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No Super Ex this year means no....


rubberdinghy

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I heard they were still gonna do rides in the parking lot at Lynx Stadium. Can anyone confirm?

Here ya go...too bad they didn't plan to also have bands play at the stadium though...sounds like it's just rides.

Fair planned for Fat Cats' parking lot

Replacement for SuperEx

BY TONY LOFARO, OTTAWA CITIZEN

JULY 21, 2011

SuperEx at Lansdowne Park was cancelled after 122 years, but is being replaced by a scaled-back fair next month.

Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington, The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa Citizen

There isn't a SuperEx but it hasn't stopped an Ontario midway operator from going ahead with a scaled-back version of the annual fair next month.

World's Finest Shows is bringing a midway, concessions, and entertainment to the parking lot of the Fat Cats stadium on Coventry Road from Aug. 19 to 28. Admission will be free and all youcan-ride bracelets will be sold for $20 in advance or $35 per person at the fair.

The new fair will be called Ottawa Midway Magic.

"You can't just let a legend fall by the wayside," said Barry Jamieson, owner of World's Finest Shows, which supplied a midway to SuperEx for about 18 years.

"Ottawa was one of the premier fairs of this province," said Jamieson, who is based in Simcoe, Ont.

But in recent years SuperEx suffered with dwindling attendance and financial problems. Central Canada Exhibition Association officials decided earlier this year to cancel the annual summer fair at Lansdowne Park, bringing an end to a 122-year tradition in the city. Officials had hoped to relocate the fair to land it had purchased on Albion Road but the plan was shelved after the cost of servicing the land became too prohibitive.

"It's hard to just stop a fair, it's been going on forever. Hopefully I can keep it treading water. I don't want to see it end and we'll give it a good shot," he said.

Jamieson said there hasn't been much time to plan a full program but the 10-day fair will have most of the attractions that were once a staple at SuperEx, including the midway rides. The fair will not have any agricultural content or grandstand shows but it will include food concessions stands, interactive entertainment, a petting zoo and a craft area.

It will operate weekdays from 4 to 11 p.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Jamieson said he did ''allright" business at SuperEx last year despite some rainy days. Figures for the 2010 fair show that attendance was down seven per cent over 2009, but despite that, the fair managed to make a $120,000 profit because it did not pay rent to the city.

Jamieson said the midway and concessions take most of the parking lot at the baseball stadium, which precludes any public parking on the site. He expects people will be taking public transportation to get to the fairgrounds. "I'm trying to work out some other arrangements for parking, but it's not in place yet," he said.

Jamieson said he didn't think the fair will clash with the schedule of the Fat Cats which could run until mid-August. "We will work closely with the Fat Cats stadium people if the team is still in the playoffs," said Jamieson, adding he's paying a fee to the baseball club to use the parking lot.

Joe Pavia, a former program and marketing manager with SuperEx, is helping Jamieson promote the new fair.

"Barry really wants to keep it simple this year and just see how it goes," said Pavia.

"There were a lot of people who were disappointed when it was announced that there wouldn't be a fair this year. People were used to going to Lansdowne Park every August," he said.

Pavia said the new fair will be aimed at families who still want to enjoy a leisurely day at the fairgrounds. The fact that there isn't an admission charge will probably attract many budget-conscious families, he added.

© Copyright © The Ottawa Citizen

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Maybe we should finally do a little pool tournament like i mentioned, what, a year ago?

obviously not the same but it'd be a good reason to start tippling in the afternoon on a Saturday...

Let's get this going for realz...According to the sign outside the Orange Monkey, they've got HUGE BURGERS

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Maybe we should finally do a little pool tournament like i mentioned' date=' what, a year ago?

obviously not the same but it'd be a good reason to start tippling in the afternoon on a Saturday...[/quote']

Let's get this going for realz...According to the sign outside the Orange Monkey, they've got HUGE BURGERS

h'okay d'okay....thinkin Sept now, will figure out a w.e. and we'll see who's available

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Is it officially done? I thought they were moving it to Stittsville or something?

are you from Ottawa or somethin? How the heck do you know Sticksville??

One of my first jobs was at super ex...all faith in movable rides stopped there! ohmygwd..the tales I could tell...

Ha! When we moved to Canada, Perth was our first home, but I had an aunt and uncle that that lived in Stittsville.

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