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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Not even a forest fire would stop Canuck Amusements from getting to Yellowknife, but it did delay the travelling fair one day.

Solaya Zdyb, 5, left, and three-year-old Talya are sisters who would make excellent future race car drivers if their enthusiasm for driving predicts anything. They gritted their teeth and steered their way around the race car track on the car ride at the Canuck Amusements fair on June 26 across from the Kingland Ford dealership on Old Airport Road. - Heather Lange/NNSL photo

Canuck Amusements wheeled into town on June 21, transforming an empty lot on Old Airport Road into a carnival scene for kids and adults alike which was open to the public from June 23 to 26.

"We got postponed from the forest fires," ," said Mike Mills, manager of Canuck Amusements, of their wait in Fort Providence.

"We were sitting on the side of the road for a day and a half, so we were open from Thursday to Sunday. The road closed right when we got there Monday night and Tuesday noon they took a group and escorted us through."

Twelve trucks with twenty employees brought in the nine rides, six games, two concession stands and ten portable washrooms that made up the Canuck Amusements fairgrounds.

Canuck Amusements, which has been around for thirty years and is based outside of Winnipeg, ventured up to Yellowknife for the second consecutive year.

"My grandpa started the business and I am the third generation running the business," said Mills.

Canuck Amusements had quite a long haul to get to Yellowknife.

"It's a long drive. We came all the way from Whitehorse all the way down around to Hay River for a fair and then here. Our next stop is Weyburn, Saskatchewan, 2,500 km away. It's a lot of fuel," said Mills.

A safety and electrical inspector from Yellowknife inspected all the rides before the fair opened, just like at any other stop the travelling fair makes, he said.

From nachos and candy apples to the scenic top view of the ferris wheel and the screams of terror heard from the fair's most popular ride, The Zipper, the fair had something to offer everyone.

Some people such as mom Donna Zdyb were happier on the sidelines.

"The girls wanted to go on the crazy ones but I wouldn't do it. I like my feet on the ground," said Zdyb.

Mills didn't have an estimate on how many people attended the fair but said last year's attendance was a bit better, and blamed the fluctuating hot and cold weather over the weekend for the lower numbers. Mills said they will be returning next year with some better planning to ensure for a smooth road trip.

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