Mom and Me and the PNE

It was recently announced that the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition), would be cancelled for another year. This came as no surprise. It was another “Covid fatality.” Just the mention of the PNE, however, triggered some wonderful memories of visits to it with Mom, myself and my husband. It was an annual event that we all really looked forward to.

As a preface to the following I want to note that my husband has often informed me that he wants ” I never paid retail” engraved on his tombstone (and so far he never has.) The significance of this will become a clearer as you read on.

The day, or should I say the afternoon, because we were never on time when Mom was a participant, would start off by my husband purchasing our tickets at the local Drug store. We would buy our tickets there because they were cheaper than paying at the gate and it included the entry fee to the race track.

Our first challenge was to find a parking space. My husband would never pay those “parking lot thieves” one red cent, and would drive endlessly until we found a free place to park. Imagine if you will, driving around and around and around. We are tired and cranky and hot, and after all that, we always ended up at least four and blocks away from the fair ground gate.This was okay when Mom was younger, but as she got older it was a little more difficult for her to walk, so my husband would try to find closer places to park, which meant even more driving around and around and around. At this point Mom would usually offer to pay the parking lot thieves, but my husband would stubbornly refuse. It was not because he wasn’t concerned about her, he just never let Mom pay for anything, except when she was playing the ponies or the Pea Wheel.

Once we found a place to park, Mom was recharged and ready to go, and our traditional routines kicked in. At this point we were usually starving, so getting something to eat was job #1. As we got closer to the food area you could smell all the delicious foods that the fair had to offer and we were salivating. My husband always had Indo Canadian food, and Mom and I had our favorite. It was a foot long hot dog with ketchup and fried onions, and a coke. We would split it because we both knew there were other food delicacies to come.

Throughout the course of the day Mom would purchase mini doughnuts, fudge, and jam filled scones for my Dad because he couldn’t come with us. Funny though, by the time we got home Mom had always pretty much eaten most of it. There might be a few bites of fudge or a scone left for him but after 63 years of marriage, I doubt that Dad was surprised or even took Mom’s promises of food seriously. He was just happy that Mom had a good time. Note: we always paid full price for our food. 🙂

Now that we were fuelled up we were ready to hit the race track to see if we could win a fortune on the ponies. My husband tried to teach Mom how to read a racing form, but she and I would always just end up betting on the horse with the best name. We never had much luck, but we always had a blast. Once we bet on a horse named HoofHearted (get it??). We thought this was an awesome name but the horse ended up dead last.

Mom never bet all her money at the track. She had to save some so she could play the Pea Wheel, which was her absolute favorite game. The trick though was to find a place at the wheel because everyone wanted to play. Imagine, if you will, a 5′ 3″, 85 year old lady diving in with elbows high so she could get a place. Once she had staked out her spot there was no moving her. It was always fun watching her cheer as she won yet again while simultaneously making new friends with her fellow competitors.

After Mom had won her fortune and fame at the pea wheel it was off to the Super Dog show at the hockey arena. Before taking our seats Mom would always have to get a Dole whip, basically whipped strawberry ice cream, and of course make a pit stop at the washroom. Once those formalities were taken care of it was off to our seats. We would try to sit as close as possible, and we were usually pretty successful. When the house lights went out it was non stop action of all shapes, sizes, breeds of dog going crazy on the obstacle course. Mom was right there in the moment cheering on her favorite competitor. The best part of the show was being able to meet the dogs. You would go down to the floor, and you could mix and mingle with all the dogs and their owners. And of course Mom made new friends, mostly of the four legged variety.

When the house lights came back up Mom would always ask me if Biscuit could do any of those things. I think the picture below pretty much sums up Biscuit’s major talent.

Once Mom had spent all her money, and had her fill of fair food we would slowly amble around the Midway watching all the people on the rides, and watch my husband haggle with the folks who ran the games to get as many darts or throws as possible. He only won occasionally, but I think the haggling was more entertaining for him anyway.

As day turned into night, even though we really wanted to stay for the fireworks, it would be obvious Mom was getting tired. She would never admit it because she was having such a good time and she would always say “don’t let me slow you down.” My response was always “don’t worry Mom, we’ll come back next year.”

Finally we would all agree we were done and would make the trek back to the car and head for home after a long, and eventful day. Mom would often fall asleep on the way home just before she thanked us for taking her. As we would pull into the driveway, she would gather the food for Dad, confirm she had her winnings and her lipstick in her pocket and thank us one last time.

Looking back, I am so glad that we shared such a lovely experience with Mom. I know that it was the highlight of her summer. So, here’s hoping the PNE will be open next year. I know my husband and I will go, and I take comfort in knowing my Mom will be there in spirit. And just for old times sake, we will make sure to get some mini doughnuts, and head over to the race track and the Super Dog show.

Betty Would Love That!

We plan on publishing a new post every Monday so stay tuned for our next one entitled “What Would Betty Do?”