Recreational
With its adaptable venues and year-round events programming,
Northlands Park has had an opportunity to create a significant effect on
local aspects of recreation.
The original summer fair put on by the organization in its beginnings
period served as an opportunity for economic activity, but importantly,
it also served a recreational function by providing people an
opportunity to alter their routines for a few days. Trains travelling to
the exhibition grounds from south of the Saskatchewan River brought
large and eager crowds that would not depart until the end of the fair
day.
Fairs gave agriculturalists from around the province an opportunity
to bask the recognition of the fruits of their hard labour. These early
fairs set a precedent in the city for a justifiable and widely
participated celebration. Over decades, Northlands Park summer fairs
cheered Edmonton during the First and Second World Wars and later evolved into the
Edmonton Klondike Days Exposition. Despite some new sights and sounds,
the fair continued in the tradition of offering pleasurable
entertainment.
Leisure activities offered by Northlands Park were not exclusive to
the fairs though. Winter past-times were an important period for
recreational activity, with hockey figuring prominently. When Edmonton’s popular Thistle Rink burnt
down, the newly built Livestock Pavilion on the exhibition grounds
became home to regional hockey games.
Post-war renovations lead to the Edmonton Gardens and ultimately, the
Coliseum’s construction. These venues brought hockey teams to settle in
the exhibition grounds. Edmonton Eskimos and Edmonton Flyers hockey
teams and their fans helped to establish the city as a hockey
destination, setting the groundwork for the National Hockey League.
World-class ice and a Stanley Cup winning team only helped Northlands
Park to improve its entertainment record.
Facilities also brought other leisurely attractions to the city. In
the summers, Edmonton’s Commercial Graduates basketball team and the
touring Harlem Globetrotters would fascinate spectators. During the year, circuses
visited the city, as did various ice skating troupes. Later on, venues such as the Coliseum also played a part in
hosting international events like Universiade ’83 gymnastics.
The organization’s recreational impact has not been limited to
sports. Avid gaming fans clamour around the sound and lights offered up
by a collection of slot machines inside the Spectrum. For those
preferring outdoor entertainment, Northlands Park has provided varying
attractions. Horseracing, a popular sport in Alberta since the early
1900s, brings people to the grandstand or indoor viewing areas.
Concerts stream new crowds through the tiers of seating inside Rexall
Place on a recurrent basis. There are an exponential number of ways in
which people can find amusement through Northlands Park. Whether
volunteering or screaming on midway rides, people continue to visit the
park grounds for leisure.
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