Let's Go to the EX!
C-N-E
C-N-E
C-N-E
C-N-E
It's the EX!
Well, you can rock it, you can roll it
You can fly it, you can stroll it
At the EX!
Hey, you can flip it, you can dip it
You can munch it, you can sip it
At the EX!
Come to the Exhibition it's a great tradition
It's the EX!
Well, let's go to the EX!
(Oh, Baby)
Let's go to the EX!
So much at the EX!
(Oh, Baby)
Let's go to the EX!
So much to see for the whole family
At the EX!
Let's go to the EX!
(Oh, Baby)
Let's go to the EX!
So much at the EX!
(Oh, Baby)
Let's go to the EX!
So much to see, the CNE
It's the EX!
This ad was always on TV when I was a kid, just as summer was ending and school was about to start; a rally-crying-earworm for one last adventure before another vacation was done for good. My family didn't live especially close to Toronto (even if my Dad commuted there for work every day), so we didn't drive into the city for too many adventures (and especially since my Dad was forced to make that drive every work day; going in on a weekend was no treat for him), so it was pretty shocking the one year he suggested we go to the EX. All I really remember from that day was how annoyed and impatient Dad was with the whole thing - there were too many people in the crowd, the whole thing cost too much - and while anyone could have predicted that the day would be a disaster, I remember leaving the CNE feeling responsible for my father's terrible mood; as though we kids (who knew better than to ever ask for anything) had gone too far this time. That was some time in the late 70's, and I honestly don't remember if Dad ever again joined us on a family day out. This experience has definitely shaped my feelings about the EX: while we don't live particularly close to Toronto, Dave and I have taken the girls into the city for plenty of adventures; but we never took them to the EX before yesterday.
And we probably wouldn't have even gone yesterday if Mallory hadn't won four entry/ride-all-day passes in a radio station call-in contest, but I'm so glad we did. The crowds weren't so bad, the lines for the rides weren't so long; sure, the food was expensive, but where else are you going to find deep fried spaghetti donut balls? Or a turkey and cranberry sandwich between waffles made of stuffing? It may have cost $40 (plus tip) for four drinks in the beer tent, but we got in to the EX for free, and what's better than having adult daughters who want to hang out with us for the day? Dropping a bit of money on the food and drink seems to me a small price to pay for a family adventure, and I'd do it every weekend if I got to continue hanging out with my remarkable daughters.
As an addendum: I read in the paper last week that there is a growing movement to ban the airshow that has been a tradition at the CNE for the past sixty-some years. According to the progressives' tweets, not only is the waste of jet fuel indefensible in the face of climate change, but more urgently, with so many war-fleeing refugees now relocated in downtown Toronto, they will be presumably triggered by the sounds of low-flying jets and that can't be supported in the name of "enjoyment" for some. I was taken aback by this line of thought (and silently agreed with those who commented that any refugee who has relocated to Toronto ought to cheer the sound of those jets as the line of defense that will protect them from future harm), so when we were out for dinner the other night, I asked Kennedy what she thought about it. She agreed that if the jets are scaring refugees, the airshow ought to be cancelled. Full stop. No debate. And then she said, "But that's easy for me to say because I don't care about airshows." Now, as Kennedy does love the fireworks on Canada Day, I asked her what she would think if a group tried to ban fireworks, as they would presumably also be frightening to those who have fled a war zone. And Kennedy replied, "Then ban them, too." I asked if she really meant that the will of thirty-five million Canadians should be subject to the fears of a hundred thousand who we have recently, and generously, welcomed into our country, and she said a definitive, "Yes." I could only shake my head - in wonder at that huge, if misguided, heart - and say, "Canada is one of a handful of countries that I would choose to live in. I understand that patriotism and nationalism are passé, but the idea of Canada is worth fighting for. And that takes people protecting our traditions. Newcomers don't get to change those traditions." Kennedy could only shrug (presumably at my old-fashioned and conservative thinking).
So, it was interesting to be driving into Toronto yesterday, and as we passed the airport in Mississauga, we could see the jets taking off and heading for the harbourfront and the airshow - and that was cool because each jet would launch and then do a barrel roll as it raced across the sky. As we drove along Lakeshore, every bit of park and grassy verge was crowded with people in chairs and on picnic blankets, enjoying the spectacle with their families. And as we opened the sunroof to enjoy it ourselves - Dave wasn't driving, so he was craning this way and that to see everything from the back seat - I thought, "This seems a tradition worth protecting." And yet: When we were walking around the CNE grounds later and another wave of jets blasted across the sky above us, low and in formation, the sound was overwhelming and, yes, frightening. I turned to Kennedy and said, "This must be terrifying for the refugees." And she nodded wisely. Oh, how I love these girls.
