June 6, 2024 • Volume 39, No. 2
Next edition June 20
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East end fun fairs signal unofficial kickoff to summer
A youngster peers over the edge of the ferris wheel at the Celebrate Summer Fun Fair in Beacon Hill last Saturday. FRED SHERWIN/PHOTO
By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Residents in Blackburn Hamlet and Beacon Hill took advantage of near-perfect weather last Saturday to take in their communities’ respective fun fairs and celebrate the first big event of the season. Visitors to the Blackburn Fun Fair started their day with a free pancake breakfast followed by the Fun Fair parade which started at École secondaire Louis-Riel and made its way down Bearbrook Road to the Fun Fair grounds next to the Blackburn Arena. As has become tradition, pretty well anyone can take part in the parade, and it always seems like half of the community does. After the parade, business picked up at the inflatable rides and the Fun Fair games outside the arena which included a ring toss, a duck pond and a toilet seat toss. Meanwhile, in the
ball diamond, Blackburn’s finest four-legged canines got to strut their stuff in the Blackburn Fun Fair Dog Show, which has become an annual favourite. Little Ray’s Reptiles was also a popular attraction, as was the face-painting tent, the Mojo Magic Show and the Vengeance Van where people could put on safety goggles and destroy house-hold items using a sledge hammer. Later in the day, everyone’s attention turned to the main stage where the entertainment was provided by a series of bands starting with students from the School of Rock, the Squirrel’s Nuts Band, Jeff Coghill and Mothership: The Led Zeppelin Experience. This year’s Fun Fair was brought to a close with the annual fireworks display that didn’t leave anyone disappointed. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2