Imaginary Diva and I recently attended the “The Fair at the PNE”.   This annual event features exciting food, shows, attractions, rides, and, of course, shopping.  It’s been over 6 years since I’ve been to the fair, so I was naturally excited to see what’s new at the old exhibition grounds.   

The first event we attended was the popular “Superdogs” event.   Dog owners from across North America showcased their canines by having them perform a variety of tricks, obstacles and races.  These well groomed dogs dazzled the crowd with their lovable antics as they competed in multiple events.  It was a joy to hear kids and adults cheering these dogs throughout the show.  Imaginary Diva is now trying to convince me to get an Italian Greyhound.  Perhaps a couple of years from now we’ll get another pup.

Our next visit was the consumer marketplace.  This venue offered numerous products and services for sale.  As usual, staple goods such as powerful kitchen blenders, sushi makers and boutique clothing were being shown.  Apart from the non-alcoholic margaritas, we didn’t find anything worth purchasing so we headed out to the gallery to win some prizes.

The gallery is a great place to win prizes for your special partner.  However, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that most gallery games will always favor the house.  Most people leave with an empty wallet in the end.  I wanted to win a stuffed animal for Imaginary Diva so I thought of strategic ways to increase my chances towards winning.  Apart from strip poker, I’m not much of a gambling aficionado.  Plus, I’m not a skillful bloke who can erect beer bottles with fishing lines, etc.

I simply focused on games that would allow me to compete with other paying customers.  This strategy dramatically increased my odds of a victory because a prize is won after every game.  It was also a weekday, plus the PNE was not that crowded during mid-day.  The gallery was pretty empty so this meant less competition and better chances for a win.   I purposely looked for games that didn’t have many participants. 

Did my strategy work?  After three attempts, I finally won a simple horse racing game, where you roll a ball into holes to make the horse move.   There were only two other people but it was a close finish.  Nevertheless, my victory was finally achienved and Imaginary Diva walked a way with a stuffed animal – an orange Care Bear.   Mind you, her Care Bear must be anorexic because there wasn’t much stuffing to be found.

We spent the rest of our time walking around the fairground and looking at various venues.  Imaginary Diva was not in the mood for any rides.  Plus, I’ve already tried most of the rides so it wasn’t a big deal at all.  

If you end up hungry, I would recommend that you try the garlic fries.   It was actually pretty tasty.  Just remember to bring some breath freshener to cover up!  The greasy mini-doughnuts is a treat as well.

Overall, we had a good time at the PNE.   If you live in the Lower Mainland (British Columbia), I would highly recommend that you head out to the fair, especially if you haven’t been there for years.