What’s Missing From The CNE?

It’s kind of ironic that the CNE is looking back as well as forward this year. Because a lot of what you remember about the annual fair is gone.

On Thursday we asked for your list of the long removed but never forgotten attractions you remember as a kid. Here are just a few of the things you mentioned.

The Wild Mouse
A roller coaster that was once considered the scariest in Toronto.

The Flyer
The famous wooden roller coaster that advocates couldn’t save. It was torn down in the 90s after it failed to meet safety standards.

The Bulova Watch Tower
Also known as the Shell Tower, depending on when you were there. A frequent meeting place for people when they got lost or wanted to find each other at an appointed time.

The Radio Booths
CHUM no longer “checks from the Ex” and CKEY is long gone from the T.O. airwaves. But all the kids made sure they went by there to see the jocks and hear the music.

The Alpine Way
You chance to cruise over the midway for a few minutes, giving a great view of the fair, especially at night. It was removed to make way for the Direct Energy Centre.

The Sparkle Hat

Do they still sell these things somewhere? You used to be able to get your name – or that of your significant other – emblazoned on a cheap top hat in sparkling glitter. The perfect gift for the person who had everything – except money.

“Foods Of The World”

There’s a certain irony that a city which prides itself on its multiculturalism no longer boasts this feature at the world’s oldest fair. This annual taste test brought the kind of delicacies that would truly let you sample how the other half lived – or at least, ate.

“It was located right beside the FoodBuildingand was an outside chain link of booths offering different foods from different countries,” remembers CityNews viewer Derek Glugosh. “Each booth represented a country providing signature dishes. Located right at the entrance to the Alpine Way, it was not only a great idea but convenient.”

Not to mention delicious.

Free Samples At The Food Building
They’re still there, of course, but they’re not quite as plentiful and they’re not quite as big.

Honeydew

And as the old joke used to go, Honey Don’t. Viewer Susan Johnson remembers it used to be served up in “big cones.” She also recalls a place called “ Centennial Square ,” which featured store fronts from the past. Those ‘stores’ have long since closed.

The Laughing Lady At The Magic Carpet
The maze on the Midway still exists but the endlessly laughing woman who tried to coax you in over a loudspeaker has been silenced.

The Hockey Hall Of Fame
The first permanent home paying tribute to Canada’s iconic game. It opened in 1961 but because it was inside the grounds, they couldn’t charge admission, making it hard to sustain. It drew more than 750,000 visitors in its first year. It’s now been relocated to its permanent home at Yonge and Front Sts.

Exhibition Stadium/Grandstand
What can you say? Uncomfortable seats and not always the best vantage points for baseball or football. It burned down numerous times and they rebuilt it over and over, until it was finally demolished. BMO Field is now in the general vicinity of the old Grandstand.

And while the sound wasn’t terrific, some of the best acts in the world came to play, including Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Glen Campbell, The Three Stooges, and – more times than you can count – the Beach Boys.

Got any more to add? Email us at news@citynews.ca and well put them on the list.

For more on the history of the CNE, click here.