway.

I ran into the Toronto Photography Meet Up Group on the midway. This group of photographers go to the Ex every year. There were a group of about a dozen or so, all with cameras and tripods, photographing the rides after dark. I went with them one year and had a lot of fun.

Speaking of photographers, I kept noticing this couple around the Ex. It looks like they had brought their own photographer and were posing at various games and rides. I ran into them all over the park. Both were rather over dressed for the Ex. I am not sure what that was all about.

We wandered through the Arts and Craft building were Trish picked up some cat mats. Then it was straight through to the Farm. We took a look at the bee exhibit where Trish noticed that one of the bees was wearing the number 99. The exhibitor explained that was the queen bee. We promptly named her Queen Gretzbee.

We checked out the pigs and found one day old piglets, born at the CNE. There was something else new. The horse section had signs warning people that fingers look like carrots and to keep hands out of the enclosures. The signs weren’t there a couple of days ago. I can only imagine what happened.

With the bacon weighing heavily on our stomachs, we decided to call it a night and head our separate ways to ponder the mysteries of the evening:

Why were the new warning signs up?
Who was the mysterious couple?
Why did we eat the chocolate covered bacon?

The 2009 Air Show General Atmosphere -- Blue Smoke

I have seen many legendary performances and performers in the past: Sean D. Tucker, Patty Wagstaff, the acrobatic glider, the fire bomber demonstration, the dogfight recreation, the Thunderbirds and of course our own Snowbirds. But I have yet to see the Britney Spears of air show spectacles, the Blue Angels.

I arrive, just before the show starts, at a rocky beach at Ontario Place. This spot is flooded with sling chairs, telephoto zoom lenses and even a few people crazy enough to look directly at the sun with binoculars.

When the show starts, all eyes are on the skies. But as time goes by, the children start to play with stones, becoming less and less reactive each time a jet roars through the sky.  Kerplunk! Yet another stone plops into Lake Ontario. Do the children believe that the jets are close enough to be hit within stone-throw range?

About an hour later, I look over at ground control and see three officers, in blue uniforms and pointed military hats, standing on a platform. I wonder if they are blue angels commentators. The P.A. system isn’t working properly, so only when “Fat Albert” (their Hercules transport plane) appears to break though the trees behind me, I know for sure. Isn’t it ironic that what I’m looking forward to the most, on a day that celebrates Canada’s contribution to aviation, is an American military demonstration team.

They are as spectacular as their reputation. They fly so close that at times they appear to be one plane. They fly so low that at times the smoke drifts towards us at ground level, blanketing us and trees with a blue haze that tastes like chalk.

If you were to try to compare Blue Angels to Snowbirds, however, it would be impossible. They are very different in their performing style. For example, the Blue Angels fly in patterns, but their passes overhead are more quick and linear compared to the roll-as-a-team-and-keep-it-slow formations that made the Snowbirds famous. The Blue Angels maneuvers may be artistic, but all have their role in military engagement, while the Snowbirds take their time to make artistic designs in the sky, with their smoke.

Yes, the Angels are the most precise aerobatic team in the world, as I’ve now seen, but no one can draw a heart in the sky, like our own Snowbirds.

A few years ago I sat on the sidewalk on Queen Street and watched the Labour Day Parade. It seemed like the weirdest and most pointless parade imaginable. No floats, just the odd flatbed with a band and lots of average people wearing giant matching t-shirts with big logos. Why bother?

Since then, I have changed jobs from a non-unionized position to a unionized one. I know that unions get a ton of bad press — some of it no doubt deserved. But if you want to see a great explanation of why unions matter, check out this brilliant and funny Australian video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=184NTV2CE_c.

Basically, unions won us safe working conditions. Before organized labour, jobs in manufacturing, mining, and construction were a lottery where winners avoided losing a limb. And, even now, if you ever try convincing a boss to provide retirement benefits or overtime on your own, you’ll notice that negotiating as a group is a lot more effective. Even the existence of unions means non-union employers have to treat the rest of us better, hoping we won’t organize and drive harder bargains.

Labour Day celebrates one of the contributions of unions – a paid holiday. Workers walk together in a show of strength in numbers that finishes off on the grounds of The Ex. There, people continue to celebrate by having a good time with their families. So although you won’t see Santa Claus, the Labour Day Parade actually is pretty awesome.

Birthday Party

My friends, Scott and Lil, called me to say they were headed back to the Ex today, so I decided to tag along with them again.

On my way from the Dufferin Gate to the TTC stop to meet them, I arrived at the Kids’ World Stage in time to celebrate Al-Ex’s birthday. It was a cute celebration with mascots, jugglers on stilts and cupcakes for all the kids.

First stop was the Food Building. We got there just a bit before 12 and it was still quiet. We were able to get food and a table without standing in line. A few minutes after 12 and the place was packed.

Lil is a great bargain shopper, so we hit the warehouse sales first. Divide and conquer seemed to be the best approach, so we fanned out, looking for the sizes and styles Lil wanted. She managed to find quite a few things to fill out her fall wardrobe. I was glad of the benches and babysat the bags after the first couple of stores.

Scott and Lil have their own tricks for getting the most out of the Ex. They showed me where the lockers are outside the Direct Energy Centre. All the purchases were safely stowed and we were off again.

We hit the midway and played just about every money game going. Every time I was down to my bottom dollar I managed to have a few wins in a row to keep me going. We were at it for hours.

We worked up enough of an appetite for a second lunch, so back to the food building again. We shared some of our favourite deals. I showed them where to get corn for $2 and they showed me where to get bottles of water or soda for $1. After our second lunch we went in search of dessert. Scott and I decided to try a deep fried Mars bar. We found a booth on Princes’ Boulevard and ordered one. The bar was dipped in batter and really deep fried. Once it was done it was coated in icing sugar. Yikes. We were handed the bar with a warning about the hot melted caramel inside. We both tried it but Lil could not be tempted in the least to taste it. It was very sweet, interesting, but one was enough for me, for this lifetime.

All that food was weighing me down, so it was time to head home. As I headed out the Dufferin Gate I was handed a $5 Subway card and a peach. Dinner and dessert for another day.