THUNDER BAY - The annual summer family fair has become a summer staple in Thunder Bay, even for families who no longer live in the city.
“We’ve been coming since my daughter Grace was little,” said Kelvin Prosyk. “It’s about five years now. We come all the way from Ottawa to go to the fair and to visit my parents.”
The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition officially kicked off the 127th year of its Family Fair on Wednesday. The five-day fair runs from noon to midnight every day and will finish on Sunday with a fireworks display to honour Canada’s 150th anniversary.
The fair includes all the favorites, including games, food, cooking demonstrations, creative arts, vendors, live entertainment, and of course, rides.
Fair chair, Basil Lychowyd, said every year the CLE draws in tens of thousands of people.
“Typically, if the weather is good, we probably get 60,000 plus people,” he said.
It was cloudy with some early morning showers on Wednesday, but early afternoon the sun started to appear through the clouds as people began coming through the gates.
“I checked the forecast this morning,” Lychowyd said. “It was calling for rain, but now it’s given us a window of opportunity and people are coming out. It looks great.”
The forecast is calling for an 80 per cent chance of light rain tomorrow afternoon, but the rest of the weekend is calling for sunny skies.
Luckily for Prosyk, eight-year-old daughter, Grace, and nephew Cayman Andrews, the afternoon turned out great and the fair is always part of the trip back home.
“It’s a perfect size,” Prosyk said. “It’s got the right combination of scary adult rides for the older cousins or nephews, but it’s also good for the young ones. In Southern Ontario you’ve got maybe bigger attractions, but the line ups are long and it’s busier. This is just the perfect size.”
So far, Prosyk said he has been able to keep up with the kids, going on some rides himself. But it’s not easy when the kids have so many favourites.
“Over the past years, my favourite part, my favourite ride has to be the tilt-a-whirl,” Cayman said.
Cayman and Grace also enjoyed the slide, even if the first run didn’t quite work out for Cayman.
“It was pretty good,” he said. “But I put the rug on the wrong side, so there was quite a bit of resistance.”
Cayman may just need a lesson or two from his cousin, Grace.
“My favourite ride was the Ferris wheel and this slide,” she said. “It’s really slippery.”
For eight-year-old Dani McMillan, the best part has been the fun house and its twisting stairs. And while the rides are always a fun time, the CLE is about more than twisting and twirling in the air.
“I like it because you can make lots of friends on the roller coasters,” Dani said.
The CLE continues Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from noon to midnight.
