Red River Ex welcomes blue skies

After a dreary and cool Friday and Saturday, eager fairgoers like Charlene McCarthy and her kids lined up in droves to get into the Red River Exhibition on Sunday.

“We were going to come yesterday, but the weather wasn’t looking too good, so we switched to today,” said McCarthy, a 43-year-old mom, after she and her nine-year-old son, 12-year-old daughter and a friend of her daughter’s got off a roller coaster at the bustling fairgrounds on Sunday afternoon.

McCarthy said she brings her family out to the Ex, which opened on Friday evening and runs until June 21, every summer.

“I just have so many fun memories from when I was kid, so I just want to make sure that the kids get to enjoy it,” said McCarthy, before the group went to line up for the swinging pirate ship ride at the bustling fair.

The Ex gave free entry from noon to 1 p.m. on Sunday and chief executive officer Garth Rogerson said it appears several thousand people came to get in without having to pay up.

Good news, after the poor weather earlier in the weekend kept the number of attendees down, though Rogerson said it was still “a great crowd.”

He said 2,236 people came through the gates in the first hour of opening on Friday — entry was free for the first hour — even though it was raining.

But the sunny skies on Sunday warmed Rogerson’s heart, he said.

“Being an outdoor event, we’re always dependent on the weather, so days like today, where it’s not too hot, it’s sunny, beautiful, that’s ideal fair weather, that’s what we look for every day,” he said.

“I think today will be busy.”

Attendees tend to spend less these days amid economic woes, said Rogerson, so free entry periods like on Friday and Sunday are a big draw.

“We’re seeing the impact of the economy, so these free days… are important, where people can come out and enjoy the fair without spending any money,” said Rogerson.

“Those kinds of opportunities for the community are important, because a lot of people are excluded from participating in events because they can’t afford it.”

The fair is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and features 49 midway rides and around 60 food vendors, plus a slew of events, including musical acts, an art show, chainsaw carving, mechanical bull riding, wrestling, dog shows and a petting zoo, among other attractions.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca