Yesterday I went to the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver with my mother, Tristan, and Montana. We had an awesome time, which was to be expected :) For those who are unfamiliar with the PNE, it is a 2-3 week event at the end of summer. From April to October, Playland is open, which is just a regular amusement park. The PNE adds much more: More rides, more food, more fun! Every night there is a concert, and last night it was Tom Cochrane, which is the reason we chose yesterday to go.
We arrived before 3:00 PM, and grabbed some grub so our stomachs wouldn't interrupt our fun later on. Then we moved on to the rides. Montana is finally big enough for most of the rides, something we have all been waiting for! Our first ride was called The Music Express; this is the one ride Montana has been dying to go on. She LOVED it!!
Another ride we went on was the Tilt-a-Whirl, something Montana has been on several times in the past few years, and loved it. This particular TAW went so fast our cheeks were sucked backward to the seatback, and she started crying. She also went through a glass house and ran into a window, giving herself a fat lip and red cheek, the poor dear!
After the rides we visited the petting zoo, saw some horses and bulls, and the kids even experienced a mini farm day! They had their own buckets with which to collect fake eggs, milk, and hay. Once they finished their tour of the farm and hayloft, they "sold" their goods to the market and earned a treat!
When we exited the barns, we heard the music of Big League floating on the wind. Panicking, we rushed to the stage to see Red Rider performing a sound check sans Tom Cochrane. It was only 6:15, and the concert was scheduled to start at 8:00. We decided to sit and reserve our seats, knowing we had almost two hours of nothingness while waiting, and also knowing it would be totally worth it. About an hour into our wait, Mom and Tristan ventured off to find deep-fried oreos (surprisingly yummy!) and an old man moved up a chair and stretched his giraffe-like legs across the grass where they had been sitting. I politely mentioned this to him, and he went ballistic. Why this shocked me I don't know--it seems any time I open my mouth someone shoves nasty down my throat. When the two hunters returned, Montana and I moved over enough to make room, and ended up with an awesome view of the stage.
Tom Cochrane did not disappoint. He was amazing, as always, and this was the closest I've ever been to his stage--I had seen him 5 times before this concert. Yes I have met him, and yes he had his arm around me, but I'd never been so close to him while he was singing. It was fantastic!
The concert ended at 9:30, so we headed back to the rides; we expected the park to close at 11:00, and planned to stay until then. I promised Montana we would go back on The Music Express, so we stood in the line, which was long as always. Once it was our turn, the worker claimed he couldn't see Montana's hand stamp and told us we had to go to the main gate and have her re-stamped. I was livid! The park was to close in 20 minutes, and he was turning my 7-year-old away like some scamming teenager! We made the trek to the front of the park and back within ten minutes, and I went to the front of the line to ask if we had to wait yet again, after all that. He said no, but then forgot about us! It was a lovely woman standing in line who brought it to the worker's attention and got us on the ride!
We went on a few more rides, and the park ended up staying open until midnight! We didn't get home until almost 2:00 AM, but it was well worth it. The kids had a wonderful time despite the few negative points, and I will never forget the concert! Hooray for the PNE!
Here is the video for my favorite Tom Cochrane song, the one that had me running around collecting all his albums, and eventually pushed me into the tattoo parlor to have Ragged Ass Road inked onto my back: I Wish You Well.
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