The strong smell of popcorn drifts through the air while people moseying along do their best to avoid stepping on shrieking children. Brightly coloured costumes can be seen adorning various performers and if you're lucky, the food is so good you gave up counting calories the moment you arrived. Such is the way of carnivals everywhere.
Amongst those of the wintry north, festivals and fairs are time-honoured traditions to be found anywhere. Be it the grandiose Canadian National Exhibition to the east or the much-anticipated Summer Sizzler right here in Humboldt, they're always lauded events.
"I don't know how far back it goes, but this will be about the 43rd consecutive year for the demolition derby," said Michael Ulriksen, events manager for the City of Humboldt. "For the last 10 years, the rodeo and the demolition derby have been the main events, although the rodeo was done away with three years ago."
Historically, this type of traveling fair often included the circus, which featured anything from abnormal humans to trained exotic animals to burlesque shows. Although many aspects of the traveling fair have slowly died out, the spirit of the carnival has survived in other ways.
Various groups and organizations will travel around Canada with rides and amusements they can set up and take down at a moment's notice. For Humboldt, that group would be West Coast Amusements. In other places, it would be Campbell Amusements, Magical Midways, Hinchey's Rides and Amusements, etc.
The first of these traveling carnivals date back to the mid-1800s and originated with the development of the railroads.
After they started to become popular, the carnival barker started to get crafty and would often exaggerate what was offered in order to attract more people. It wasn't long before carnivals developed a less-than-favourable reputation for dishonest behaviour.
Another popular and often sensationalized aspect of the olden day traveling carnivals was the "freak show." Some popular characters were bearded ladies, people with anomalies, contortionists, albinos, ethnic curiosities, hairy folk, etc.
Despite these now expired sideshows, the fun and fancy of carnivals has managed to survive, mostly due to the things you can't find anywhere else. For example, they are probably the only places you'll find a menagerie of corn dogs, cotton candy, caramel popcorn, and ice cream treats all in one place. They're also the only events that families of all ages can enjoy.
Moreover, although carnivals happen at different times of the year for different reasons, they almost always celebrate something. In Humboldt, the Summer Sizzler is the kickoff for summer, while in other areas they celebrate special occasions such as Mardi Gras or Caribana.
"The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) is the end of summer celebration," said Karen Lynch, director of marketing and communications for the CNE. "We live in a very high tech age, but this is a place where people can come and have a very visceral experience."
In Humboldt specifically, the Summer Sizzler serves a dual purpose by not only providing entertainment, but also by benefiting local nonprofit organizations.
"Over a dozen nonprofit groups use this as their main fundraisers," said Ulriksen. "This event is driven by nonprofit for nonprofit."
According to Ulriksen, while they do have business association events, they don't want to put on an event for the sake of putting on an event. They even changed it last year to be more visual so that people wouldn't be forced to come out and spend money.
"This year we'll have things like the petting zoo, a mini flea market, city auctions, pancake breakfast, and the Safe Communities bike ride," said Ulriksen. "The JCI will also be doing their cabaret and demonstration."
Apparently, this year the organizers are looking to gear rides and amusements to older youth and adults as well as kids. Attractions will include activities such as airplane rides, the Sizzler Strut, and a Texas Hold'Em tournament.
As always, the Summer Sizzler will join the long train of Canadian festivals that residents look forward to from June 20-22 in between sweating out the summer months.
