THUNDER BAY – The 42nd annual Westfort Street Fair will be held on Saturday on Frederica Street.
Aaron Gillingham, owner/operator of The Sal restaurant, said this will be a huge outdoor fair with something for everyone.
“We shut down all of Frederica. It's a very kid friendly event. We have bouncy castles, face painting, a petting zoo. We have the Scotties Tournament of Hearts doing a curling exhibit for kids.
“We have games up and down the street. We have live entertainment, beer gardens and the Shriners' train,” he said.
Gillingham said live music will pause between 1 and 2 p.m. while a hotdog eating contest and a hot pepper eating contest take place.
“Heartbeat Hot Sauce and Westfort Foods teamed up to put this on. We've been talking about doing a food competition for many years. This is our first year doing the hot dog one.
“We have a list of competitors that are going to be putting back dogs for five minutes up on the stage. It's going to be a wild show.
“Then the hot pepper eating contest, which we did last year and it was quite a spectacle. We have another list of contestants that are taking part in it. Last year, no one made it to the end,” he said.
The team at Heartbeat Hot Sauce has put a lot of planning to make this contest "super cool," Gillingham said.
“It's going to be a wicked show.”
He said even after 42 years, many people circle this event on their calendar.
“Westfort loves this event and the event loves Westfort. We get five to 10 thousand people every year. It's crazy on the street mid afternoon.
“All of the Westfort businesses have great sales and deals, and we have a record number of vendors this year."
This will be a huge event, he said, with 95 vendors.
“It's something at the end of the summer that I think everyone in the community looks forward to. We're all pumped up for it. “
Patrons are encouraged to park on neighbouring streets.
“Wear comfy footwear because you're going to be walking up and down the street.
“It's going to be hot – get ready for a fun day.”
Gillingham said lots of businesses operate cash only.
“It's up to their discretion. It’s hard to find an ATM once you're here and once you're here you're not going to want to leave,” he said.
The event is free and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 17.
