The first rainy day of the summer marks the opening of the PNE. That used to be a local truism. But it wasn’t backed by statistics; it was purely anecdotal. But why let facts get in the way of a good story?
It began in 1907 as the Vancouver Exhibition Association and organized its first fair at Hastings Park in 1910. It was renamed the Pacific National Exhibition, the PNE, in 1946.
The opening of the PNE always signalled the end of summer holidays. The annual fair ends on the Labour Day weekend, and the next day is traditionally the first day of school. Good-bye summer!
There have been many changes to the fair over the years, and I like to remember the good old days when I got my free pass that was handed out on the last day of school, which allowed school kids free admission to the fair. My parents would never go on that day as it was so busy.
I have to admit, I haven’t attended the fair for many years. “What’s the matter?” You may ask, “You don’t like the PNE?” I'm not happy what’s happened over the years.
The fair started with a huge parade in downtown Vancouver. There were floats, marching bands and community groups. That's stopped in 1995! I really lost interest in the PNE fair when they took down all the buildings. The Show Mart, Modern Living, and Pure Foods buildings. They’re gone now, taken down in the late 1990’s. We would always pay a visit to the giant Challenger relief map. A 6,000 square foot map of British Columbia. It was a must-see every year. The map was removed at one point, but stored away, and I believe it has made a return appearance. I also remember the vendors that demonstrated new gadgets, that's what I enjoyed.
My dad always bought tickets to "win car, win a house". When I was a child my mom would let me stay up and we would listen to CKNW at 11 PM to hear who won the car they gave away to a lucky ticket holder every night of the fair. One year after our day at the fair the announcer said "ART" and we all gasped as that was my dad's first name, but it was Art Crosby and we knew the family as they went to our church! They won a car and we were thrilled.
Maybe we will go back but the weather right now is too hot. I better order my tickets for "win a car, win a house" as you can now buy them online and I still get them every year. The house is in Langley this year, a lovely community! They now have a 50/50 to win for another $10.00. The proceeds from the tickets goes to help the PNE with their expenses year round and they have huge expenses. If you haven't got your tickets here's the link: https://pneprizehome.ca/
