It’s that time of year again — the prize home, the SuperDogs, and them damn mini donuts. The PNE kicks off this Saturday, August 19th and will run until September 4th.

Playland though, is open from April to October and if you go to Playland while the PNE Fair is on, there are more rides to choose from, all within your day-long play pass admission.

When I was little a trip to the PNE included rides that made me cry, lumberjack competitions, scones, little pizzas, and getting my picture taken in the Armed Forces Pavillion…you know where they would deck you out in a helmet and take a polaroid of you sitting in a plane with a sky backdrop? Ya know? Anyone?

Within the “Agriculture” element of the fair we have the Safeway Country Farm, the 4-H Festival and the BCYA. There are also live shows, lotteries, midway games and rides.

Speaking of rides, ‘The Coaster’ has got to be the scarriest. Being no where near anything you’d find at Six Flags with superman-feet-dangling-gforce excitement, the thrill you get from the Coaster comes from a ‘will this rickety thing break on me any minute?!’ kinda fear.

Built in 1958, it’s listed on Heritage Vancouver’s Top 10 [endangered sites]. With its old wood, rusty metal, loose-screws and cars complete with ’safety bars’ that frankly don’t fit anyone (young or old) I have to say the Coaster tops my list of fave rides. That, and the Mousetrap - again another OLD ride you’ll need a tetanus shot for. I’m just waiting for my car to actually tip off the edge, I know it will… one of these days…

With all that said (and with much more to check out on the website, and of course, in person) what are your likes/dislikes, must do’s/ must avoids of the PNE/Playland?