Once again, sorry for the erratic posting. Every single piece of technology I own has decided to be an asshole and stop working properly, so I’ve had a time. Plus, I decided it would be a good idea to get two part time jobs which has really just created a fun time of schedule juggling, and I’m not complaining, because I’m enjoying it, but it’s just been crazy. And the fact that my computer works at a snails pace, really doesn’t help matters.
I digress.
Going to the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE or “The Ex” for short) has been a long standing summer tradition for me. The first time I went, it was with a group of girl friends. We were in grade 10, my parents drove us, and we just went insane. Like, had the greatest time. We rode fully dressed down a giant waterslide in a tube made for 6 people and spent the majority of the evening walking around dripping wet. But oh! The fun! The tradition has changed slightly throughout the years, as for the past 5 or 6, it’s just been me and my friend Neal. I mean, I’m not sure what I’m going to do next summer as he is moving to Australia, which is very exciting for him indeed, but now I have no one to eat deep fried mars bars with.
The Ex is pretty much the same thing every year: a giant food building, the Superdogs, an ice skating show, free concerts, an airshow, questionable rides, tons of games, sand sculptures, butter sculptures, free samples and cheap shopping. It’s a great time ya’ll! It’s a Toronto tradition that has been going on forever! There was an exhibit this year called “Love, Longing and Lust at the CNE”, and being a fan of history as well as cool black and white photos, I totally dug it. It traced how the CNE has brought couples together since 1879. And once upon a time there was a place at the Ex called the “Striporama”. Scandalous!
Something that was a little different this year was that one of the booths was offering deep fried butter. And this was a big deal when people found out about it, I mean, it made the papers and everything. All I have to say about that is “ew”. Deep fried mars bars are one thing, but deep fried butter is another. The amount of people waiting in line for it was a little astonishing, and I was a little bit tempted, I’m not going to lie, but then I would imagine myself having a heart attack right on Princes Blvd, and that’s really not the way I want to go.
The first few years Neal and I went to The Ex together, we always got the little wristband that would let us ride the midway rides all day long. Looking back, I’m horrified. Carnival rides scare me, especially carnival rides that go upside down. Before I go on a carnival ride, I need to map out a long process in my head about what would happen if the ride suddenly malfunctioned and bits and pieces of it went flying all over the place. With this logic, I will usually opt for the Scrambler and the Tilt A Whirl (if the carriage I was in broke off and went flying, there is a pretty good chance it would remain upright and just careen into everything in it’s path, which while unfortunate for everything/everybody it hit, would be okay for those of us in the actual carriage). The one ride where I just threw caution to the wind is the Ferris Wheel…lord knows if that collapsed, it wouldn’t be pretty, but the risk is worth it for the view: on side, you have the skyline of Downtown Toronto, one you have the lake, and the others you have rows and rows of colourful midway tent tops. It’s cool.
Another one of my favourite CNE activities is going to see the Superdogs. Despite the fact that the only thing that changes year by year in this show is the decor, I always drag Neal to it. Most things about it annoy me while I”m there, especially the announcer who yells unnecessarily into his mike the entire time, and the constant urging to buy a certain kind of dog food, but the dogs themselves make up for it. I don’t know if ya realize, but I love dogs. Especially ones that dance.
Other highlights always include eating enough food to gain at least five pounds, being continuously heckled by carnies, trying to dodge really slow moving people, people watching and feeling like you’ve time warped back to the 1950s. I don’t know what it is about carnivals, maybe it’s my obsession with the book Geek Love or the hankering I have always had to be a carnie for a summer, but I love them. And the Ex, well, it’s the biggest carnival of carnivals and is just magnificent. If you are ever visiting Toronto the last two weeks of August, I highly recommend checking it out.
