Canadian National Exhibition Blog

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.

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.