Ottawa SuperEx cancelled for 2011
The Ottawa SuperEx closed for the last time at Lansdowne Park, Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010. Organizers have suspended the fair this summer. Tue Feb. 08 2011
ctvottawa.ca
There will be no SuperEx in Ottawa this year.
The Central Canada Exhibition board met last Thursday to discuss the future of the annual exhibition, deciding to cancel the SuperEx for 2011.
The board says they chose to suspend this year's fair because they didn't have a firm location to host the event.
The exhibition has operated out of Lansdowne Park for the last 122 years. But redevelopment plans at the park have forced them out.
Organizers say securing a temporary location for the fair would be too costly. And development on their land on Albion Road won't be ready in time for the fair to go ahead this August.
Some say suspending the Ex this summer, puts its very existence in question.
"It's more than just a memory; there was more than a hundred years there. That's a lot of entertainment and a lot of good times. I think of the young people who will never have the joy; go on the rides; and all the excitement," said Jim Durrell, former president of the Central Canada Exhibition.
"I think it's a setback for the city. It's a sad day."
However, organizers say they hope to bring back the fair at their new location on Albion Road in 2012.
In its heyday, the Ex was the place to mark the end of summer. The fair attracted major acts from the Beach Boys to Bob Hope. Tens of thousands of people would jam the midway.
But over the years the Ex has become more of a drain on taxpayer dollars. Since 2002, the city has given the Central Canada Exhibition more than $2 million in financial aid.
Mayor Jim Watson says he regrets there won't be a fair this year, but he's hopeful the board will use the extra time to secure a location for 2012.
The Ex has been trying to find a new home for its operations since the mid-1970s. Since 1888, the exhibition has been a big summer attraction in Ottawa, running every year except during the world wars.
The Central Canada Exhibition board met last Thursday to discuss the future of the annual exhibition, deciding to cancel the SuperEx for 2011.
The board says they chose to suspend this year's fair because they didn't have a firm location to host the event.
The exhibition has operated out of Lansdowne Park for the last 122 years. But redevelopment plans at the park have forced them out.
Organizers say securing a temporary location for the fair would be too costly. And development on their land on Albion Road won't be ready in time for the fair to go ahead this August.
Some say suspending the Ex this summer, puts its very existence in question.
"It's more than just a memory; there was more than a hundred years there. That's a lot of entertainment and a lot of good times. I think of the young people who will never have the joy; go on the rides; and all the excitement," said Jim Durrell, former president of the Central Canada Exhibition.
"I think it's a setback for the city. It's a sad day."
However, organizers say they hope to bring back the fair at their new location on Albion Road in 2012.
In its heyday, the Ex was the place to mark the end of summer. The fair attracted major acts from the Beach Boys to Bob Hope. Tens of thousands of people would jam the midway.
But over the years the Ex has become more of a drain on taxpayer dollars. Since 2002, the city has given the Central Canada Exhibition more than $2 million in financial aid.
Mayor Jim Watson says he regrets there won't be a fair this year, but he's hopeful the board will use the extra time to secure a location for 2012.
The Ex has been trying to find a new home for its operations since the mid-1970s. Since 1888, the exhibition has been a big summer attraction in Ottawa, running every year except during the world wars.
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