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Niagara Falls
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Editorial: Virgil Stampede was the medicine we needed

The Virgil Stampede was a blast this weekend. All around, kids and parents alike were enjoying time out in the open air and sun. And a bit of rain.

It was nice to see everyone out again, finally getting back to some sense of normalcy after two years of pandemic pressure.

And for NOTLers, the Stampede is exactly what was needed.

It’s a tradition for families across town to head down for some cheap fair food ($4 peameal sandwiches, $3 onion rings! Great job, Virgil Business Association) and some family-friendly fun.

There’s nothing like a tradition to make you feel like you’re at home again.

Seeing groups of kids uniting for what might have been the first time in two years brought smiles to our faces as we went out taking photos and enjoying the festivities ourselves.

But one thing’s for sure: This kind of thing couldn’t happen without the generosity of our community members — and the Virgil Business Association.

With relatively short notice to plan things this year, the group and its army of volunteers pulled off an incredible fair all around.

Volunteers showed up to help run the gates and food stands – and keep things on an even keel.

Everyone involved deserves a carousel of applause for dedicating their time to make it happen.

Sure, there were a couple of rides that were out of service. Sure, we lost the nickel sale, model air show and bingo this year, but we got some new things, too — like the skateboard show, which drew some big Canadian names.

Luckily, the big storm missed us Saturday as the rest of Ontario got hammered by wind and rain.

But let’s face it — everyone from NOTL knows a bit of rain is part of the tradition for the Stampede.

It didn’t put a damper on our spirits.

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