A much-hyped appearance by a certain charismatic former U.S. President is receiving a cool reception in the city.
After two weeks of sluggish ticket sales to hear Bill Clinton speak, the Canadian National Exhibition has slashed prices from $20 to five dollars plus admission.
“I guess I was over optimistic in the initial phases,” noted the CNE’s David Bednar. “But if you get ten or 11 thousand people in one place for one thing, that’s still a lot of people.”
Organizers were hoping to fill the 25,000-seat BMO Field, but to-date have only sold 7,000.
Now, for the price of a corn dog or a bag of Tiny Tom donuts, people can gain access to the marquee event, paid for in part by federal stimulus dollars.
Those who did pay full price - or even more to scalpers - were a bit steamed.