| Canadian National Exhibition | |
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The CNE on August 31,
2008
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| Location(s) | Toronto, Ontario |
| Years active | 130 |
| Date(s) | mid-August to Labour Day |
| Genre | Agricultural and entertainment |
| Attendance | 1.3 million |
| Website | The Canadian National Exhibition |
Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), aka The Ex, is an annual event held at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The CNE grew out of an annual late summer fair at a time when Toronto was the centre of a farming community. It is Canada's largest fair and the fourth largest in North America, with an average annual attendance of 1.3 million.[1]
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Prior to the CNE, a major agricultural fair was held in a different city every year in the province of Ontario. In 1878, Toronto hosted the fair, and it was a major success with over 100,000 visitors. Based on the success, local politicians and business groups lobbied for a permanent summer fair to be held yearly in Toronto. This was fought by other Ontario communities that feared the loss of business from having to compete with a major fair. The travelling fair allowed rural communities to get exposure that they would not normally have had.
The Toronto operators won and the first 'permanent' fair was held in 1879 as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition at what is now Exhibition Place. The current grounds from the Gardiner Expressway (north end), to Lake Shore Boulevard (south end), and from Strachan Avenue (east end), to the Dominion Gates (west end), Exhibition Place covers 196.6 acres (0.796 km2) of land. During the CNE, when all parking areas are included, such as the Gore Lot, Marilyn Bell Park, Coronation Park and Battery Park, the size of Exhibition Place swells to 260 acres (1.1 km2).
In 1937 Patty Conklin of Conklin Shows was awarded the contract for the CNE midway and his company continued to provide this service to the CNE until 2004, at which point it merged with other leading midway operators to form North American Midway Entertainment (NAME). But before "Patty" Conklin became popular Thomas and Doris Green lent him money to start up his amusement venture. The Green's had been successful and members of the Showman Club for years owning and operating carnivals in California, Florida and introducing Cotton Candy and Ice cream on a stick dipped in chocolate to the Ex. After Doris Green died it was realized that "Patty" Conklin had never repaid the debt to Thomas nor Doris and years had already passed. The eldest grandson Jim Green (and wife Karen) of Doris and Thomas Green still have a cotton candy machine from their business that they use regularly for birthday parties, church events etc. The Green family continues to visit the Ex each and every year as a family and enjoy what the Ex has to offer now that they do not have stands on the midway since 1980s.
The CNE was not held between 1942 and 1946, when the land and its facilities were turned over to the Department of National Defence as a training ground. After World War II, it was used as a demobilization centre.
On August 22, 1952 at 2:30 PM local time, The CBC tested television broadcasting by airing the opening of the 73rd Canadian National Exhibition. This was the first ever (unofficial) broadcast in Canadian television history.
Over the years the CNE has changed extensively to meet the needs of the growing and changing demographics of Toronto and Southern Ontario.
The CNE resumed in 1947, as the Canadian military returned the grounds back to its civilian administrators. Soon, the CNE turned away from a provincial, agricultural focus, and moved towards an increasingly modern, cosmopolitan look and feel.
Having celebrated its 125th anniversary in the summer of 2003 (even though hampered by the 2003 blackout), "The Ex" - as it is also popularly known — offers a wide variety of entertainment and events, midway rides, a working farm, parades, sports, international food and shopping, Kids' World and a three-day air show, Canadian International Air Show. The CNE is a provincially incorporated Agricultural Society and also fulfills a key program of Exhibition Place, a local board of management of the City of Toronto. The fair traditionally operates during the last 18 days of summer leading up to and including Labour Day Monday (the first Monday in September).
In the 1990s the annual fair suffered from deficits, but since 1999 it appears to have rebounded in popularity and has returned to financial stability. A 2003 Economic Impact Study conducted by Festivals and Events Ontario and the Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership (OTMP) revealed that the CNE attracted more than $48 million to the City of Toronto and more than $66 million to the province of Ontario.
Current CNE programs include: Human Cannonball, Aerial Acrobatics & Ice Skating Show, President's Choice SuperDogs Show, Kids' World, Kiddie Midway, Junior & Senior Rising Star Youth Talent Competition, Horse Show, The Garden Show, Ken Jen Petting Zoo, Doo Doo the Clown, costume characters, The Farm, rock sculptures, butter sculptures, sand sculptures, daily Mardi Gras parade, the Food Building and SportZone.
There was a tradition of interpreting the CNE acronym as Canadian National Exposition in advertising directed at the US market. The justification was that the term Exhibition implied something small and inconsequential to American ears.
Coordinates: 43°38′0″N 79°25′0″W / 43.633333°N 79.416667°W
   | The Canadian National Exhibition - TheEx.com :: Home |
| | Exhibition Place & CNE Archives - Exhibition Place & CNE Archives |
| | Fort Rouille Monument - Fort Rouille Monument (History/Archives: Virtual Walking Tour) |
| | Scadding Cabin - Archives - Virtual Walking Tour |
| | Streetcars to the Exhibition, ''Transit Toronto'' - Streetcars to the Exhibition (Routes 521, 522 and More) - Transit Toronto - Content |
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