Labor Day

"Solidarity Sister!"

Monday. 8:30am. Headed out the door to meet up with Michelle at the Labor Day parade. She's part of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) and was walking in the Labor Day parade. I figured I'd join her as a union brother (member of the IATSE 667 camera union). I can't say walking in the parade was completely to show solidarity for my union brothers and sisters. One of the pluses for walking in the parade was that it ended at the Canadian National Exhibition (the CNE). To be more accurate inside the CNE.

Admission this year was $12. It's not a lot really but when I think about the hundreds of dollars I'm going to be spending on the upcoming dentist bills well let's just say I've gone into cheapo mode. And to think I was going to fork out a few hundred bucks to go camping this weekend. Well in the end I guess I'm glad that didn't work out.

The CNE, for me anyways, marks the end of the summer while at the same time allowing me to reminisce of my childhood and my past visits to the Ex. Although there's no money tree (for some reason that display fascinated me as a kid) or Bolivia watch tower any more and the food is no longer as big as my head, there's still the air show, the animals, and the traditional exhibition food. Corn Dogs, crystalized ginger, tiny tom donuts, 99 cent spagetti, ice cream waffle sandwiches to name a few.


Sitting upside down on the CNE loop ride.

The Midway, the part of the CNE that sports the rides and games of skill and chance, was pretty expensive this year. For example, going on the ferris wheel was 6 coupons. Each coupon was $1. You could fly a helicopter around Toronto for the price of five rides on the wheel. The skill section, with maybe the exception of the balloon bursting everyone wins game, was and always has been a black hole for me and my money. I suppose the whack a mole game would be the other odd exception. Although winning by going against kids aged between 8 and 11 hardly seems fair and I'd end up giving the tiny stuffed toy to them anyway. Stupid teary wide eyed kids.


The "Superdogs" show.

Note that this year was the first superdogs show we've managed to attend. Every other year the line up has been huge on a overwhelming scale or we arrived just in time to miss the last show. I'm glad I don't have kids. I'd probably end up having to get my kid a dog after seeing this show.


Building Toronto's City Hall.

Every year there seems to be some odd exhibt of something or other. Last year it was metal sculptures that could fit within the eye of a pin. This year a bunch of cards stacked together to make up famous structures. It's right up there with the butter sculture of Elvis and the Titanic colliding with an cheese iceberg. There was also a butter sculpture of the mouse with the human ear attached to it. In hindsight I should have taken a picture of it as it was totally bizzare.


The Euroslide

And so ends another summer in Toronto. The sun will start setting earlier, the nights will get colder and soon the Christmas season will be upon us.