200827 The Ex
August 27
It rained last night. This morning is a classic Toronto August morning. Humid to the point of dampness - cool but close, and hazy, reminding me of the Ex. The Canadian National Exhibition has been part of Toronto life since 1879, cancelled only during World War II, until this year. * The CNE of my childhood was a short-lived treasure of noisy shiny delights. Water poured like rain down the glass windows of the food building (does it still?) and sometimes it was raining, but it wasn't a food court then, it was a showcase of companies' signature products: everyone gave out samples : a tiny coke bottle, a drink of orange squash, a paper cup of Green Giant Corn Niblets. The Better Living Centre showed futuristic ovens, vacuums, and other Stepford-wives white-on-white breakthroughs. The Ex was rides, cotton candy, horses and a million blinking hot lights.
The Air Show delighted my father: engineer and wartime Air Force navigator, he awoke in us a love of machines - from oil trucks to airplanes. Now it is K and I who watch in awe the beautiful flying and the precision machines whose magnificent artistry is shamefully used for hate and harm.
K and I traditionally ride on the ferris wheel. (actually, whenever we encounter one - not just at the EX.)
Please contribute your favorite memories of The CNE.
Thank you for visiting. Keep Safe. Enjoy a slice of Chapman's vanilla ice cream between two toasted Eggo waffles. Eat a little bowl of corn niblets with a tiny spoon.
When I was six, our apartment building superintendent's wife took me and her son to the Ex for which we had been granted $1 each in spending money (this is 1962). As soon as we entered the grounds there was a big tent offering a live show with the Three Stooges. The Three Stooges live! Entry fee, $1. I desperately wanted to go. I begged and pleaded. Our adult chaperone wouldn't let me, reasoning that it would use my entire allowance for the day. It was a rational adult decision --but it frustrates me bitterly to this day.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Salem. This is a story such I am looking for. Some of our most poignant memories are from the Ex.
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