Acton Fall Fair- Friday, September 14th, 2018

This year marked the 105th Acton Fall Fair which ran from September 14th to the 16th! It sure was a popping good time (the theme was Popcorn) as the weather was sunny and warm all weekend long! Below are photos from Friday. Click the following links to view photos from Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy!

Here is a look up at Albion Amusements' Mulligan Wheel to start off a beautiful Friday evening.

Before we head further into the fairgrounds, here are some of the scare crows the school children made during the Education Day earlier that day.

Some attendees were enjoying a ride on the Lolly Swing in the early evening.

The midway of the fair looks quite sparse, but the crowds picked up as the evening went on.

Orbiter was a near silhouette as the clouds began to roll in.

The evening sun sure was gleaming on the Avalanche as passengers got a pop of airtime going around!

Scott and I decided to make the Mulligan Wheel our first ride of the evening. From atop the Mulligan Wheel, you could visibly tell how empty the midway was. But, that would soon change once nightfall hit.

The kiddie rides were all set up and looking nice with their brand new canopies.

Here is the Raiders as seen from the Mulligan Wheel. Albion Amusements purchased this unit late last year from the former Bates Amusements of Ohio. It sure was a crowd-pleaser with the youngest visitors of the midway.

At 7pm on the Friday night, the Acton Citizens Band performed for one hour inside the Dufferin Rural Heritage Community Centre. They do an amazing job!

As the sun began to set, the crowds began to thicken.

Here is a look at the Himalaya with its lights flashing in an attempt to attract thrill-seekers passing by.

Here is the Scooter Bumper Cars with the orange light of the sun shining on it.

Here is a somewhat busier view looking down towards the vendors.

Here is my brother Scott standing with our family's 70 year old 8N Ford tractor which we brought in earlier that morning for Education Day. It has been in our family since being purchased 70 years ago in 1948 by our Grandfather, Albert Brooks. Shortly after he purchased the tractor, it was put on display at the Acton Fall Fair of 1948 for all to see. We thought it would be appropriate to bring it back 70 years later. And yes, it still runs!

In less than 20 minutes later, the sun had fallen and the midway came to life with not only people, but lights on the rides too! Check out photos from Saturday at the Acton Fall Fair! :-)

Canada's Wonderland- August 28th, 2018

Today Scott, our Mom, and I made our seventh visit of the season to Canada's Wonderland. It was a very busy hot and humid day since the "end to summer vacation rush" was in as school aged children go back next week, ending daily operation for another season. But, weekend visits in the Fall are a great time to visit, too! Despite the crowds and the heat of the day, we had a great time as usual!

Be sure to check out the photos below, which include construction photos of the all-new for 2019 Yukon Striker!

Visitors to Canada's Wonderland are greeted by a large new for 2019 Yukon Striker display as they enter through the front gate onto International Street. The official announcement for Yukon Striker was made on August 15th, 2018.

As daily operation at Canada's Wonderland comes to an end for the season, Halloween Haunt is heavily promoted and just around the corner!

Scott and I started our day in Action Zone. After getting in a few rides on Behemoth, Psyclone, and Mighty Canadian Minebuster, we decided to peer over the construction fence of Yukon Striker. Here is a view of what will be the station platform.

Here is another look at the curved drop out right out of the station. If you were unaware, Yukon Striker will be the fastest, longest, and tallest dive coaster in the World when it opens in Spring of 2019. It will also feature four hair-raising inversions throughout its 3,625 feet of track.

Here is another view of the station platform in its current state as seen from the path near Windseeker in Action Zone. 

Klockwerks was providing thrills and excitement for visitors of all ages.

Here is a look at Yukon Striker's track in the underwater tunnel situated beneath Vortex.

Construction crews were busy at work today piecing Yukon Striker together, even in all the heat and humidity. They are doing a wonderful job!

After another amazing day at Canada's Wonderland, we decided to head home for the day! Despite the crowds, we managed to get on a lot of rides and attractions! Thanks for reading! :-)

Canadian National Exhibition- August 20th, 2018

It is late August again, which means the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE, also referred to as The Ex) in Toronto is in full-swing. This 18 day exhibition is home to many performances, exhibits, food, and of course, midway rides.

This year marks my 12th year visiting The Ex, along with my brother Scott, and our Mom. It is an annual tradition that we enjoy checking out. Below are photos of our day at The Ex. It was filled with fun and excitement! Be sure to take a look! 

After arriving at the Exhibition grounds, shortly before 9:30am, we had to wait for the buildings to open at 10am. Once the buildings opened around 10am, we entered into the Enercare Centre (formerly Direct Energy Centre) to check out some vendors and exhibits such as the very creative sand sculptures.

Here is a look at the giant Gondola Wheel approximately 20 minutes before the rides opened for the day. Of note, the Gondola Wheel had new firework designs on the gondolas. Before this year, they were painted yellow, green, red, and blue. 

Here is a look at the Sky Ride and the CN Tower looming in the background. It sure was hazy on the day of our visit!

After the rides had opened at 11am, we began with the Tilt-A-Whirl, then went on the Blitzer, then going on some other rides in-between, and then ending up on the Gondola Wheel for some nice views of the midway.

There was quite the collection of rides this year, including my favourites such as the Tilt-A-Whirl, Niagara Falls Log Flume, Scrambler, and Swing Tower just to name a few.

Here is a view of the Crazy Mouse, Zipper, and Mega Drop as seen from the Gondola Wheel.

Speaking of the Zipper, it made its return to The Ex after being absent last year. During last year, the Zipper, owned by North American Midway Entertainment went back to the manufacturer, Chance Rides to be completely refurbished.

Here is Scott and I on the Gondola Wheel at The Ex. Please excuse Scott's closed eyes. ;-)

With the refurbishment of the Zipper, it received all-new gondolas that are fitted with shoulder restraints, making the ride more enjoyable. Previously, the Zipper was manufactured with a lap bar restraint that was connected to the door. With the addition of shoulder restraints, I decided to take a ride as I had not been on a Zipper in ages! 

I will admit I was quite impressed with the ride that the Zipper provided. It was sort of intense, but fun and comfortable at the same time. The restraints were definitely an improvement! Way to go, Chance Rides!

Here is a view of the newly refurbished Zipper in operation. It had vibrant orange and green cars with the iconic Zipper "Z" logo detailed on them.

Here is one of the many other rides that sent me head-over-heels during my visit to the Ex. The Mach 3, manufactured by KMG of the Netherlands stands nearly 120 feet tall and features two four-passenger gondolas on each end of the giant boom that rotates like a turbine. The Mach 3 has been coming to the Ex since 2012, but due to usually long lines, I never got on it in previous years. But, that all changed this year. While not the most intense ride I have ever been on, it sure was fun moving at high speeds upside down, towards the ground. :-)

After getting on more classics such as the Polar Express, Mega Drop, Scrambler, and more, Scott and I decided to take another ride on the Gondola Wheel. Here is a hazy look at the Zipper through the Gondola Wheel's support structure and the Crazy Mouse.

Our final ride for the day was another spin on the Niagara Falls Log Flume before heading out for the day. It sure was a another fun time at The Ex due to low crowd levels associated with weekday visits. Thanks for reading! :-)

Canada's Wonderland- August 8th, 2018

Today marked our sixth visit of the season to Canada's Wonderland. Despite being quite rainy throughout the day, we had another amazing time! it allowed us to get on many rides! Be sure to check out the photos below! 

Our day started out cloudy and drizzly, the perfect conditions for a not so busy day of thrills!

Ghoster Coaster is a family wooden roller coaster. It has operated at the park since day one, over 37 years ago. For a smaller wooden roller coaster, it provides a great amount of airtime in the back seat!

With the construction that has recently been taking place at Canada's Wonderland for next year's roller coaster, the path to Splash Works was closed early in the season. Here is a view of Vortex with one of its trains speeding over the water below from the newly constructed path.

Due to the rainfall that had hit Vaughan earlier in the morning, Splash Works was closed for the day due to low attendance levels.

The announcement for the new for 2019 roller coaster will be on August 15th, 2018. So, stay tuned for details on that!

To me, Medieval Faire has always been ever so charming. Don't get me wrong, the other sections are beautiful in their own rights, but there is something about castle architecture that makes it so appealing. 

The Wonderland Theatre just tops off Medieval Faire. The Wonderland Theatre originally opened with the park in May of 1981 as "Canterbury Theatre". In May of 1994, it received the name of "Paramount Theatre", due to the park's second owner, Paramount Parks, a division of Viacom. In 2008, the venue received its current name, nearly two years after Cedar Fair had acquired the Paramount Parks properties in June of 2006. Regardless of the various names the theatre has had over the 37 years, it has always captivated audiences with its show-stopping performances.

The Medieval Faire section is also home to some beautiful flower arrangements, as seen here.

No matter how many times I have been to Canada's Wonderland over the years, I can never get tired of seeing some of the original theming that is "hidden" around the park. Such details make Canada's Wonderland quite unique.

After a great day soaking at Canada's Wonderland, the sun began to come out just as we were leaving for the day! Here is a photo of our Mom, Scott, and I before we headed out. Thanks for reading! :-)

Canada's Wonderland- July 18th, 2018

This beautiful Wednesday marked a fifth visit to Canada's Wonderland this season for our Mom, Scott, and I. The weather was cooler than it was over the weekend, so it made our visit more tolerable and enjoyable. It was nice to be back after travelling to other amusement parks in the US.

Since our last visit to Canada's Wonderland which happened a month ago, something had unfortunately changed. While it is not overly significant, some visitors may notice. You will soon discover in one of the photos below (don't worry, all rides are still there and operating!).

Now, let us get onto the photos of our fun-filled day at Canada's premier theme park!

It was nice to see Wonder Mountain again after a nearly a week of travelling to other amusement parks in the US earlier this month. I felt at "home" once again.

While I was away from "home" over the past month, the plumbing was fixed, as in White Water Canyon has its waterfalls again. Although not exactly the same as they were when they had last operated, it was nice to see them falling down the rock facade once again.

Since it is the month of July, Celebration Canada has returned for another season of spectacular performances from acrobatics, to stunt bike shows, and even diving shows at Arthur's Baye, in Medieval Faire. Celebration Canada wraps up on July 31st, so be sure not to miss it! 

Classic rides such as Nightmares were drawing in large crowds today!

Now, it is Skyhawk that has changed, and not for the better as far as I am concerned. I had read reports online stating recently that the wings on Skyhawk were fixed in such a way that it makes it nearly impossible to flip the seat upside down while the ride is in operation. These reports were unfortunately true. For someone like me who enjoyed Skyhawk for the ability of being able to flip the seat upside down continuously throughout the duration of the ride, the modification of the wings is a huge disappointment! Why the park only allows the wings to move only half of the way they formerly had is beyond me. Last time I had visited Canada's Wonderland was a little over a month ago, which at the time I was still able to flip the seat multiple times throughout the duration of the ride. It is a shame that an awesome ride such as Skyhawk, only installed two years ago is now ruined for the unforeseeable future. :-(

Here is Slingshot sending passengers 300 feet into the air in only a matter of seconds. Scott and I look forward to taking our annual ride on it sometime this season.

Here is SledgeHammer, the one and only Huss Jump 2. SledgeHammer is celebrating 15 years of operation at Canada's Wonderland this year.

After I had captured this photo, Scott and I took another ride of the day on SledgeHammer. After the second jump, the ride came to a screeching halt. For the next 10-15 minutes, we were stuck on board until maintenance came by to resolve the issue, which of course was a technical one. Despite all the downtime SledgeHammer faces, I still greatly enjoy riding it!

After a fun-filled day, we decided it was time to head home. Thanks for reading and looking at our photos of another day at Canada's Wonderland! :-)