Midway Madness coming back to Brandon

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This article was published 19/08/2021 (1691 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After being forced to cancel last summer’s event due to COVID-19, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba is bringing Midway Madness back to the Keystone Centre for Sept. 2-6.

According to Provincial Ex president Greg Crisanti, this event has been in the works for a long time and was made possible thanks to the loosening of public health restrictions over the past couple of months.

“We are hoping this event brings our community together and provides a fun and exciting weekend for people of all ages,” Crisanti said in a Wednesday morning news release.

The Provincial Ex usually hosts Midway Madness at the Keystone Centre every five years, and this fall they are teaming up with North American Midway Entertainment to provide a variety of rides, food vendors and games.

In total, this year’s Midway Madness will feature 16 full-sized rides for teens and adults and 16 other rides in their “Kiddieland” section for much younger children.

However, for this year’s event, Provincial Ex representatives are requiring proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for all attendees 12 years old and over.

Information on how to purchase tickets will be available shortly.

Midway Madness 2021 marks the first big event that the Provincial Ex has been able to put together since Ag Ex 2019, which took place in the fall of that year.

Shortly after that event wrapped up, COVID-19 cases began to emerge in the province, putting an end to large-scale gatherings for quite a while.

“So the Summer Fair has been cancelled over the past two years,” Provincial Exhibition sponsorship lead Rick Dillabough told the Sun on Wednesday.

“The Royal Manitoba Winter Fair has been cancelled both in 2020 and 2021. And then the Manitoba Ag Ex, which we intend on having this coming October, was cancelled in 2020.”

However, as public health restrictions began loosening up this past spring and summer, Provincial Ex officials began reintroducing smaller, physically distanced events for Westman residents to enjoy, including a drive-in movie fundraiser that took place late last month.

Even though Midway Madness 2021 represents a brief return to a pre-pandemic Manitoba, Dillabough said Provincial Exhibition members are still putting several safety protocols in place to ensure the public’s safety, including vaccine requirements.

“The Wheat Kings are starting in October and it will be a fully vaccinated venue, so it’s becoming the norm certainly in Manitoba,” he said.

And with Ag Ex set to make a return in late October, Dillabough hopes that Midway Madness serves as a preview for a return to normalcy that Westman residents have been craving since early 2020.

“I think it’s going to be a really good show and a great way to cap off the summer over Labour Day weekend,” he said.

The Midway Madness grounds at the Keystone Centre will be open to the public starting at 4 p.m. on Sept. 2-3 and at noon Sept. 4-6.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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