What a Wonderful World - Tales From The Ex

Published by Toronto Mike on August 26, 2004 @ 20:29 in The CNE ~ Canadian National Exhibition

Tales From The ExDuring the 125th Canadian National Exhibition, I'm sharing stories from my three years working there as a game booth attendant. Below is one of many.

I typically closed up the booth at the end of the night. The park would close, I'd wait for the midway to empty and then begin bringing down the flash. The money would go to the office, the giant stuffed toys would come down from all around the booth and I'd lock up the game.

The game I worked and eventually managed was very close to the Polar Express. Every single night without failure the Polar Express' killer sound system would play Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" at the very end of the night. Every single night while I locked up the booth I'd find myself alone in the summer's night with Louis Armstrong wafting though my ears. It was the ideal song to penetrate the silence in the wee hours of the night after another long day of hustling and bustling. It brought a wonderful blend of calmness and hope to an otherwise chaotic arena.

To this day I can't hear a note of that song without instantly returning to the summers of '89, '90 and '91. It remains a personal favourite.

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2 Responses to "What a Wonderful World - Tales From The Ex"

Malcolm
September 26, 2011 / 19:11

This brings back memories! I worked at the CNE in the summers of 88, 89 and 90.
I worked at the Ring Toss booth and the Milk Cans booth, just across from the Flyer.
I too fondly remember hearing Louis Armstrong every night while passing the Polar Express, as well as $1 fries at the Conklin cookhouse, Jungle Fun, and of course, the Zipper.
I wonder if we crossed paths?

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