Exhibition back in full swing

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This article was published 19/06/2023 (1016 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nikki Brisebois plunged with her eyes closed.

Behind her, Alex Owens-Ceretti took the brunt of the splashing. Someone has to, on these log rides.

“I just get put (back) there,” Owens-Ceretti said, fresh off round two at Niagara Falls — or the Red River Ex’s version of it. “I’m scared to sit in the front — then you see straight down.”

It’s why Brisebois, her aunt, takes the front of the log ride. Brisebois closes her eyes and lets out “a shorter scream, and then it’s a longer scream” when encountering the ride’s two watery drops.

Still, they and Nick Owens-Ceretti chose to take the plunges; it was on their to-do list at the Red River Ex this year, and a way to beat the heat.

The annual fair is back — ramping up to full operations for the first time since COVID-19 struck, said Garth Rogerson, the Red River Exhibition Association’s CEO.

The decades-old fair is, to some, associated with rain. However, the mercury is expected to climb above 25 C without rain (and with) several times this week, Environment Canada’s forecast shows.

“We… have heaters in the back, patio heaters, that we can pull out if we have to, but I don’t think we’ll be needing those this year,” Rogerson said, laughing.

Instead, fairgoers might search for the air-conditioned Exhibition Place building, the spray tunnel in the kid’s section or the shaded canopies with picnic benches.

“The outdoor event business has its ups and downs, but we take each day as it comes and adjust accordingly,” Rogerson said.

There’s a first aid station on site, plus eight paramedics and an ambulance, he added.

John Reeder’s backpack full of water bottles passed security Sunday. Reeder sat with it and Archie Sturgeon, 6, under a tent after tackling the giant swings.

“What’s your favourite ride, Archie? Was it Niagara Falls? The one you went down four times?” Reeder asked.

Sturgeon shrugged. There were many more rides to go on.

A short walk away, Shea Raeside made lemonade for passersby, hustling in her green tent.

“With the heat, I mean, it’s good for lemonade sales, so I can’t really complain,” said the worker, a Main Squeeze cup beside her.

Last year’s fair was incredibly busy, and Raeside is bracing for a drop in sales this year, she said.

“We’re hoping it’s going to be relatively the same,” she added.

The fair’s online sales are up 30 per cent compared to last year, said Rogerson. However, he’s waiting until the 10-day event ends before making judgments on attendance.

He didn’t have numbers to provide midday Sunday, the fair’s third day open in 2023.

“The cameras are working well,” he noted. “We’ve got… roaming teams out patrolling.”

Rogerson previously told the Free Press the Red River Ex has nearly doubled its security budget this year — upping the budget to almost $300,000 from $150,000. The move comes after a 2022 shooting which ended with two boys in hospital.

A teen was considered to be in critical condition before being upgraded to stable; an 11-year-old was struck by a bullet in the buttocks.

On Sunday, security guards searched through bags at entry points.

“We really do have to get those metal detectors going and search bags and such. It’s just a requirement today,” Rogerson said. “So far it’s been great, no issues, and hopefully we can continue that way.”

Dave Carroll visits the Red River Ex annually. He cooled down on Sunday with a cherry slushie.

“It’s about the kids,” Carroll, 41, said on Father’s Day.

It’s about the kids at heart, too, noted Carroll — he was ready for the ferris wheel.

“I get to relive my childhood. It’s amazing,” he said, slushie in hand.

The Red River Ex will operate through June 25. More than 200,000 people could visit the fair grounds on a given day, Rogerson told the Free Press earlier in the month.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com