The PNE: the punctuation of the dog days of an idyllic Vancouver summer; warm memories of youthful pilgrimages.
The rides, the midway, the roller coaster, the buildings, the barns, the barkers, the huge map of B.C. with regions delineated by curvy, toothpaste swirls.
Pathetically, I do the things I can still do; sit and watch the Super Dogs, wander through the "Mooternity Ward" and perhaps tour the Prize home.
But these are not what forms the warm memories of youth.
The best things about the PNE are things long lost to me now: loitering, flirting with girls, walking for 10 hours, eating and digesting things with ease. Going on endless rides: the roller coaster, salt and pepper shaker, the Scrambler, Mad Mouse, the Scooters, tilt-a-whirl, ferris wheel, and whatever new fangled vomit inducer the grapevine touted as the scariest ride of the year.
A full day of unsupervised freedom; summer's last hurrah.
Playing "Tucky Derby" ("come on Seabiscuit!") and skee ball. Trying to lob the softball into the tilted peach basket - it looked so easy. Standing tall to bet a quarter or two on the "Over 7, Under 7" or crown and anchor games. The tantalizing "5 cent diggers" that made it look so easy to swivel and drop jaws onto a pack of nickels wrapped in cellophane.
The foods building. hot fischer scones with butter and raspberry jam, (the best thing ever), and "Uke on a bun" and "Hunky Bill's" and honey ice cream, and Chinese Food and fresh lemonade for twenty-five cents.
The vegomatic guy, selling slicers; "it slices, it dices, it juliennes. Make mountains of coleslaw; just this easy."
The smell of Jimmy's Lunch with its mountain of cooked onions. A butter soaked cob of corn, mushy from hours immersed in hot water. Candy floss.
The PNE passes we all got with our June report cards and dutifully saved all summer. Negotiating with parents for $15 instead of last year's $10.
For kids, the PNE is the harbinger of summer's end; a time of childhood magic, intensified by the mix of dread and excitement of a new school year.
For far too few years the PNE was Neverland to me - second left onto Hastings and straight on to the Kootenay Loop.
