Let’s Go To the EX, Oh Baby!

Peter may have left out the “oh baby” part of the song, but he definitely wanted to go to the EX. We had only been to the CNE once in recent memory, when we took our grandson, Ben, age 4, to meet his hero Chase, of Paw Patrol fame. This iconic fair has been around for 144 years, with only short breaks during the 2 World Wars and Covid. It was time for us to explore it again, from a Senior perspective.

We planned our route; from the Princes’ Gates in the east to the Dufferin Gate at the west, with many stops in between. The first place we passed was the Horse Palace. In the “olden days” a visit here was a highlight; walking through the stalls, reading names and patting noses. Then we would watch the show, and cheer for maginficent animals jumping over rails, and baby horses pulling carts. But this year the Art Deco buliding of 1932 is closed to the public, diminished by midway rides and food booths.

Next we entered the modern Enercare Building. The Automotive Building, another beautiful Art Deco building from the past, is now hidden behind it, out of view. There are no sexy sports cars for us to sit in or huge house trailers to explore. Instead, this building is used as a ballroom for corporate events, while the Enercare building is pretty much a big shopping mall, with a few eye-catching floral fish designs near the entrance.

Then we walked through the Midway. It was just as we had remembered, with favourite games like Whack-A-Mole, Go Fishing, and RIng Toss. Many rides – the spinning teacups, the merry-go-round and the log flume – were the rides from our childhood. One new ride caught my attetion. It was a large Ferris Wheel roughly the same size as the one in Niagara Falls. I hopped on. The view from the top was OK, but it looked out over Ontario Place – a sad story for another day.

We made quick visits to other buildings we had remembered: the Queen Elizabeth Building which is now another shopping mall, and the Better Living Centre which did have some interesting displays about living off the land, conserving energy, eating naturally-grown products; lessons hard to ignore during these days of climate change visible across the country.

Then it was time to hit the Food Building. But, on our way, Peter spied a corn dog and decided that was adventurous enough for him. I picked up a slice of (cold) pizza and we ate at a picnic table – not exactly gourmet.

The Pure Foods Building, designed in 1922, is considered an Italianate architectural gem. it began as a place to promote agriculture and innovative food products. In the 1950’s, when we were kids, it was the place to go for free samples. Now it has become a giant Food Court, with offerings from around the world. We saw our Toronto population represented: ramen noodle bowls, shawarma, butter chicken, souvlaki, even K-Pop burgers, cooked alongside Kentucky Fried Chicken and pickle hot dogs.

We missed several activities featured at this year’s EX: a drone show starting after our bedtime, a gaming palace for which we have no skills, a Pink Floyd Exhibit we ignored because we could only remember one of their hit songs. We finished our tour with Goose On the Loose, artistic painting on several goose sculptures, all surrounding the Princess Margaret Fountain. This landmark meeting place was built in 1958 to commemorate the visit of Princess Margaret herself. From existing records, it seems that Margaret was the only Royal to officially visit the CNE. Many other dignitaries have chosen the Royal Agricultural Fair or the Queen’s/King’s Plate instead.

Finally we reached the Dufferin Gate, the west-most entrance/exit for the fair. Our day had been one of nostalgia, of remembering things the way they used to be. But there were lots of kids there – riding the roller coasters, clutching hard-won stuffies, eating cotton candy, and having the time of their lives.

Sue