The History of the CNE

Old Toronto Series & Architectural Conservancy of Ontario(Toronto) Present: The History of the Canadian National Exhibition.
Donate to Old Toronto Series: bit.ly/3fD3551
www.oldtorontos...
www.acotoronto.ca
Hosted, researched, filmed, scored by: Morgan Cameron Ross

[@SilentKnight43]

I remember the Dominion skyway that went over the midway area. Lots of fond memories of concerts at Exhibition Stadium over the years. And as a young girl my mother lived just north of Dufferin gates and she helped park cars on the lawn of my grandparent's large property on Tyndall Ave. for a nickel.

[@elid3906]

Nice story👍🏼 the sky ride must have been re named THE ALPINE‼️

[@larrysepicmovies5044]

My Mother took me to the ROY ROGERS Western Show at the grandstand in 1957. Great days gone by.

[@wandaarnt234]

Loved Roy & Dale

[@johnandrick64]

Yes, "Tiny Tim" doughnuts were also a favourite of mine, especially as a youth !

[@racewest11]

I'll be there for Toronto Indy this year. Great video!

[@melodykim425]

Just started watching all these excellent videos highlighting the history and architecture of Toronto. I love seeing scenes from my childhood and teen years. When I go to the Ex these days it feels so commercial. There used to be more community focus... displays and competitions of student art and music. Wouldn’t it be great for students and for the reputation of the CNE to revive some of those events? Revive the old country fair aspect with competitions for quilting, wood carving, crochet, painting etc.

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Thanks!

[@rickyrickardo8347]

The highlight for me every year was the Hell Drivers.

[@sunpointstudio4472]

I worked at a confection stand for a couple of years by the bathurst gate. This was when the CN tower was just being constructed. I remember the Flyer and I used to like the Wild Mouse (with the cars that seemed to go right off the rails on every curve). I'd really like to see an episode on the RC Harris filtration plant which was at the bottom of my street (Courcelette Rd.) This was/is a really iconic building. I remember taking a tour and seeing the controls not on metal or wooden panels, but built into marble panels. We could tell people that the building was anything from a laboratory to an asylum to a penitentiary, and they'd believe it simply because of it's extraordinary neo-gothic architecture. It's even been used in numerous films.

[@Fibr3Optix]

This is well done but you missed the Air Show on the last weekend of the fair and that the Hockey Hall of fame was originally housed at the EX before moving to Front and Bay.

[@grantchow13]

Been going to the CNE since 1976. Back then at the end of the school year, we would get a free ticket/pass and coupon booklet for food specials for the EX. We could spend the day on $8.00 including rides,food and a souvenir. Could go to the food building and get a 7-up for 7 cents. Spaghetti for 10 cents,hotdogs,pizza slices for a quarter, chips,chocolate bars and ice cream from 10-25 cents. A book of rides tickets from 2.50,and penny candy slot machines The hi light was going to old hockey hall of fames across from the food building.

[@atthespeedofshadow7784]

I've been digging deep into the mud flood subject for the past year and early on in my research I had some faint memories of a visit to the CNE grounds as a child and out of place vibes from the architecture. An energy. Your video confirmed my feelings, CNE and other parts of old Toronto are mud flood relics. I'm remembering an article from a Hamilton Ontario news paper that covered the loss of a obelisk about 500-1000M off of the Hamilton/Burlington coast (Lake Ontario) It was said that for many years since the area was settled (present day golden horseshoe, before the 'golden') that locals would paddle out to it on calm summer days and moor their row boats to it while they took in the sights and had pic nicks. It toppled over into the lake during a November storm, 1899 i believe. Apparently ;) Now I wonder if they pushed it over on purpose. I'll never forget the CNE visit. ( about 5 years old, 1991) I had a special feeling that day/night. A energy of sorts that I haven't really ever felt again, I don't think. Thanks for the awesome video!

[@gulfy09]

Same here lots of buildings were already built long before. His story. History is a big lie

[@gregoryworth84]

Music Building? G.W. Gouinlock's 1907 Railways Building on Manitoba Drive.

[@OutOnTheTiles]

You are just so good at this. Thank you so much for all this great info about my hometown.✌️❤️🇨🇦

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Thanks! Make sure to checkout our Old Canada Series too

[@m.6343]

I love CNE. I love everything about CNE. I just found out that CNE needs to be saved because of pandemic. There was a petition I found on google and filled it and submit right on line. very easy and simple. Everyone can do that if you care. If you love CNE as much as I do.

[@NoName-vx6up]

It no longer needs saving considering the crowds it had the past season. It was a mad house on each of the days I went. I spoke to some long-time workers there, and they said they've never seen crowds like that there - ever. I don't care of the negative comments some say as it's a yearly pilgrimage for me, since I went as a kid, on dates, worked there, and now enjoy it for the nostalgia and curiosity.

[@scorpisces182]

amazing work putting this together!

[@OldTorontoSeries]

:)

[@wetcanoedogs]

my dad lived in TO back in the 20's and 30's. we went to the X in the 50's/early 60's. after the family moved to lewiston ny.we took a ferry over and back.he always said when he was a kid you could go home with bags of free samples,he really liked the small loafs of all sorts of bread.

[@leanderrowe2800]

Thank you for the history. I wish CNE can stay open for the whole July and August while schools are closed.

[@larrysincredibletrailers2213]

You didn't mention the STOCK CAR races at the grandstand, I went there every Sat nite and watched 40+ cars race on the 1/3 (lop sided) oval. Great memories.

[@RedroomStudios]

as a young child in the early 1970's I was obsessed with the clock tower. think its an absolute crime they took that down for the crappy Indy race. they could have at least moved and reconstructed it. that gave the CNE so much of its character.

[@RPRIMICI]

- 1882 - Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto becomes the first fair in the world to be lit by electricity.

[@buzzcutapp]

East of Dufferin* North of Lakeshore*

[@superx9619]

Great video!

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Thanks!

[@andywood5699]

The Flyer shook. I loved it and you had to get on and off quickly.

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Gotta love the old scary coasters. Vancouver still has theirs.

[@SilentKnight43]

@@OldTorontoSeries Rode the Flyer many times as a kid....I also remember the 'Ghoster Coaster' wooden coaster at Canada's Wonderland...and the Comet at Crystal Beach.

[@chosenideahandle]

Thinking it was going to collapse was the scariest part of riding it! So many fun memories. You felt like you were gaining weight just breathing the air from everything fried you could imagine.

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Jimi Hendrix played the CNE Bandstand .

[@thefozzybear]

Who here misses The Ex during the pandemic?

[@tertur2957]

The CNE has been in steady decline for years. The Shell tower, the flyer, the grandstand shows, the alpine ride, all dismantled a piece at a time. Please, someone but this old girl out of its misery and just let us have fond memories of days gone by.

[@rogerfournier3284]

Excellant content.

[@linadiaz7101]

Wonderful video

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Thank you very much!

[@coplini]

I saw that schmengie concert

[@vhu395tgo]

Canadian International Air Show?

[@Fibr3Optix]

.... and the original Hockey hall of fame?

[@edwardbliss8931]

I'll occasionally walk through it during the off-season. I'm actually surprised that there's no homeless people taking up camp on the grounds. There's plenty of places to hide.

[@davidgouthro3518]

there used to be many camped out behind the horse palace.

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Great old buildings.

[@bobbyjames4300]

It’s been ghetto since 2000

[@RedroomStudios]

agreed. was just scanning the comments to see how many people saying it hasnt been the same since the early 2000's. I think the last time I went there was somewhere around 2005. as crappy as the old Exhibition Stadium was, it gave the CNE much of it's character. and the old clock tower too. now it's just too modern and commercial.

[@BobNob1]

before the stadium was torn down it was paved and made into a race track for cascar

[@thibaultdetroy6489]

Hello ! I'm looking for video about the ride at 1:14 (left), can you tell me where i can find this ? It's for the actually owner or ride, thank you !

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Isn't that the Wild Mouse?

[@thibaultdetroy6489]

@@OldTorontoSeries No, i don't think

[@OldTorontoSeries]

Isn't the large "Flyer", so is either the Wild Mouse smaller one, or one I'm not familiar with. Similar size to the Wild Mouse though.

[@1dilligaf]

@@OldTorontoSeries The wild mouse was the smaller metal one the flyer was the big wooden roller coaster

[@babababuck]

CHUM Wild Cat

[@larrysincredibletrailers2213]

I was there on the day a guy died on the flyer. Scary to ride after that.

[@briansokoloski776]

How about the Better Living Building in the 1970s this building was full of new products from Niagara Massage Chairs to the latest dishwashers

[@barbaraleszczynski2214]

Yes...I remember with fond memories! But I go back even further...from 1958 thru the sixties...it was wonderful! Now no longer!

[@davidgouthro3518]

all this great history without a mention of Conklin Shows?

[@Jay-vr9ir]

Or Black Monday and Conklin was crap.

[@elid3906]

Jay you can shut🤐up CONKLIN WAS THE BEST‼️

[@davidgouthro3518]

Jim Conklin made the CNE what it is today

[@andygrenn680]

Doggy! Doggy! Doggy! Is Candy Floss still available?

[@filrut]

"The maple leafs wouldn't win a Stanley Cup for 75 years." The more things change, the more they stay the same

[@BeeRich33]

Toronto continues with the freak shows.

[@slowpainful]

That was a pretty good overview, it could have been three times as long and still be interesting, at least to me. Seeing as it's by the ACO there was very little about the architecture, which I would have liked. I'm startled by how many of the no-longer-existing and torn down attractions I actually visited and remember!! lol Don't forget the life-threatening Hot Dog on a Stick - a wiener impaled on a terrifying pointy stick and wrapped in something like pancake batter. One wrong move and you'd be done for... gawd I'm old. Once again I note how an 11-minute piece somehow merits interruption by ** TWO sets of ads**. KZbin has no respect for the viewer at all. I will eat every hot dog on a stick in the universe and throw up two hundred boxes of pink popcorn before I give KZbin one cent.

[@roseflores8131]

Barcena sanchez rosario

[@roseflores8131]

Sre de mexico eduardo ramirez

[@roseflores8131]

Santo pecado

[@roseflores8131]

Jesus malverde