Day 248 – A day at the PNE

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September 4, 2016 – Today the clouds parted and the temperature came up nicely, which made it a perfect day to head to the PNE at opening and take the opportunity to see some of the attractions before the crowds became more than I could bear.

First stop was, as it always is, the animal barns. The goats are the main reason I head into the barns. I have no idea why I love goats so much, but I always have.

I used to collect all of the pea pods and other garden scraps after a day of harvest at Grandma and Grandpa’s orchard, and I’d cross the alfalfa fields with my bucket to the neighbour’s – Weidinger’s (I probably butchered the spelling) – to feed them to the goats.

I had a friend out of Prince George who lived on acreage, and she had goats. I always had trouble figuring out which private road to turn down, but the goats were often tied out to feed on the scrub and if I came around a corner and saw them, I knew where I was. I also often had to shoo them off the running boards of the truck so I could continue on, but it was always fun to see them.

And now, when I go to the PNE, I need to have a little “goat time” before I can move on to see, hear, and smell the sensory overload that is The Fair.

In addition to the goats, I love seeing the cattle, the horses, and it was interesting to see a buffalo there this year. Bunnies, newly hatched chicks, young calves, sheep, ducks, pigs…. But there are so few compared to even just ten years ago. Now they are there for novelty, to introduce people to the animals. There used to be scores of call ducks, Indian Runner ducks, fancy pigeons, fancy rabbits of all sizes and breeds….all there for judging.

Those days are gone and the token animals are probably merely to show city raised people what they are.

After the critter visits we wandered the Fair and entertained ourselves looking through the Prize Home, perused the Marketplace and listened to the sales pitches telling us how this or that product would change our lives, looked over all the crazy fair food that seems designed to kill you – deep fried tequila shots, a hotdog stuffed inside a dill pickle all rolled in corn dog breading and then deep fried and presented on a stick, deep fried coffee shots, deep fried oreo cookies, and at least a half dozen mini-donut trucks.

We stopped for a beer and listened to some Jazz music. And then we found ourselves seats and enjoyed the Superdogs for a half hour.

A wander into the midway brought back long forgotten memories of being a kid and trying to win huge stuffed things that we never really wanted. All the same old games. The ring toss, the Whack-a-mole, the horserace, it’s amazing how some things change and others stay the same.

We looked up into the sky at the rides, but the lineups were daunting by that point, so we amused ourselves with watching; the sedate ferris wheel and stark contrast to the spinning Atmosfear high above us.

And always, the old wooden roller coaster ….. the first roller coaster I ever rode, at about age ten, and when I rode it again at 20, it still scared me, just for a different reason. As an adult I comprehended that this thing was old and rickety and made of wood nailed and bolted together…. Built in 1958, it bumps its way up to the top of the wooden structure before hurtling down and around dips and curves at a healthy clip of over 75km/hr.

And then we looked down the Fair and realized that it had filled, seemingly to capacity, though people were still pouring in the gates.

It was time to go.

I just don’t do crowds well.

The animals are fewer, the demolition derby is long gone, the harvest displays are history, and the old giant map has been retired. There isn’t as much to see and do, and that makes me a bit nostalgic for the old hey-days of the Fair.

But it was still a fun visit to the PNE. Just…different than it used to be.