QOTD: Fri Aug 15: Canadian National Exhibition...

[danger_dan]

The unofficial end of the Summer begins today...
...The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) opens today in Toronto, and the countdown begins to start of another school year!
Do you have some favourite CNE (or similar fair) memories?

[Patty Smyth]

I went when I was about 10, we were visiting friends in Oshawa, I saw BTO it was my first concert. lol

[ninna]

*gulp* I am in my early 40's and I have never been to the CNE in my life despite living only 2 hours away.

[Andit]

I try to go every year or couple of years, depending on what attractions are there & how things work out.

I still remember going with my best friend when we were 12. Her parents drove us down & let us wander *on our own*. I had managed to convince her to go on this small ride (I'm a coward when it comes to roller coasters, so it really was not *that* scary - it's the one that looks like an octopus that has little cars that go about 15ft up & twist a little bit). The ride starts off slowly, & we're both enjoying ourselves. Then things sped up. My friend was digging her fingers into my arm, hanging on for dear life, swearing that if we survive she would kill me. I saw the panic & waved at the ride operator for help...who waved right back at me. I called out "Help" & he smiled and waved again.

When we finally got off the ride, she refused to talk to me, she just glared at me. My apologies fell on deaf ears. When we met her parents, they saw the chill between us & asked what had happened. "Well, at least now you know that ride is not for you."

The next day we were thick as thieves again. She still teases me about the horror I put her through.

[Shwa Girl]

I remember last year. Epic Burger’s cronut burger. The one that made 200 people sick.
Who knew that a deep fried donut-croissant with meat patty + cheese, topped with maple bacon jam, could make you sick.

Back in the day, the Food Court had so many freebies that you did not have to buy food.
*sigh* no more

[DiamondLil]

The unofficial end of the Summer begins today...

Reading this makes me feel so sad....

[danger_dan]

I remember last year. Epic Burger’s cronut burger. The one that made 200 people sick.
Who knew that a deep fried donut-croissant with meat patty + cheese, topped with maple bacon jam, could make you sick.

Back in the day, the Food Court had so many freebies that you did not have to buy food.
*sigh* no more

I can still remember going with my dad and just strolling through the food building...didn't have to buy a single thing to have a complete meal...(mind you as a little guy, I probably wouldn't have eaten that much any ways, and could probably share a meal with him)

...and to be specific, it was just the bacon jam that was the culprit...granted the other items could potentially make any person sick from eating all of that at once...but it;s really no different than having a fast food meal at say McDs and then heading over to Tim's for a Donut for dessert.

[Natalka]

So I'm assuming this is a giant fair amped up because of where it is?

Saskatoon's fair was last week, they were getting about 230,000 people a day.

I only went a few times since we've been here - too big for me!

I loved the fair growing up in my home city, though -
As a kid, went on a few (safe) rides, loved a candy apple and corn on the cob on a stick.
As a teen, uh, pretty much the same, except I was entering competitions for crafts.
As an adult, a few rides, candy apple, corn, loved working at our church's Ukrainian food booth.

[TooCouponCrazy]

Never been there. Too far away for me.

[Andit]

This is kind of neat - what innovations were showcased at the Ex: http://theex.com/footer/about-the-cn...;firsts”

[walkonby]

As a kid, we were so spoiled living walking distance from the Princess Gates, and when my Mom took us she made sure we did the Food Building to fill our tummies on the cheap. The freebies were actual servings if I recall, not smidgens. Rides were never her thing, but we were allowed to do a few, walking around was the thing, taking in the sights, sounds, smells.....guess we were easier to satisfy because I remember it all being great fun! Then the nightly fireworks!!
Living nearby you would think we might have gone daily, but we just couldn't afford that.
My sis and I still got to enjoy the fireworks at night though by sneaking out of bed and squeezing ourselves side by side at our bedroom window!!
As a teen I worked the summers in the Food booths. (ugh, sweaty work, long hours, crappy pay and so many laughs!! )
For nostalgic reasons I brought my own kids there too, but now I have no reason to want to ever go, just too expensive, unhealthy foods at every turn, and I dislike the crowds ( old lady syndrome?? lol)

[Andit]

For nostalgic reasons I brought my own kids there too, but now I have no reason to want to ever go, just too expensive, unhealthy foods at every turn, and I dislike the crowds ( old lady syndrome?? lol)

I tend to go only when there is a really good show on. A few years back, there was an amazing Cirque-type show with horses (similar to Cavalia, but on a much smaller scale), so I went 3 times that summer.

Also, if there is a good concert on, it makes it worthwhile.

But I really really really miss the old Forum (the revolving stage at Ontario Place, which is next to the Ex, for those not from these parts). I spent many many many hours there, happy summer days listening to great music.

[Lynn49]

We've gone a couple of times...I liked looking at the chickens and other animals...
I'd love a hobby farm. With hired help. Ew.

[ninna]

We've gone a couple of times...I liked looking at the chickens and other animals...
I'd love a hobby farm. With hired help. Ew.

LOL!! Lynn! Your post made me howl. Especially that last line!! You buy the hobby farm and I will come help!

I'm a farm girl myself (well, not now... but I was raised on a pig farm with cash cropping) and I tell ya, there is no greater and happier scent in the world to me than the smell of pig poop or that smell the corn gives off in August when it's still green or the dust on the air from the soybeans when they turn brown and get combined in the fall. *sigh*. I would LOVE to move back to a farm!!!

London has a nice big fair in the fall but it's so commercialized and full of rides and trade shows that even the "country bits" are a little too sanitized for me. I have never seen a neater and tidier barn in my entire life than when I wander through the Agri-plex at the Western Fair. It's all very lovely but the pens are all roped off so you can look at the animals but not touch and every ounce of poop is neatly out of sight like they never pooped at all. I always chuckle a little bit at that.

I prefer going to the small town fairs. The kinds that have like, 5 rides total and you run into every kid from your daughter's class. The kind of fair where they let you climb in the pens with the animals. Last year my kids crawled over the fence to help bathe a couple of pigs alongside the owners; it was so funny!!! The kind of fair where you better watch where you step because that manure and straw is gonna stick to your boots. The kind of fair where the kids make tonnes of crafts and the first place prize is like, $3.00 for the best "hairy creature grown from grass seed in a soup can." My ladies have already started working on their fair entries for this year!

[Andit]

I have never seen a neater and tidier barn in my entire life than when I wander through the Agri-plex at the Western Fair.

My friend's sister used to ride competitively and had a hobby farm with a barn full of horses. That barn was spotless, so clean you could just about eat off the floor. Of course, she had 4 kids to help her keep the stalls spic and span.