THUNDER BAY – The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition Fair is up and running and it didn’t take long for the crowds to start pouring through the gates.
Teens Abby Thompson and Farrah O’Neill were among the throng who descended on the CLE grounds in Thunder Bay’s Intercity area, eager to join in the fun.
Both had their eyes on one thing.
“My favourite part about coming out here is definitely the rides,” Thompson said.
“I really like the Ring of Fire. It’s crazy.”
O’Neill was equally excited about the chance to throw caution to the wind on a thrill-seeking ride.
“The reason I like coming here is I like to spend time with my family, and obviously the rides, too,” she said.
“I think that the main reason a lot of people come here, for the rides. I think they’re all good, they’re all fun.”
Savannah Bonear, 5, said she was hoping to test out one certain ride in particular.
“I like the bumper cars, because they bump into each other,” she said.
Her cousin, Jackon Bonear is also a big fan of the bumper cars.
“I like the bumper cars and driving, and the star ship at night,” he said.
Fifteen-year-old Hayden Chepsiuk was making her second straight appearance at the CLE, and like O’Neill and Thompson, it’s the rides that draws her to the fair.
“I like trying out the different rides I haven’t tried before, and the food, obviously.”
The food is definitely a highlight of the fair, and with five new booths, including Indian and Jamaican-inspired cuisine, to go along with traditional favourites like ice cream, popcorn and elephant ears, and another big reason tens of thousands of visitors take part in the fair each August, now in its 134th year.
The CLE’s Judy Anderson said it’s a lot of work putting the CLE on, but it’s worth it. Opening day is always a thrill, she added.
“It’s wonderful to get it off the ground, because it is an awful lot of work. We started a year ago,” Anderson said.
“The drawing card is mainly the rides. The rides come once a year. I think that’s the main thing. Then of course you come for the food and all the vendors that are here.”
There's also agriculutural exhibits and the games of chance that get people going.
And then there’s the entertainment.
Starting with Lee Aaron on Wednesday night, the five-day event will feature Doug and the Slugs, Haywire, Nick Gilder and Sweeney Todd, and Destroyer, a Kiss Tribute act to close out the show on Sunday night.
Tracey Larocque, a director on the board of the CLE, said it’s all about people of all ages having fun.
“I love to see the people here,” she said.
There’s a little something for everyone throughout the day, and the evening brings out the party atmosphere.
“The six o’clock tickets to the midnight tickets, we’re going to see people who are just coming here for the entertainment at night. But they’ll walk around, they’ll come early, grab some food. And then they’re here for the bands,” Larocque said.
Tickets for the CLE are available at the gate. Entry to the grounds it $15 for adults and $10 for children five to 12. Children four and under are free. A combo CLE and SilverCity admission fee is $20. Midway ride passes are $45 and are good from noon to 6 p.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight.
