I have been working on this mandala for the last few weeks and have so far sketched in the buildings old and new, the Flyer ( extinct ), the Cinesphere, the Giant Ferris wheel, Fort Rouille, Scadding House, and much more.
Who can forget the waffles, sno-cones, corn-on-the-cob, Honeydew cone cups and decanter, coconut marshmallows, fudge, licorice, chocolate bars, and a myriad of other delights found in the Pure Food Building and down the midway ?
We always packed a lunch and used our saved up spending money for the treats along the way.
There were free samples galore, including : rulers, pencils, book covers, Lola drinks, soups, Fry's Cocoa in miniature tins, tiny Coke bottles.....oy. oy, oy......never ending stuff to fill our bags. It was wonderful !!!!
And those gas mask prizes at the fish pond....I guess they were army surplus. We kind of thought it was a weird prize, what with the rubbery smell when you put it on your face. I think they ended up in the cellar after we got home.
I mean, we were just little kids and were so elated when we got stuff for nothing...the joy of it all !
And we appreciated every little gift for sure, for sure.
And who hasn' t used the Princess Margaret Fountain as a meeting place ?
Or climbed up the stairs of the Shell Tower ? Wow ! It was like the Empire State Building to us !
We would go home at the end of the day with our kewpie dolls or monkeys on a painted bamboo cane and have Sweet Dreams of " Our Day at the Ex ".
I have a long list of other events and foods and activities and memorable moments that I will be mentioning as I go along as well as incorporating into my mandala.
Please stand by for more posts as I make this mandala come alive with all the fun and excitement enjoyed at the Ex and Ontario Place throughout the years from 1879 to 2011.