The Canadian National Exhibition kicks off Friday for its 136th year and while it may be a reminder that summer is almost over, it's also a great chance to end the season with a bang. And at the CNE that includes eating some ridiculously unhealthy food, watching some whacky acts and seeing what artists can create with hundreds of pounds of butter.
Here are some of the best things to do at this year's Ex:
1. Eat
In addition to the almost 20 food trucks and a ribfest there are some innovative new treats that probably don't rank very high on the health scale.
Cocoa-infused fried chicken is for those people who love chocolate and chicken, but don't see a need to separate the two into dinner and desert. The chicken is coated with chocolate and fried to crispy.
Thanksgiving waffles are exactly what they sound like. It is an entire Thanksgiving meal with roast turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry stuffing smothered with gravy on top of a waffle.
Artist Paz, who was actually born in Los Angeles, will make his CNE debut by celebrating the Canadian pastime with a twist. He will light the blades of the stick and juggle them while standing on top of a net wearing skates and a helmet.
The high wire act returns to the CNE as they walk and bike across a thin wire high above the grounds. Nik Wallenda walked across Niagara Falls on a high wire.
4. International Sand Sculpting Competition
The best sculptors from the past five years will face off in a best-of-the-best competition. The competitors will work for six days and visitors are encouraged to cast their vote for their favourite.
If watching people sculpt out of sand isn’t your thing, how about butter? Students from the Ontario College of Art and Design will work with pounds of butter to build sculptors with this year's theme "Let your Fandom Flag Fly." Two years ago almost 500 pounds of butter were used to create a sculpture of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
