CNE unveils new slate of death-defying thrills
Get ready for Flying Wallendas, a highrise zipline and, of course, heart-attack-on-a-stick food
For a tense second, Tino Wallenda teeters while executing a handstand on a chair balanced on a bar held by two other daredevils standing on a high-wire.
The winds are perilously strong as the Flying Wallendas perform their act Wednesday, but what would the Canadian National Exhibition be without its cheap thrills of impending doom?
“(I was) concerned and cautious rather than afraid,” says the 62-year-old at a media preview for the 135th incarnation of the fair. “But the concept is that the show must go on.”
And go on the CNE will, rain or shine, when the first of about 1.4 million expected attendees filter through the gates this Friday.
Along with the Wallendas’ audacious daily tightrope act, a slew of heart-stopping attractions are slotted for this year’s event, from high-flying rides to greaseladen foods.
Climbing up the 38-metre launch tower of the festival’s new ZipLine, President’s Choice Financial president Barry Columb perhaps momentarily questions why his company chose to sponsor the ride.
“The biggest anxiety you have is about making that step off,” he says, tasked with taking the inaugural jaunt on one of the world’s highest and longest urban ziplines. “You’re stepping into the unknown.”
Adding to the jitters is the windy weather, which, if strong enough, can be dangerous enough to shut the ride down.
“We are an event by a lake, and there’s lake-effect wind, so that’s something we have to watch,” says CNE general manager David Bednar.
But for now, Columb closes his eyes and takes the 300-metre plunge across the park. Swoosh.
Unfortunately, the journalists below are too busy gorging on the festival’s selection of freak foods to notice.
“Hey guys, the food’s still going to be there but the president is not,” says an annoyed Bednar.
Of particular gluttonous interest is the cronut burger — part doughnut, part croissant, part ground chuck.
“If you’re concerned about your calorie intake, by all means go for a nice walk around the grounds,” says Epic Burgers and Waffles rep Christian Riley.
For those less inclined toward artery-clogging kicks, there’s the Mach 3 tilt-a-whirl. A 37-metre arm thrashes riders around at 13 revolutions per minute, producing a g-force of 3.5.
“No chance in hell I’m riding that,” says one reporter. “Unless I have a death wish.”
But for all the seeming ways that attending Canada’s largest fair can potentially kill you, Bednar insists it’s one of the safest things you can do. “We do so much around safety that people have no idea about,” he says.
“There was a very unfortunate incident in the mid-’80s where a young child was killed by a sandwich board the wind picked up.” Since then, says Bednar, a safety engineering firm inspects the park each year.