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129th CLE underway (12 photos)

Organizers are expecting 50-to-55,000 people to attend the festival over five days

THUNDER BAY - Brenda Schutte remembers the days when her friends from her neighbourhood in Westfort headed across town to visit the Canadian Lakehead Exhibition.

On the first day of the 129th CLE on Tuesday, she watched as her grandson eagerly hopped on the rides.

“We had about eight kids in the neighbourhood, all different ages. We came without our parents. We went from ride to ride. There was gravel grounds, more livestock, horses,” Schutte said.

Several decades later, she would take her daughter Beth to the rides during her childhood.

Despite the fact that Beth and her son now live in Calgary, they still make it back to Thunder Bay every year for the CLE, making it three generations of CLE in the Schutte family.

“I have my friends, my family, and there’s just a nostalgia of being together,” Beth Gordon, Schutte’s daughter, said.

It’s not uncommon to have three generations of family tradition passed down through the CLE, in fact Basil Lychowyd says he hears stories of it quite often.

“From what I hear, it’s passed on from when you were a kid. People from the outlying areas like to come for this time of year and enjoy the fair, the atmosphere, the smell of the food,” Lychowyd, the CLE’s chair said.

While the adults can enjoy the nostalgia, the children can enjoy the variety of activities

Arcade games, a petting zoo, food stands, Kid’s world, and of course the rides.

“I love everything about it. It’s great,” said 10-year-old Aubrey-Jayne Pietsch.

Pietsch and her mother Kathy travel three hours from Geraldton to come to the CLE every year.

“They don’t have anything like this in Geraldton. It’s clean, and the people are nice here and it’s very well run. We like it,” said Kathy.

The pair have travelled to Thunder Bay every year since 2010.

“I save money in my piggy bank every year for this, it feels great to be here before school starts,” Aubrey-Jayne said.

Organizers are expecting 50-to-55,000 people to attend the festival over five days.

“The best time to come is in the early days because it gets pretty crowded on Saturday and Sunday night,” Lychowyd advised.

The festival runs from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. each day. Festival admittance is $7 for children, and $12 for ages 13 and older.



Michael Charlebois

About the Author: Michael Charlebois

Michael Charlebois was born and raised in Thunder Bay, where he attended St. Patrick High School and graduated in 2015. He attends Carleton University in Ottawa where he studies journalism.
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