THUNDER BAY – A summertime staple for Northwestern Ontario marked its return Wednesday, as the first of thousands of attendees streamed onto the Canadian Lakehead Exhibitions grounds.
The CLE is the largest fair in Northwestern Ontario, drawing tens of thousands of visitors from across the region, and dates back to 1890.
The fair features around 40 rides, a variety of food and vendor booths, and activities including an agricultural show.
CLE chair Basil Lychowyd was thrilled to have blue skies and a healthy early-bird crowd Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “We put a lot of time in all year planning this thing. There’s still things to do and button up, but it’s looking good – the weather is good today, and hopefully [in the days] to come.”
Lychowyd also encouraged attendees to go beyond the usual stars of the show – the rides, concerts, and food – to check out other activities on-site.
“We’re not only rides and entertainment, we’ve got stuff going on in the Heritage Building, we have an agricultural display,” he said. “There’s a little horse, there’s chicks that have just been hatched – it’s something to go see when you want to cool off.”
He also highlighted the availability of children’s indoor activities and creative arts programming.
Lychowyd said based on strong advance ticket sales, organizers believe attendance could roughly match or even top last year’s record turnout, pegged at well over 70,000 people.
Jeremiah, 11, already had several rides under his belt shortly after the fair opened at noon.
He called the CLE “the best place to be” over the coming days and an event he looks forward to each summer.
Asked for a favourite ride, he said it “definitely has to be the YoYo – you go so high in the air and it’s just so fun.”
Attendee Kelly Morriseau said the appeal of the fair hadn’t dimmed after coming each year for decades, partly thanks to the chance to share the experience with the next generation.
“This is a great family event, we look forward to it,” she said. “With COVID being over, it’s absolutely a great time to get out.”