Staff
Traffic at the Memorial Sports Centre remained fairly steady Friday and Saturday during the 23rd-annual Home & Leisure Show, sponsored by the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce and TBayTel.
“It was steady all weekend,” Chamber manager Anthony Mason noted Monday.
“I don’t have numbers yet, but talking to the exhibitors they were quite happy.
“They said there was a steady stream all weekend long,” he added. “Even during the ‘Strongman’ competition [Friday night], they said people were always coming around.
“That was one of the things I was worried about—was it going to be dead during the ‘Strongman’ competition?” Mason admitted.
“But people would stand there and watch . . . and then walk around.”
One of the new attractions at this year’s show, the “Strongman” competition saw a number of competitors from Ontario, Manitoba, and Minnesota perform feats of strength.
Having conferred with organizer and local competitor Luke Skaarup, Mason said it’s something he’d like to see be part of the Home & Leisure Show next year, too.
“It was a great fit,” he enthused.
“There’s some tweaking that has to be done to make it better,” Mason admitted. “But I have talked to Luke about it and we want to make it an annual thing.
“I know that people have already approached him about doing it other times in the year.”
Mason conceded a “strongman” competition makes a lot of noise. Its proximity to rest of the home show drew complaints from a couple of exhibitors, but others noted the sound was worth it because it drew people to the arena.
“I knew it was going to be an issue,” Mason said. “But it was something we had to test—you’re never going to know until you do it.”
Another new attraction this year was “Minute to Win It,” which took place Saturday and saw a total of seven people do various challenges to win Chamber of Commerce gift certificates.
“It was amazing,” enthused Mason. “I found a great emcee—Luke Cawston.
“He was amazing, and made it funny and fun.”
Mason noted the jackpot was up $700 for the final contestant, Kristy Brenna.
“The girl that was participating made it very exciting. It drew a huge crowd,” he noted.
“She came so close to winning the 700 bucks that she was able to walk away with $100.
“The last one was quite eventful,” he added. “It had the stress of the real game—you know, 700 bucks on the line and she was so close to doing it.”
Mason said it’s likely “Minute to Win It” also will come back next year.
Other winners included Mikael Mounk ($40), Hannah Firth ($100), Jesse Quesnel ($60), and Jonah Brow ($80).
Meanwhile, the show itself featured close to 50 exhibitors, representing businesses from within Rainy River District as well as Winnipeg and Thunder Bay.
They ranged from home improvement and landscaping, carpeting, flooring, windows and doors, insulation, cabinetry, and furniture to the La Verendrye Hospital Auxiliary, Riverside Foundation for Health Care, and the Fort Frances High School “chem-free” grad with their cake roulette.
Badiuk Equipment, meanwhile, was set up in the ’52 Canadians Arena while Sunset Country Ford was on the main floor of the Ice For Kids Arena.
There also were demonstrations by Energy Fitness Centre, amateur and cutest pet photo contests, “Plinko,” and a kids’ corner with an inflatable castle.
