THUNDER BAY – The Westfort Street Fair was back again on Frederica Street on Saturday.
The one-day event saw thousands ready to play, shop and see a whole lot of hotdogs eaten.
Aaron Gillingham, owner/operator of The Sal, said it has been a chaotic day.
“We just finished up the hotdog eating contest and it was crazy. The hot pepper eating contest is right after that. The train is coming up and down the street. There are kids getting their faces painted. There's a petting zoo over there, bouncy castles.
“Everything everywhere is packed – the street is crazy right now. We're having fun,” he said.
Gillingham said Saturday afternoon was nearly as busy as he’s ever seen at the Westfort Street Fair.
“I assume there's probably looking around eight or nine thousand people.
“There are line ups at every vendor. They're all busy right now. We can't keep up, so it's been fun,” he said.
The Westfort Street Fair is Gillingham’s favourite day of the year.
“I can speak for all the business here who are pumped up. They love this day – we were here at 5 a.m. getting ready today and I know everyone's going to stay late to clean up.
“It's worth every penny. We all love it. This is the best day of the year in Westfort.”
An insane amount of work is needed to put on the fair, Gillingham said.
“We start planning early in the year, meeting every week. We have a list of business owners here. We have our sponsors that put forth a great amount of effort and money.
“It's really always a special day to see it all kind of come to fruition.”
Between Westfort businesses and vendors there are over 95 organizations taking part in the fair, he said.
“I've been involved for seven years and every year it seems to be getting busier, bigger and better. It's very cool for me.”
Gillingham said the amount of support they receive is ‘almost emotional.’
“It's a really cool way to wrap up to the summer. It's a special day for everyone in Westfort."
Danica Jones was the winner of the hotdog eating contest, eating 10 in five minutes.
“I won a spaghetti eating contest just a couple of weeks ago at Festa. Now I can add this to my list of wins.”
Jones said she really doesn’t have a true strategy for these competitions.
“I haven't eaten today. I kind of just show up hungry and hope for the best.”
Organizers of the Westfort Street Fair thanked all of its sponsors and the people who make it possible to host this event year after year.
