The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition, or, as we know it, the CLE, opens up at noon on Wednesday!
The rides have been set up since last week, giving us a look at what’s to come when we get our wristbands and begin the adventure. I don’t think it’s just kids that feel that magic walking through the gates. The air hits you first, a sweet mixture of freshly spun colourful cotton candy and the rich scent of fries, all of it. I always had to have the cotton candy. And, of course, I couldn’t leave without picking up a slab of fudge for Mom. She LOVED fudge.
I really loved playing the games of chance. Among the sea of ring-tosses and dart throws, one game had my attention….the classic water gun race. Sitting on those worn metal stools, aiming a steady stream of water directly into the target while watching my balloon expand was so exciting! Then, the POP! as the balloon burst, the whistle blew, and victory was mine. Winning that giant plush prize wasn’t just about the toy, it was about the glory of the competition.
Ride preferences, however, have a way of changing over time. As a kid, the Super Himalaya was the ride I always looked forward to. Flying in circles while the operator blasted music, the combination was exhilarating. Coming back as an adult, though, that same intense rotation hits a little differently. It just doesn’t draw me to it anymore. Well, none of the rides do. But…I do love to see the people I’m at the fair with on the rides, the joy in their faces, the laughter as they begin the ride and joke with each other about what might happen on the ride. And then the stories of what we didn’t see while they were hurled through, or spun in circles in the air.
It’s the noise of so many having an absolute blast, blended with the hum of the generator engines and the carnival music, the far-off screams of joy from high-speed rides, mixed with real, unfiltered laughter echoing down the midway lanes. These are the sounds that instantly brings you back, regardless of how many years have passed.
As day turns to dusk, the fairgrounds undergo their best transformation. The bright sky softens into evening, giving way to the brilliant, blinding glow of thousands of carnival lights reflecting against the summer night. The Ferris wheel spins like towering wheels of neon, and the whole midway comes alive with an unbeatable energy.
Then, after the games, rides and snacks, time to find a spot to enjoy the bands. Nick Gilder and Sweeney Todd, Glass Tiger, Trooper, Harlequin, Streetheart, Kim Mitchell, The Northern Pikes, 54-40, Prism and more have entertained us over the years. And the nightly cash draws! There were a lot of things that kept us at the fair until the very end of the night.
Ultimately, what keeps the CLE so deeply rooted in the heart of Thunder Bay isn’t just the games, the treats, or the lights—it’s the people you share it with. Whether it was running around with childhood friends, gripping a paper cone of cotton candy, or walking through the evening light with family, the exhibition is a living scrapbook of connection. It’s where generations overlap, traditions are passed along, and summer memories are made to last long after the carnival lights turn off.
