Canadian National Exhibition Blog

Dancer

The weatherman was calling for cold and rain today, so I packed my rain poncho before heading over. Wouldn’t you know that the sun came out and it was warm and sunny the whole day.

I just had a few hours for the Ex today so I checked out the daily schedule before I went. The Pizza Pizza International Stage had new performers today, so that is where I headed. The Japan Toronto Buddhist Church Buyo Group gave a lovely performance of traditional Japanese dances. The intricate dances were performed with a sense of grace and dignity. The women wore a series of beautiful costumes. Before each dance an announcer told us the history of the dance and a bit about the time period the dance was from.

I thought I would check out the miniature horses again. When I got there I was surprised to see the horses and their handlers all dressed up. There is a costume class at this show. I saw an owner dressed up as a doctor and a horse in a hospital gown. There was horse in a tutu and one with leaves braided into her mane. The horses seemed to be taking it all in stride.

I stopped by the Buskers stage again and saw the juggling act before heading home. He has quite a clever act. I have never seen someone juggle with no hands before.

Did I win?

It was like a brand new Exhibition when I walked in this morning. Around the first corner I found all sorts of sports demonstrations. The first was a group of competitive stackers. I was astonished at how fast and complex their movements were. At the other extreme was the group of tai chi practitioners, all meticulously executing there moves. After watching the karate demonstration I headed over to the horse barn to see the miniature horses. I was lucky enough to find myself sitting with a family that was competing in a wide variety of classes. They kindly explained what the judge was looking for and the types of classes that they competed in. What struck me most was how well dressed the competitors were. Even the youngest boys were in ties and hats.  I have never seen such a variety of hats in one place. The horses were tiny and perfect. Most were smaller than a great dane.

The Cat Show was next on my agenda. The sunny Café Soleil was a perfect place for it. I remember the Cat Show from years past being in a dark dreary corner somewhere. The owners were really happy to chat about their cats, happily answering questions about their particular breed. There were a lot of kittens for sale and it took a lot of will power to not bring on home. There was one particular fluffy kitten, playing with his fourth place ribbon that I fell in love with.

I stopped at the buskers stage just in time to see the dare devil act. The charming Quebec act had the crowd completely engaged. We saw a man walk on glass, swallow fire and walk up a ladder of swords. There is a different act every hour, I will have to go back and see the other acts this week.

One of my sisters labelled me a “trier.” That means I place a high premium on trying something for the first time – maybe too high, sometimes…

But even if you’re not a trier, the lady at the Happy Feet stand will have you in there in your sock feet trying out these strange, squishy insoles before you know what hit you. She’s a pleasant-looking blonde and a skilled operator all around. If you glance toward her spot, she tells you to come in there and take your shoes with the perfect level of friendly authority. And if your feet are sore from tracking around the grounds The Ex, those benches look pretty appealing.

I’m wearing my Happy Feet right now, and my feet are actually happy. However, when I first slipped them into my shoes I felt like a sailor stepping back onto land for the first time in months. There is a distinct, liquid-y rolling feeling, like you’re standing on a jellyfish that’s trying to get somewhere in a hurry, or doing the moonwalk on a block of tofu.

Apparently some people need to build up to using their Happy Feet all day, starting by wearing them an hour at a time. Mine have been fine, although I think I was rolling a bit when I walked by reception. But if you’re a trier and your feet are looking for a unique experience, or you want to see a superb salesperson in action, follow the Ex-goers walking like pirates.

Roses

I thought I would take it easy today and only visit the Ex for one or two hours. There were just a couple of things I wanted to do. I met my friend Betsy and her daughter Sarah at the GO train. We wandered over to the Winter Games area. Sarah and Betsy tried out wheelchair curling. Sarah managed a tricky hit and stick take out in the four foot to pull out the win. Next they tried out the biathlon and luge. Sarah’s attempt to match the record for jumping into the luge was not as successful as her curling.

Betsy and Sarah were heading to the SuperDogs show. As I had seen it yesterday, and the day before, I thought I would hunt for the elusive deep fried bacon. Everyone I asked had heard of it, but no one seemed to have seen it. After a thorough check of every Midway concession stand I finally found it on Princes’ Boulevard, across from the Direct Energy Centre, closer to the Princes’ Gate. Once I found it I didn’t have the courage to try it. Maybe next week.

I wandered through the International Pavilion for a while. There is a vendor that sells ceramic bird calls. I could listen to him make bird songs with it for hours. It was getting close to one so I got in line for the cheese tasting seminar. Boy, was that worth the wait. Before the seminar started, a gentleman at my table entertained us by asking questions from the 100 Canadian facts flyer they gave us. The tasting was led by Anne-Marie Shubin, a cheese expert from George Brown College. We were able to try six Canadian cheese, and filled in our thoughts on them in the cheese diary were given. The seminar was really interesting and delicious. At the end of the presentation we were given a lot of cheese reading material and a wonderful cheese grater.

I caught a bit of Shawn Monteith’s presentation on how to get rid of mould. Not the kind in the blue cheese I just tried, but the kind you find in bathrooms. I made a note to come back to see a whole presentation.

I started to head back to the Midway, but discovered it was starting to rain. I ducked into the Ricoh Coliseum and caught the Movie Magic ice show again. By the time it was over the rain had stopped.

Time to head home. A quick check of the watch and I was shocked to discover that 6 hours had flown by.

Tomorrow, big cats and little horses.

From the Ferris Wheel

Day Seven! How time flies when you are having fun. Today I thought I would bring an expert at fun to the Ex with me. I invited my four year old neighbour, Hayden, to be my eyes on the Ex for the day.

We hit the grounds right at ten. That way we had time to check out the Farm before the rides opened. Hayden was very impressed by the Yoda butter sculpture, though he did wonder why Yoda had a yogurt rather than a light sabre. I didn’t know four year olds knew who Yoda was.

We spent some time in the HorseCapades section. Hayden tried the bean bag toss and rode the large mechanical horse. We ran into a bit of a glitch at the pony carts. I thought he would enjoy pedalling the cart around the track. It turns out that Hayden didn’t know how to pedal yet. The observant attendant was a real help. She actually taught Hayden how to pedal and he was able got get around the track with very few stops. A major life lesson learned at the CNE.

We had a lot of fun going though the Junior Farmer exhibit. Hayden especially enjoyed picking the apples, and spent quite a bit of time getting the “best one.” Once he finished gathering everything he was off to market in the tractor. By the time Hayden finished pedalling the tractor around the course he was an old pro.

Eleven o’clock and it was time to hit the rides. First choice was the racing cars. Hayden actually remembered being in the cars from the year before. They must have made quite the impression. Hayden had so much fun, we got right back into line and he went again.

We hit all the rides Hayden was tall enough for, which this year was all but two of them. By now it was 12:30, so we grabbed a couple of corn dogs, hopped on the Ex-press and headed to the President’s Choice SuperDogs show. I had seen the show the day before, but I was anxious to get Hayden’s take on it. I was very pleased to discover that it was a completely different show than the one I saw yesterday. So if you have a chance to see the show more than once, it still will hold surprises for you. Hayden cheered and was genuinely thrilled when the dog on “our side” won. The bull dog called Pot Roast was his definite favourite, so we made a point of meeting Pot Roast after the show. I am not sure why he is called Pot Roast, he is a really a ham. Hayden “adopted” one of the SuperDogs stuffed animals and named it, what else, Pot Roast.

Back on the train, back to the midway, with a stop at the fire station first. Hayden really wasn’t keen on the idea of sitting on the fire truck to have his picture taken with all the firemen. More my loss than his. Hayden really preferred the antique engine to the modern one. He enjoyed it when one of the firemen let him see inside the cab of the truck.

We had a few more rides before it was time to head home. Boy, there is nothing slower than a four year old on the way out of the fair grounds. No complaints from the boy, but every step toward the gate was slower than the one before. I will have to go back to the CNE with Hayden, we still have a lot of kid stuff to see together.

I thought I might have seen an ostrich up close before, but I was wrong. I saw an emu. I stand corrected. Ostriches are way more cool.

Ostriches are taller than Darth Vader, but then their necks and legs are stringy. Most of the ostrich’s bulk is a giant ball somewhere in the middle. A good chunk of it may well be feathers, because the giant ball is covered in large, silky-looking ones. The skinny bits also have tiny feathers, but they are so fine they look like fur. They have dinosauresque feet bigger than mine – they might fit into a woman’s size 10 shoe, if it was designed for a creature with three or so toes.

They’re immensely graceful and balanced, and when they broke into a bit of a jog I could guess what kind of ground they could cover at a run. Thanks to a neck with the length of a giraffe’s and the range of motion of an elephant’s trunk, an ostrich can examine you at angles from waist level to far above your head.

They don’t just stand around, either. The two in the enclosure split up. Each one hung next to a group of visitors, raising and lowering its head like an inquisitive elevator. The one at my end looked into the distance, blinked its inner eyelid sideways (seriously!) and then puffed its neck like it was chewing its cud or planning to expel a fist-sized spit-ball. From time to time they would check in with one another by spreading their giant feather duster wings and dancing around each other. (According to a sign, they’re a couple.)

Go. See. Ostriches. They rock.

If you have been reading my entries, you probably have figured out I like getting stuff for free. So today was a banner day for me. It was Spin to Win day at the CNE. Everyone was invited to spin a wheel in the Food Building and everyone won a prize. There were several prizes to win, including steam vacuums, rice cookers and electric kettles. One of the Thai restaurants passed out delicious spring rolls to those of us waiting in line. Finally, it was my time at the wheel. I won a lovely hair care gift product. As we left the wheel area we were each given a fresh Ontario peach by the Peach Princess. A free gift and free food. You have got to love that.

I got in line early to make sure I got a seat at the President’s Choice SuperDogs show. Was it ever worth the wait. It is amazing to see how fast the dogs can run through the courses. I think my favourite was a pudgy little bulldog called Pot Roast. He stole the show with his unorthodox way of getting through the course. I am afraid I don’t have photos of the dogs in action. The dogs were all so fast, they showed up as streaks in my shots.

Speaking of photography, I wanted to share some tips for shooting at the Ex.

There are a couple of spots to get good overall shots. One is the lookout tower in the Military area. The other is the top row of the FLOWRIDER seats, looking either east to the Princes’ Gate or west to the Midway, depending on which side you are on.

Night shots are my favourite, but without a tripod that can come out blurry. A bean bag place on top of a railing or planter can do in a pinch. No bean bag with you? Try a bag of peanuts.

Be careful while concentrating on your shot. Make sure you know where your camera bag or purse is while you are distracted. Make sure you are not blocking a busy walk way and at risk of being bumped or knocked over.

Always check your shot after you take it, just to make sure you got it. If you are still at the same spot you can always retake it, if it didn’t turn out.

Before shooting booths, ask the vendors if you can take a photo of their wares. Most vendors are happy to let you. Understandably, some would rather not have their original designs photographed, due to copyright issues.

Have your camera at the ready. You never know when that magic moment will come along.

SUPER CORN DOGS fries Mars Bars to order

The Ex Hound loves to eat and try new foods. Since last year’s Ex, my niece has suggested that I try a deep fried Mars Bar. So, one morning this week, almost as soon as the Food Building opened, I found a stall that prepares one of the Ex’s newer creations.

To my surprise, the chocolate bars are stored in their wrapper until someone orders one; however, someone has previously skewered them. When the cook is ready to make one, she grabs the skewer, pulls the wrapping off, and dips the Mars Bar into a bucket of batter. Then she slides the bar, stick side up, into a loop that holds it properly in the deep fat fryer until the batter is golden brown.

Sometimes things can go wrong. The batter might not fully cover the chocolate, or the batter slips off, causing the uninsulated chocolate to liquefy. Or the bar can fall and sink into the fat completely, only to float back to the surface about an hour later, according to Cheyenne the cook.

After it’s drained, I let it cool for a minute before eating. It is slightly crisp on the outside and as I bite down part of the semi-liquid chocolaty centre rushes into my mouth. After a second bite, the caramel kicks in. The taste reminds me of chocolate chip pancakes, except chocolate coats the whole inside of mouth. MMMMM. Glad to see that the risk to my arteries for years to come was worth it. 

Aaron
aka The Ex Hound
—
Tip:  Throughout the grounds, and even in the Food Building, prices vary on similar items.  Be sure to look around before making your final buying decision.

Did you know that there are now Crocs that are actually kind of sexy and have high heels? My sister picked a pair up at some kind of Croc hut run by a very nice lady.

Despite mid-year resolutions not to shop I got swept away by a tiny jade tree bonsai for our kitchen window sill. I am now a civilized and grown-up being a bonsai owner — like Mr. Miyagi, pruning my little karate kid.

We watched a little tango on the stage at the centre of the International Pavilion, drifting over with the music to peek at a lovely number with a couple who looked straight out of a black-and-white film. As a tango dancer herself, my sister was able to offer some juicy behind-the-scenes info (no, I can’t pass it on). It was great seeing a large and apparently appreciative audience watching the dancers.

My sister narrowly avoided buying a patterned orange silk dress from a stall full of colourful Indian silks. Crocs are at least practical, but would you get much wear out of a backless orange silk dress… Well, actually, she probably would wear it, so scratch that argument.

Another thing I noticed about the CNE shopping experience this year was… furniture? There was a lot of furniture. (And you could polish it all with your Sham-Wow.) In terms of window-shopping, if I won the lottery I would go for a whirlpool jacuzzi with a built-in stereo and coloured lights (for people who can afford a jacuzzi but don’t have a stereo, or who want to listen to music with their ears submerged in bubbling water?) Next to my jacuzzi would be the $15,000 life-sized bronze lion. I could put towels on it.

CNE Midway

Winner, winner, turkey dinner! That was me tonight

Day five, and it is time for the night shift at the CNE. It was Reach for a Peach day. Everyone leaving the Ex between 4 and 8 received a fresh Ontario peach. They looked too good, so I entered the grounds, got my hand stamped, reached for a peach, and re-entered the grounds. Does that count as my shortest visit to the Ex, ever?

By the time I got to the fountain folks were lining up for the nightly Mardi Gras Parade. It is amazing how happy something as simple as a string of beads makes people. The bands were terrific, but the Chinese Dragon seemed to have stopped dance by the time it got to us.

I wandered up toward BMO field and ran into Scott and Lil, two friends I hadn’t seen in years. We have been to Ex together years ago so it was just like old times. Lil is the luckiest when it comes to games. If it spins and pays money, she will win more often you would think possible. So, I tried my hand at one of the booths. I plunked a loonie down and won four dollars. Lil’s luck was rubbing off on me! A little farther up the midway we tried the one of the birthday games. Lil put a quarter in the March slot and won. Inspired, I put a quarter in the June slot, and won! I am now the proud owner of a stuffed tiger!

Scott and Lil had been at the Ex since it opened today, so they headed home. We promised to meet up when they come back to the fair next week.

I grabbed some dinner and a spot in front of the Direct Energy Building to see the E – Nighttime Light Show. It is amazing how they made the façade of the building change and morph into so many different things. I loved the jungle ruins and the dolphins that seemed to be swimming inside the building. The 3D faces that seemed to pop out of the concrete my favourite.

Now the lights of the midway were beckoning me. There is nothing quite like the Ex at night. Everything seems intensified at night. I always bring my tripod to take long exposure shots of the rides. I seem to take the same shots every year, but it is so satisfying to see what you can capture in a two second exposure.

Eleven o’clock. Time to head home. Heading out I plunked a twoonie on a colour table, and Bingo – won $8. The luck of Lil was still with me.

Tomorrow, Super Dogs!